Real-Life crabsnake!

subnauticambrian

So I was pondering the crabsnake recently, and I realised that it bore a surprising similarity to another animal I'm enthusiastic about:

I give you: The Bobbit Worm!

One Video!

Another Video!

And another one!

Significantly sans Jellyshroom, but there are remarkable similarities between the two- they're both ambush worm predators who hide their bodies in a substance, and the two do look a bit similar. If any devs see this, were you at all inspired by this when you made the crabsnake? I've said it once, and I'll say it again: The creature design in this game is superb!

phantomfinch

Thanks for the nightmares. Now there's another reason never to leave my room, incase one of these suckers is in the sea while I swim on holiday

Exlodian

phantomfinch wrote: »

Thanks for the nightmares. Now there's another reason never to leave my room, incase one of these suckers is in the sea while I swim on holiday

I stopped daring to swim in the ocean..a loong time ago. To many nightmares in there. Its a big nope zone for me.

Kouji_San

phantomfinch

@Kouji_San It's more of a
http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/727/910/577.gif

Lonnehart

Feh... They're not that scary. I just have to make sure I wear some metal gloves when handling them I think...

This guy catches the thing for his fishing needs. Probably to use as bait...

subnauticambrian

No nightmares intended- These little guys only grow to about an inch in diameter! (spoiler for more nightmares)

although they have been known to grow up to almost 3m, and hide out in aquarium rocks to infiltrate saltwater tanks...

Most prevalent in Lembeh Strait, indonesia, the Bobbit worm also shares territory with the frogfish and the stargazer- the second of which uses electric shocks as well as venom when they ambush their prey. Yep, I think it's safe to say that Indonesia is like our own little tiny planet 4546B.

Good Lord, do I love marine predation.

TenebrousNova

We have one of those at the pet shop I work at. It was eating the expensive corals and we figured it'd be a shame to kill it, so he has a tank of his own now (Next to the mantis shrimp's tank). Very interesting to watch him.

fightin_first

holy hell that was terrifying, even more so because its in real life

subnauticambrian

TenebrousNova wrote: »

We have one of those at the pet shop I work at. It was eating the expensive corals and we figured it'd be a shame to kill it, so he has a tank of his own now (Next to the mantis shrimp's tank). Very interesting to watch him.

That's so cool! You have a Mantis Shrimp AND a Bobbit Worm? That's gotta be the coolest pet store ever!

TenebrousNova

subnauticambrian wrote: »

TenebrousNova wrote: »

We have one of those at the pet shop I work at. It was eating the expensive corals and we figured it'd be a shame to kill it, so he has a tank of his own now (Next to the mantis shrimp's tank). Very interesting to watch him.

That's so cool! You have a Mantis Shrimp AND a Bobbit Worm? That's gotta be the coolest pet store ever!

Yep! I wasn't there to catch the bobbit worm but everyone else managed to get punched at least once in the fingers by the mantis shrimp (It feels like an elastic band hitting you really hard and makes a loud crack sound). Baiting a net with a bit of fish didn't work because he'd run out, snatch it and be back in his rock before you could react.
I had to put the rock he was hiding in on the draining board and poke a pen in the holes to get him out and he immediately started punching it (And left a small crack in the plastic). Eventually he leaped out of the rock, into the sink and tried squeezing down the plughole before I got him in the net.

Fun times! Occasionally I see him glaring at me from his cave. Unfortunately the worm is nocturnal so I only saw him when he was being transferred.

Here's the mantis:

subnauticambrian

Wow, he's a beauty! An evidently cantankerous one, but majestic nonetheless. The hijinks that happen at your pet store sound exciting- I work at an aquarium and the best we have is a wood turtle who's a master escape artist.

Lonnehart

I somehow have this horrible feeling the devs are watching this thread for ideas... I won't be surpised if one of them popped into this thread, wringing his hands while laughing evilly... O_O

Kouji_San

Lonnehart wrote: »

I somehow have this horrible feeling the devs are watching this thread for ideas... I won't be surpised if one of them popped into this thread, wringing his hands while laughing evilly... O_O

subnauticambrian

In that case, hang on one second while I fetch my "Top 1000 Deadly Horrible Creatures" list- I'm sure it's around here somewhere...

MuahahaHAHAHA

TenebrousNova

If the devs were looking then I would suggest something like the cone snail. Those are very sinister predators.

There are also species of cone snail that do not use the harpoon radula to hunt, but have many tentacles surrounding the mouth that resembles a sea anemone.

phantomfinch

Kouji_San wrote: »

Lonnehart wrote: »

I somehow have this horrible feeling the devs are watching this thread for ideas... I won't be surpised if one of them popped into this thread, wringing his hands while laughing evilly... O_O

Wait was that real or photoshopped if it was that is nice editing

Kouji_San

phantomfinch wrote: »

Kouji_San wrote: »

Lonnehart wrote: »

I somehow have this horrible feeling the devs are watching this thread for ideas... I won't be surpised if one of them popped into this thread, wringing his hands while laughing evilly... O_O

Wait was that real or photoshopped if it was that is nice editing

NS2 artwork gives it away, I just noticed it

subnauticambrian

Oh, and while we're on the topic of real-life subnautica creatures, all this talk of deadly invertibrates reminded me of the broadclub cuttlefish...

Cuttlefish: *Lights*
Crab: "It is my primary directive to swim closer to that beautiful creature..."

EDIT: Technically the cuttlefish has the "cuttlebone" inside its body... does that make it a vertebrate?

TenebrousNova

subnauticambrian wrote: »

Oh, and while we're on the topic of real-life subnautica creatures, all this talk of deadly invertibrates reminded me of the broadclub cuttlefish...

Cuttlefish: *Lights*
Crab: "It is my primary directive to swim closer to that beautiful creature..."

EDIT: Technically the cuttlefish has the "cuttlebone" inside its body... does that make it a vertebrate?

Nope, it's still classified as an invertebrate. The "cuttlebone" is actually an internal shell like the ones found inside slugs, but used for buoyancy.

subnauticambrian

I'm gonna run this joke into the ground

subnauticambrian

If the devs are looking for any creature inspiration (although the creatures in this game are quite inspired), I might suggest taking a look back through time. From the classic marine reptiles of the Mesozoic, to the Devonian- "age of fishes"- period, there's plenty of wild body plans that have come and gone through the ages.

My personal favorite, however, has to be the Cambrian period. During the Cambrian Explosion, when multi-cellular life started diversifying at an insane rate, many bizarre creatures emerged- a few of which almost seem at home in the Subnautica universe already!

There's Opabinia, with 5 eyes and a trunk-like proboscis, Anomalocaris, the largest predator at the time, and thousands more arthropods, other invertibrates, and more than a few animals who defy classification entirely.

An extensive gallery here

Darwin-Evolution

subnauticambrian wrote: »

In that case, hang on one second while I fetch my "Top 1000 Deadly Horrible Creatures" list- I'm sure it's around here somewhere...

MuahahaHAHAHA

Ok, you want some freaky real critters? I got a few. Wait a mo...

• the black swallower:
  
  
• the cookiecutter shark:
  
  
• the snaggletooth:
  
  
• the retina copepod:
  
  
• the vampire squid:
  
  
• the giant mussel shrimp:
  
  
• the pink see-through fantasia:
  
  
• the goblin shark:
  
  
• the oarfish:
  
  
• the gulper eel:
  
  
• the atolla jellyfish:
  
  
• the scaly-foot gastropod:
  
  
• the monkfish:
  
  
• the giant isopod:
  
  
• the predatory tunicate:
  
  
• the fangtooth:
  
  
• the helmet jellyfish:
  
  
• the stoplight loosejaw:
  
  
• the harp sponge:
  
  
• the barreleye fish:
  
  
• the japanese sea lily:
  
  
• the megamouth shark:
  
  
• the yeti crab:
  
  
• the black dragonfish:
  
  
• the ping-pong tree sponge:
  
  
• the blobfish:
  
  
• the darth vader jellyfish:
  
  
• the hairy angler:
  
  
• the bigfin squid:
  
  
• the frilled shark:
  
  
• the giant sea spider:
  
  
• sloane's viperfish:
  
  
  
  Shall I keep going (?)

Kouji_San

Darwin-Evolution wrote: »

subnauticambrian wrote: »

In that case, hang on one second while I fetch my "Top 1000 Deadly Horrible Creatures" list- I'm sure it's around here somewhere...

MuahahaHAHAHA

Ok, you want some freaky real critters? I got a few. Wait a mo...

• the black swallower:
  
  
• the cookiecutter shark:
  
  
• the snaggletooth:
  
  
• the retina copepod:
  
  
• the vampire squid:
  
  
• the giant mussel shrimp:
  
  
• the pink see-through fantasia:
  
  
• the goblin shark:
  
  
• the oarfish:
  
  
• the gulper eel:
  
  
• the atolla jellyfish:
  
  
• the scaly-foot gastropod:
  
  
• the monkfish:
  
  
• the giant isopod:
  
  
• the predatory tunicate:
  
  
• the fangtooth:
  
  
• the helmet jellyfish:
  
  
• the stoplight loosejaw:
  
  
• the harp sponge:
  
  
• the barreleye fish:
  
  
• the japanese sea lily:
  
  
• the megamouth shark:
  
  
• the yeti crab:
  
  
• the black dragonfish:
  
  
• the ping-pong tree sponge:
  
  
• the blobfish:
  
  
• the darth vader jellyfish:
  
  
• the hairy angler:
  
  
• the bigfin squid:
  
  
• the frilled shark:
  
  
• the giant sea spider:
  
  
• sloane's viperfish:
  
  
  
  Shall I keep going (?)

subnauticambrian

Darwin-Evolution wrote: »

subnauticambrian wrote: »

In that case, hang on one second while I fetch my "Top 1000 Deadly Horrible Creatures" list- I'm sure it's around here somewhere...

MuahahaHAHAHA

Ok, you want some freaky real critters? I got a few. Wait a mo...

• the black swallower:
  
  
• the cookiecutter shark:
  
  
• the snaggletooth:
  
  
• the retina copepod:
  
  
• the vampire squid:
  
  
• the giant mussel shrimp:
  
  
• the pink see-through fantasia:
  
  
• the goblin shark:
  
  
• the oarfish:
  
  
• the gulper eel:
  
  
• the atolla jellyfish:
  
  
• the scaly-foot gastropod:
  
  
• the monkfish:
  
  
• the giant isopod:
  
  
• the predatory tunicate:
  
  
• the fangtooth:
  
  
• the helmet jellyfish:
  
  
• the stoplight loosejaw:
  
  
• the harp sponge:
  
  
• the barreleye fish:
  
  
• the japanese sea lily:
  
  
• the megamouth shark:
  
  
• the yeti crab:
  
  
• the black dragonfish:
  
  
• the ping-pong tree sponge:
  
  
• the blobfish:
  
  
• the darth vader jellyfish:
  
  
• the hairy angler:
  
  
• the bigfin squid:
  
  
• the frilled shark:
  
  
• the giant sea spider:
  
  
• sloane's viperfish:
  
  
  
  Shall I keep going (?)

Absolutely fantastic! There were quite a few I hadn't heard of in there- The ping-pong tree sponge is especially amazing! I particularly like the stoplight loosejaw- with its red photophores, it just seems so cheeky that it's evolved a "cheat" to hunting in the abyss. Truly, sir, you are a man/woman of great aquatic repute!

Lonnehart

Ah, the Blobfish. One was murdered by the youtuber "DoopieDoOver"...

TenebrousNova

I'm pretty sure the blobfish wouldn't look like that in their natural habitat deep down. Decompression is probably what gives them their "blob" appearance.

Darwin-Evolution

subnauticambrian wrote: »

Absolutely fantastic! There were quite a few I hadn't heard of in there- The ping-pong tree sponge is especially amazing! I particularly like the stoplight loosejaw- with its red photophores, it just seems so cheeky that it's evolved a "cheat" to hunting in the abyss. Truly, sir, you are a man/woman of great aquatic repute!

Wow, thanks a lot! That really warms hy heart because becoming a marine biologist is my lifelong dream. Your comment fills me with determination.

subnauticambrian

Bumping this thread because I found another animal reminiscent of subnautica- The Tripod Fish! Particularly reminded me of the sea treader- although, the sea treader appears to be some kind of arthropod, feeds from a proboscis, and is an herbivore- while the tripod fish is the opposite of all those. Still, it's a cool creature and they look kind of similar!

some pics and a vid:

I was also thinking that the Stargazer reminds me a little bit of the sandshark- not too many similarities there, though. I would like to see the sandshark behave a bit more like the stargazer though- seeing sandsharks freely swimming and chasing fish just didn't seem to fit the bill of "ambush predator"

Rezca

Darwin-Evolution wrote: »

subnauticambrian wrote: »

In that case, hang on one second while I fetch my "Top 1000 Deadly Horrible Creatures" list- I'm sure it's around here somewhere...

MuahahaHAHAHA

Ok, you want some freaky real critters? I got a few. Wait a mo...

• the black swallower:
  
  
• the cookiecutter shark:
  
  
• the snaggletooth:
  
  
• the retina copepod:
  
  
• the vampire squid:
  
  
• the giant mussel shrimp:
  
  
• the pink see-through fantasia:
  
  
• the goblin shark:
  
  
• the oarfish:
  
  
• the gulper eel:
  
  
• the atolla jellyfish:
  
  
• the scaly-foot gastropod:
  
  
• the monkfish:
  
  
• the giant isopod:
  
  
• the predatory tunicate:
  
  
• the fangtooth:
  
  
• the helmet jellyfish:
  
  
• the stoplight loosejaw:
  
  
• the harp sponge:
  
  
• the barreleye fish:
  
  
• the japanese sea lily:
  
  
• the megamouth shark:
  
  
• the yeti crab:
  
  
• the black dragonfish:
  
  
• the ping-pong tree sponge:
  
  
• the blobfish:
  
  
• the darth vader jellyfish:
  
  
• the hairy angler:
  
  
• the bigfin squid:
  
  
• the frilled shark:
  
  
• the giant sea spider:
  
  
• sloane's viperfish:
  
  

Shall I keep going (?)

I know of some of those!
So glad you stuck the Oarfish, Chiasmodon, and Frilled Shark there - I love those three so much. ^^

Loved that list, the deep-sea and its life was always a huge fascination of mine, one reason why I loved Subnautica so much. The Blood Kelp was my favorite region until the Lost River was fleshed out hehe~ Now the Blood Kelp "Trench", Lost River, and Grand Reef are my three favs - though I do also like the beauty of the Kelp Forest and Safe Shallows and,... Wah, I could never pick just one v_v

subnauticambrian

Rezca wrote: »

Darwin-Evolution wrote: »

subnauticambrian wrote: »

In that case, hang on one second while I fetch my "Top 1000 Deadly Horrible Creatures" list- I'm sure it's around here somewhere...

MuahahaHAHAHA

Ok, you want some freaky real critters? I got a few. Wait a mo...

• the black swallower:
  
  
• the cookiecutter shark:
  
  
• the snaggletooth:
  
  
• the retina copepod:
  
  
• the vampire squid:
  
  
• the giant mussel shrimp:
  
  
• the pink see-through fantasia:
  
  
• the goblin shark:
  
  
• the oarfish:
  
  
• the gulper eel:
  
  
• the atolla jellyfish:
  
  
• the scaly-foot gastropod:
  
  
• the monkfish:
  
  
• the giant isopod:
  
  
• the predatory tunicate:
  
  
• the fangtooth:
  
  
• the helmet jellyfish:
  
  
• the stoplight loosejaw:
  
  
• the harp sponge:
  
  
• the barreleye fish:
  
  
• the japanese sea lily:
  
  
• the megamouth shark:
  
  
• the yeti crab:
  
  
• the black dragonfish:
  
  
• the ping-pong tree sponge:
  
  
• the blobfish:
  
  
• the darth vader jellyfish:
  
  
• the hairy angler:
  
  
• the bigfin squid:
  
  
• the frilled shark:
  
  
• the giant sea spider:
  
  
• sloane's viperfish:
  
  

Shall I keep going (?)

I know of some of those!
So glad you stuck the Oarfish, Chiasmodon, and Frilled Shark there - I love those three so much. ^^

Loved that list, the deep-sea and its life was always a huge fascination of mine, one reason why I loved Subnautica so much. The Blood Kelp was my favorite region until the Lost River was fleshed out hehe~ Now the Blood Kelp "Trench", Lost River, and Grand Reef are my three favs - though I do also like the beauty of the Kelp Forest and Safe Shallows and,... Wah, I could never pick just one v_v

Oh, I absolutely agree. I think my personal favorite biome might be the underwater islands, that was one of the first times I felt like I was swimming through concept art!

Aside from that, I especially love the deep sea life in subnautica- the crabsquid is one of my absolute favorites. That jelly membrane around its mantle seems almost like some kind of adaptation to counter the heavy pressure, making its body more jellylike. Or it could be some kind of adaptation to protect it from its own emp blasts!