Grappra

Scientific Classification[]

Domain: Monocentralis (Single-Nucleus Complex Organisms)
Kingdom: Neomalia "New Soul" (Neomalians -- Aurosian Eon's Fauna Life)
Superphylum: Padellizoa "Paddle Life" (Organisms who produce paddled larvae)
Phylum: Mollisia "Flexible" (Mollisians -- Flexible organisms utilizing a hydrostatic skeleton)
Class: Cephalopoides "Like Cephalopod" (Cephalopoids)
Subclass: Elasmomorpha "Elastic Shape" (Unarmored Cephalopoids)
Superorder: Etapoda "Eight Foot" (Etapods -- Eight-armed Cephalopoids)
Order: Bitentacleida (Two Tentacled Cephalopoids -- 2 of the 8 arms are tentacles)
Family: Unspecified
Subfamily: Unspecified
Genus: Unspecified
Species: Unspecified
Binominal Name: Unspecified

Species Type: Cold-blooded abyssal cephalopoid
Lifestyle: Solitary ambush predator
Hunt/Forage Success Rate: 100% Hunt (70% success rate)
Armor: Grappra have tough, thick skin, working like leathery armor that is difficult to pierce for most organisms, with notable exceptions in the King of Swimmers and several species of ectoparasites.

Defenses: Grappra are large and powerful creatures, apex predators in maturity. They can either wrestle a foe with their muscular tentacle-arms or blind them with their bioluminescence to attempt an escape. Their vital organs like their brain and eyes are protected by a pair of leathery flaps adapted from tentacle-arms called gnathobranchia.

Weapons: The Grappra hunt by using the bioluminescence in their tentacles to represent a swarm of smaller organisms in the dark abyss of their home. This will hopefully attract their own prey, and one it does they will quietly withdraw their eyes into their gnathobranchia, and seal them behind a muscle, effectively blinding the Grappra. However, this is quickly followed by a sudden, blinding flash from their bioluminescence to blind their prey before "opening" their own eyes, which have been protected from this attack. This will leave the creature vulnerable to an unabated attack. The Grappra will expose their huge mandibles and stab them into the victim and tear it apart before feasting upon its carcass.

Tools: The Grappra has eight tentacles, although two of them have been adapted into gnathobranchia. The other six can manipulate their environment although this rarely includes anything other than prey and mates.

Reproductive Rate: Sexual maturity is reached after 5 years. They reproduce whenever they meet the opposite sex.

Gestation: 15 days then lays eggs -- eggs are attached modified sections of their mandibles.

Offspring Survival Rate (before age of maturity): 10% -- Hatchlings will act as ectoparasites to their mother by clinging to her mantle, eating small bits of meat left over after a kill. As they grow however this will become too little food for them and they will either start killing each other out of hunger or they will simply abandon their parent. Should the parent be killed at any point the young will also abandon her at this point, although they will usually return to try and feed on her corpse should it remain. Hatchlings are easy prey to a number of predators and most will die before reaching maturity. Interestingly, there seems to be no dedicated strategy for Grapplings and they can either group together in a swarm to attempt to survive in numbers or will strike out on their own.

Opportunistic towards large enough prey to sustain themselves.