Sand Shark

This article is about the Sand Shark. You may be looking for the Boneshark.

Template:Class 2 FaunaThe Sand Shark is a fauna species dwelling mostly in the Grassy Plateaus and the Dunes. They prefer to stay close to, or beneath 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 orange 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, retreat to the safety of a submersible or base, or repeatedly change direction. 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. When a Sand Shark is attacked, it will swim away extremely quickly until it is far enough away from its attacker.

Energy Value

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Data Bank Entry

A powerful, medium-sized predator that burrows into the sand and ambushes its prey from below. As with many predators it may be possible to temporarily distract sand sharks by feeding any hungry specimens that draw close.

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 may simply be an evolutionary dead end.
Segmented Exoskeleton:
Thick armor plating renders the sandshark almost immune to attack from above. While it is capable of impressive acceleration its exoskeleton prevents it from changing direction quickly. The sandhsark is thus a perfectly-designed ambush hunter, but ill-suited to sustained pursuits.
Feet:
Ill-designed for ambulation. Likely used to disturb the surface of the sand so the lifeform can burrow into the ground.

Assessment: Avoid - Be vigilant for ambush in sandy biomes