Ankheg (A-nk-eg)
The ankheg is a huge insectoid monster with many slender limbs and large antennae. It burrows underground and hunts its prey from below.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Ankhegs resemble huge praying mantes with a tough chitin exterior. They have many slender appendages made for digging and have large mandibles which they use to crush their prey. On their head are many antennae, making them extremely susceptible to vibrations of any sort. Ankhegs have a special stomach acid that they can spit up at high velocity as a defensive maneuver. After they spit up their stomach acid, they cannot digest food for 6-8 hours, so they only do it if they have to.
Genetics and Reproduction
Ankhegs mate in autumn, when the fertilized female will kill the male to lay 6–12 eggs inside him. Usually, a high number of eggs survive and hatch within two to ten days and start to feed. An ankheg broodling doesn't hunt and remains hidden, while its mother brings it sustenance. After a year, the young are able to fend for themselves.
Ecology and Habitats
Living in warm climates, the ankheg dwells in partially collapsed burrows usually around 40 feet underground. The ankheg hunts in forests or grasslands where prey can wander into its traps. If an area becomes too barren, the ankheg moves on to other, more lucrative areas. Ankheg tunnels are sometimes filled with the remains of victims, eggs, or chitin. Their tunnels are around 60 to 150 feet (18 to 46 meters) long and 5 feet (1.5 meters) feet high. Hollow tunnel ends are used for lair purposes, such as sleeping or hibernation.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Gaining nutrients from the ground, the ankheg also has to hunt fresh meat to sustain itself. It can also eat decaying meat.
Biological Cycle
Ankhegs hibernate through winter in their lairs deep below the earth.
Behaviour
Ankhegs tend to live and hunt in groups (nests). They are ambush predators that wait around 5–10 feet underground for prey to wander into position. They attack quickly, and the prey is crushed and ground in its mandibles and assaulted with acidic digestive enzymes. If a foe proved too difficult, the ankheg can also squirt acid to take it down.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Ankhegs left to their own devices under farms can be useful. The ankheg's tunnels create passages for water and its waste can act as nutrients for the plants. If the farmer fancies the ankheg dead, its chitin can be made into relatively protective armor by a skilled enough craftsman.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
An ankheg's many antennae allow it the ability to feel vibrations in the earth and pinpoint their location from up to 60 feet away, which they use to find and stalk its prey.
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