Anchor Beetle

Anchor Beetle
Animal Name	Anchor Beetle
Image	AnchorBeetle.png
Caption	A single Anchor Beetle.
Health	Low
Armour	Medium
Size	Very Small
Behaviour	Aggressive
Region	Savannah/Desert

What seems like merely a tiny insect, soon turns out to be a formidable foe. Across the dry savannah and desert regions, these insects eat whatever they can find.

Appearance

Anchor Beetles are small, six legged insects that scuttle across the ground. They have a tough carapace that is often dark grey or dark blue in colour. They have two large horn-like protuberances from their heads, which are believed to act as not only weapons, but also may be involved in the mating process. Their legs are especially large for such a small insect and are incredibly strong.

Behaviour

Tending to herd together in small groups, Anchor Beetles are known for their strength, tenacity and ferociousness. Many an animal and traveller have underestimated these tiny insects, wandered too close and met an untimely demise. Anchor Beetles have a strong bite and are known for their immense grip strength with their legs. Once they have bitten their prey, they will clamp their legs to whatever surface they are on, rendering them almost immobile. Most animals that find themselves bitten by an Anchor Beetle can usually shake one or two off before they are pinned to the ground, helpless. However, once they have clamped down onto the ground, the Anchor Beetle will emit a shrill call, alerting all other Anchor Beetles in the area to the potential target. Thus, even the largest of animals can be taken down if enough Anchor Beetles turn up to help.

Combat

It is advised to stay as far away from a group of Anchor Beetles as physically possible, but if this is not possible then adequate precaution must be taken. Anchor Beetles are a very easy foe to dispatch when taken on singularly, but if the numbers begin to increase, the best bet is to make a hasty retreat. Using any weapons that can affect a larger radius around the wielder will be useful, or the potions of an Apothecary that can affect radiuses are very useful in any situation where you may encounter groups of the beetles.

Drops

For all their ferocity, Anchor Beetles are still only insects and thus have very little to give the average hunter. Some small amount of meat is able to be collected from the occasional kill and, unless it has been bashed to a pulp, an Anchor Beetle can be harvested for small sections of its chitin. This protective covering is very tough and can be turned into unique armours by those who have the experience to do so.

Ecology

Anchor Beetles do not have a specific prey as they are opportunistic feeders, thus they do not particularly affect the population size of any one species within their local habitats. If the numbers of Anchor Beetles in an area become too large, they simply decimate all available prey in the area, but in doing so they doom themselves; there is no longer enough food to support them. In this case, the population of Anchor Beetles swiftly drops, allowing the various prey species to re-adjust. Any animals that feed on the Anchor Beetles, tend to increase their populations in this time as well.

Cultural Impact

It is unknown whether Anchor Beetles have had any specific impact on the cultures of the world.

Gallery

• AnchorBeetleSwarm.png

  A rather large swarm of Anchor Beetles.