Sand Shark

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A slow, powerful predator that digs burrows in the sand and ambushes its prey from below.

― PDA

The Sand Shark is an aggressive life form belonging to the fauna category. It dwells mostly in the Grassy Plateaus and the Dunes. They prefer to stay close to the sea floor and rarely wander near the surface.

Appearance

The Sand Shark's body is segmented and their dorsal side is completely covered with an exoskeleton, having a steel blue upperside and a dull orange underside, with a brief gap where its muscle can be seen. Short legs appear in two rows of six on its underside, used to disturb the surface of sand.

The Sand Shark's head features four yellow eyes, which are divided into sets of two on each side, and a large fin-like protrusion on the top. It has a rather large mouth having six rows of sharp, jagged teeth, which continue to go down the Sand Shark's throat.

Behavior

As its name implies, the Sand Shark tends to burrow into the sand and waits for unsuspecting prey to swim by for an ambush attack. When it does so, sand clouds start to form more and more dense in the surrounding area.

Once its prey, or the player themselves, has approached close enough, the Sand Shark will emerge from the sand and chase them. The Sand Shark swims at a rather fast pace and can catch up to the player should they continue to swim in a straight line. To evade this, swim in a zig-zag pattern or retreat to the safety of a submersible. Alternatively, if you react to hearing its charge quickly enough by altering your course by about 45-60 degrees should also avoid damage as they seem to lack turning control while charging. If the player can reach the surface or evade damage for long enough, the Sand Shark will break off the chase and return to its previous location.

Sand Sharks themselves make no attempts to dodge attacks, simply swimming in a straight line. As such, they are easy to repel with blasts from the Repulsion Cannon or a Torpedo System

Energy Value

×800

×100

Data Bank Entry

A slow, powerful predator that digs burrows in the sand and ambushes its prey from below. Forward Dorsal Fin: The unusual location of this fin suggests a purpose unrelated to movement through the water. It may be employed in shifting sand beneath the surface, or in mating rituals, or simply an evolutionary dead end. Segmented Exoskeleton: Thick armor plating on the organism's back renders it relatively unmaneuverable, but almost immune to attack from above. Feet: Ill-designed for ambulation. Likely used to disturb the surface of the sand so the lifeform can burrow into the ground, from where it may ambush its prey. Prey: Herbivores up to twice its size Assessment: Use caution in sandy biomes

Gallery

<tabber> In Game Screenshots=

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  Front view

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  Side profile

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  Dorsal view

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  Bioluminescence

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  A Sand Shark egg

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  Size comparison to the player

|-| Videos=

• SandShark Cluster CV Test

  Movement animations

|-| Concept Art=

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  Concept Art

</tabber> For a more complete gallery, visit Sand Shark/Gallery.