| Frigidsnatch |
19/125, ice comet impact event
|Habitat||South Polar Coast, Yannick Ice Cave|
|Size||6.5 m Long|
|Diet||Carnivore (Polar Skysnapper, Plentslider), Occasional Ovivore (Polar Skysnapper Eggs)|
|Reproduction||Sexual, Two Sexes, Lays Eggs|
|Descendant of||Ancestor of|
The frigidsnatch has split from its ancestor, the snappersnatch, in order to establish itself in the freezing waters of the South Pole. This happened when a number of snappersnatches followed a flock of skysnappers to their new home in the arctic. Because of this cold, they had to shrink some in an attempt to conserve energy and heat.
At the same time, its large mass has afforded it the ability to significantly heat its core, effectively making it endothermic without actually requiring the ten times as much food it takes to work to warm the blood. Because of this, they have not had to sacrifice much in the way of speed or agility despite their new environment, and are still quick enough to snatch skysnappers out of the sky. To do this, they will imitate south polar swarmers and polar krillpedes in the open waters, and on rarer occasions, cave swarmers while lurking outside of the cave entrances of the Yannick Ice Caverns. They will also take plentsliders if they can catch them.
Its neck retains much flexibility, allowing it to spring up and catch its aerial prey off-guard. However, their long neck also affords them a new strategy; since they are far more easily capable of getting stuck in the caves due to their wide turning arc from their neck, they do not often try to enter these caves. However, their necks are long enough to be slid into them, while the rest of the body waits below. While doing this, they will attempt to get to the polar skysnapper nests on high ledges, where they will attempt to eat opportunistically—they will prey on the adults, young, and eggs alike if they can get to them, but despite this devastating style, they will not eradicate a colony, and after one to a few kills, they will generally paddle downwards, letting their long, serpentine necks glide beneath the entrance pools, back into the oceans below. Interestingly, they exhibit the concept of preference, and while some prefer taking aerial prey in open water, others prefer to snatch from caves.
With not many other locations for their eggs to be laid, a pregnant female will lay her eggs in clusters near the entrance holes to the Yannick Ice Caves. These eggs are protected as much as possible from the cold by a fatty substance within the egg sac. This is coupled with a late laying period, giving them more time to develop in the warm core of their mother, as egg development in cold waters can be slow. These egg cases are semi-protected by a leathery outer wall to hopefully deter would-be predators as well. Several extensions extend out from the cylindrical shape, and although they may look sinister, they are in fact small canals filled with extra nutrition. Although these are capable to be used by the developing young, it also may save its life if a smaller creature chooses to feed off of the egg, as these may be enough nutrition to stop them from eating the entire thing. Four small tubes also provide small amounts of oxygenated water to the inside of the sac, to help keep the young from asphyxiating, especially while they attempt to break out of the egg when hatching.
A chemical reaction caused by the tip of the anchoring tendril permanently secures it to the ice, working similarly to how a tongue touching a frosty pole works. Young frigidsnatches feed on cave swarmers, polar krillpedes, and south polar swarmers as they grow in size, in that order. They will feed on these until capable of bringing down adult prey.