Aracrinar

Aracrinar are a native arachnid-like species native to Sekrina. Elusive and highly adaptive, the Aracrinar are the only species observed thus far to possess the ability to incorporate vast amounts of another species's genetics into their own.   Aracrinar are an all-female species, lacking a male counterpart of their species. They make up for this by preying on and consuming, in whole, males of other species. The amount of prey needed for an Aracrinar to enter a reproductive state directly correlates with the mass of the prey species, the larger the prey, the fewer that are needed. Once the first prey has been consumed, the Aracrinar will not consume any other species, presumably in order to not dilute the genetic code.  

Description

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While the appearance of a fully mature Aracrinar can vary quite a lot due to their reproductive nature, many traits of their immature form remain. This includes an exoskeleton covering the majority of their bulbous lower body, at least four legs attached to their lower body as the legs of their prey are integrated into their upper body, seemingly requiring eight legs in total, regardless of the distribution of them.

Behavior

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Prey

As previously mentioned, a mature Aracrinar will only prey on males of other species in order to reproduce further, preferring larger species, but they will prey on smaller species should they be unable to find larger species.   An immature Aracrinar can only feed off of the species from which its genetic code was created, being unable to feed from any other species until they reach maturity.

Life Cycle

Reproduction

The reproductive phase begins roughly three weeks after an Aracrinar reaches maturity. It will seek out males of another species, hunting for either large prey or large concentrations of prey. After seeking a suitable prey, the Aracrinar will either utilize its paralytic venom or simply capture its target, depending on the size. After the prey is suitably subdued, the Aracrinar will make use of its own enzymes in order to reduce their prey to a genetic 'slurry'.   As this 'slurry' is consumed by the Aracrinar, its front portion will adopt more and more of their prey's features. Singular prey results in an appearance similar, if not identical, to the deceased, whereas a mixture of a single species will be a more 'generic' version of that species. This process seems to impart some amount of knowledge possessed by the prey as bodily control and vocalizations are possible from this upper half. At the same time, the back abdomen will swell with immature spawn, created with the genetic 'slurry'.   After a sufficient amount of genetic material has been ingested, the Aracrinar will locate a suitable location in order to commence the birthing process. Small areas with a single entrance, such as caves, are the preferred location as the Aracrinar is most vulnerable during this period.   A number of spawn, the amount varying based on the amount of genetic code obtained, will be birthed from the rear abdomen, taking up to a minute to acclimate to the new environment before departing to find their assigned prey. The birthing Aracrinar will suffer from systemic failure of their internal organs in the following hour or so, resulting in their death.