Ice Worm

The Ice Worm is an aggressive leviathan class fauna species that burrows beneath the surface of the ice. They appear to be ambush predators, drawn towards vibrations above them. Ice Worms burrow beneath ice and do not swim.

Ice Worms can be avoided through the use of a Thumper.

Appearance
The Ice Worm has a very long body, the top side of which is completely covered by a thick segmented exoskeleton. Beneath these plates are another set of triangular plates that stick out horizontally, each with a backward facing spike. The underside of the creature is bare and unprotected, lacking any protective plating. The underside is grey in color and has two rows of small spikes running parallel down the body.

The head is mainly comprised of a single huge plate which tapers into a long, thick horn sticking straight out from the head. This horn is super-heated and allows the Ice Worm to melt through ice in order to burrow. Below the horn, the creature's four mouthparts can be seen. Each is long and curved with a solid black exterior and fleshy red interior. The inside of the upper and lower pair is lined with black spines. The tail ends with a pair of long and thin spines.

Behavior
Ice Worms spend the majority of time underground. However, they will attack a Thumper if it is placed near their location, or if the player moves and/or jumps around.

Ice Worms currently do not spawn naturally but can be spawned in using Console Commands. Once spawned, it will appear that nothing has occurred but they will attack any nearby Thumpers and moving Snowfoxes.

The Stasis Rifle does not affect Ice Worms.

Design
The Ice Worm's design draws heavily on the real-life bobbit worm. Though far greater in size, the Ice Worm shares the hard parapodia running down the body and an ambush-reliant lifestyle.

The Ice Worm's head bears a striking resemblance to this image of a deep-sea tube worm and was likely based on it.

The tail spines of the Ice Worm are similar to the distinctive cerci seen on the rears of earwigs.

Gallery
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