| Ass-Blaster | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Others | Impundulu | ||
| Binomen | Caederus mexicana combustus | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Average height | 3 ft. | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sapience | Non-Sapient | ||
| Aggressivity | Extreme | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Habitat | Desert | ||
| Diet | Carnivore | ||
| Lifespan | Unknown | ||
| Subspecies | None | ||
| Related species | Graboid Shrieker | ||
| Status | Extinct in the wild | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | Tremors | ||
Ass-Blasters are aerial predators and the final stage in the graboid lifecycle.
Overview[]
After a shrieker molts, the ass-blaster emerges; it flies as far as it can to lay a single graboid egg. Some have theorized that they all fly to a single location and lay their eggs communally like sea turtles. Like shriekers they hunt by sensing heat, but unlike shriekers they lapse into a "food coma" when they eat too much, instead of reproducing.
Ass-Blasters fly by mixing two chemicals in a hollow chamber, located at the rear of the body (hence the name) and expelling them quickly. The two chemicals together react in air and ignite to produce a small explosion, creating lift. Once in the air they glide with the aid of three fin-like appendages instead of flying in the traditional sense.
These creatures are fairly intelligent, in one case known to use their flame to melt a reinforced metal door. They hunt like birds of prey, using a wider thermal sensing organ to scan the ground for heat signatures. They still attack inorganic heat sources, just like shriekers.
The African variety is larger than the North American variety and their thermal receptors provide a three-dimensional image. In real-life African mythology, the Impundulu (translated as "Lightning Bird") is present in the Pondo, Zulu and Xhosa tribes. Most descriptions bare little similarities with Ass-Blasters, however it is sometimes described as a man-sized bird of prey with a fiery red tail that lights fires fueled by its own body and lays a single egg underground.
Kills[]
- Miguel
- Thaba