Crabsquid

The crabsquid is a large, aggressive fauna species that inhabits depressions and caves. It can be found in the Northern Blood Kelp Zone, the Deep Grand Reef and the Lost River.

Appearance
The crabsquid resembles a shockingly coherent assembly of parts from at least three different submarine species: The pod of a squid, the membranous sac of a ball jellyfish and the limbs of a spider crab fanning outward from the base. Each legs appears to be tipped with cilia that aid the animal in perceiving its surroundings and a triangular fin that aids it in locomotion.

The crabsquid is cathemeral, meaning it's active at any time of day, though it appears to be more nocturnal judging by its four large eyes. They appear to be fixed in a forward-looking position in the lower part of the creature's main body, though each pair seems to function in a different capacity from the other: The upper pair appears to be the more visual, allowing it to locate and track prey; the lower pair appears to be infrared or ultraviolet sensitive and used to scan the seabed for smaller animals that may be hiding in the sand.

Its two smallest limbs on either side of its mouth appear to be manipulative, allowing the crabsquid to interact with its environment. They also boast small grasping pincers that enable the crabsquid to grip prey.

Behavior
The crabsquid swims aimlessly around on its own or moves slowly on the seabed with its limbs. Upon being approached, the creature will launch an attack, dealing 40 damage to the player. It can also be observed catching and eating smaller fauna. The crabsquid is similar to the Boneshark in that it's attracted to and will follow certain light sources, meaning that it can be distracted using lights from the Cyclops, Seamoth, Prawn Suit or Flares. However, using a vehicle's light will usually end up with the crabsquid disabling it.

Light appears to aggravate it. If struck by a concentrated light source, the crabsquid will retaliate with an EMP blast that will temporarily disable all electronics within the area of effect. This makes it impractical and dangerous to build near an area inhabited by crabsquid.

If the player approaches the crabsquid in the Seamoth within its line of sight, the creature will chase the submersible a short distance and attack, dealing 20% damage to the vehicle's health. Take precaution with the Cyclops near a crabsquid. If the crabsquid takes notice of the Cyclops, it will either use its EMP blast which will disable the Cyclops or slash it, doing damage.

The crabsquid frequently emits loud, echoing clicks for the purpose of echolocation.

The electro-magnetic pulses are emitted as a highly concentrated ring-shaped pulse of green-colored electricity that will temporarily overload the electrical systems of a device or vehicle. It is possible that they are generated by highly dense clusters of nerve endings located on the exterior surface of the stomach, perhaps the luminescent green pattern covering it. This process along with the digestive system is closely linked to the creature's brain which means that any sudden stimulation (such as light) can cause the activation of such a mechanism. Though this appears to be voluntary response rather than a reflex.

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Trivia

 * The Crabsquid 's sounds indicate it uses echolocation, which real life animals use.
 * The sounds of the Crabsquid were created using the sounds of a creaking door, dolphins, and a stock alien sound.
 * It is implied that a Crabsquid is what killed Paul Torgal from the Degasi crew.