Biter

This article is about the Biter. You may be looking for the Blighter.

Template:Class 2 FaunaThe Biter is a small, aggressive fauna species, mostly dwelling in the Grassy Plateaus, Mountains, and the Jellyshroom Cave.

Appearance

The Biter's body somewhat resembles a real life tadpole, though having a greater size. It has two eyes on each side of its head, and a small mouth full of small, razor sharp teeth like a piranha. Its head features five horizontal black stripes. The Biter has no pectoral fins, possessing only dorsal and caudal ones running along its body length. Its upper body is a bright red, while its underbelly is a dull, pale grayish blue. It also has a small protrusion on its forehead, similar in appearance to the esca of anglerfish, rather than being used to lure potential prey, this growth is effectively an extension of the olfactory system, used to track blood and other bodily fluids in the water.

Behavior

The Biter is an extremely fast and territorial fish. It emits quiet growls and clicks every now and then. It will attack without hesitation if the player gets too close. Each bite deals 7 damage to the player's health. Biters will eat any corpses that they come across, making them disappear. Biters will usually form shoals or small groups of two to three individuals. The Biter, like other predators, will eat from the player's hand if offered fish and will leave the player alone for a moment. This can be risky with a group of Biters as they individually eat around three samples each and some may still injure the player while swarming. Although one Biter can be easily dealt with, a large swarm of Biters can be dangerous to encounter, and can easily kill the player.

Audio

<soundcloud url="https://soundcloud.com/kamakazi/biter-demo" height="166" width="100%" class="soundCloud"></soundcloud>

Data Bank Entry

Small, aggressive predator. 94% muscle, 4% connective tissue, 2% brain. Likely indiscriminate when hunting: anything injured is fair game. Specialized Olfactory Antenna: Employed in detection of bodily fluids in the water. Secondary Pair of Eyes: Striking similarities to the sand shark's. Likely dedicated to detecting the peripheral movement of larger predators. Overdeveloped Tail Fin: Favors out-pacing and outnumbering their prey over individual maneuverability. Prey: Small herbivores; but according to calculations creatures up to 100x the biter's body weight could succumb to a focused assault. Assessment: Avoid large groups - Try not to bleed

Gallery

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  Front view

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  Side profile

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  Top view

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  Underside view

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  Rear view

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  Bioluminescence

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  Size comparison to the Player

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  A Biter in the Grassy Plateaus

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  A Biter in the Jelly Shroom Caves

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  A close up of the Biter's mouth

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  A view from inside the Biter's mouth

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  Concept Art

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  Concept art featuring a Biter

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  The Biter's model, labeled as "Red Piranha", from Sketchfab

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Trivia

• Despite having a closer resemblance to real life anglerfishes, the Biter's behavior strongly associates them with real life piranhas.
• There is a subspecies of the Biter called the Blighter that lives in the Blood Kelp Zone and the Blood Kelp Caves.
• Biters once lived around the Floating Island, but were removed from the location soon after they were added.