Ankaboot
Ankaboot are giant sentient spider-like creatures. They are roughly twice the size of an average human. They inhabit the rainforest of Lannessa.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Ankaboot are similar to the spiders of our world, but can have anywhere from eight to twelve legs.
Genetics and Reproduction
Courtship
A male ankaboot displays several behaviors during courtship, hoping the female will accept his sperm. These behaviors include pulling on the web, rocking his body, pushing the female’s legs, vibrating his abdomen, tapping on the web, making rolling motions with his palps (which protrude from his mouth and are sometimes mistaken for legs) and tapping the female ankaboot.
Reproduction
A male ankaboot deposits his sperm into a sperm web, holding it in his palps. Then he cautiously approaches a female ankaboot. The male ankaboot deposits the sperm into an opening on the underside of the female ankaboot’s abdomen. The female fertilizes her eggs with the stored sperm and then lays them into an egg sac. She can hold the sperm of several different males in her spermatheca, which is the internal sperm storage area. Female ankaboot will sometimes eat the smaller males during mating.
Egg Sac
Ankaboot make their egg sacs with silken threads shaped like a ball. The ankaboot disperses the threads through spinnerets near the bottom of the abdomen. The threads are in a liquid form when secreted and become solid when released into the air. Ankaboot use these threads not only to form egg sacs but also to build webs and nests, and for travel. The egg sacs can contain hundreds of eggs. After about two to three weeks, the eggs hatch into live ankaboot. It takes about one year for the hatchlings to reach adulthood.
Growth Rate & Stages
Ankaling, the Immature Stage
Immature ankaboot, called ankalings, resemble their parents but are considerably smaller when they first hatch from the egg sac. They immediately disperse, some by walking and others by a behavior called ballooning. Ankalings that disperse by ballooning will climb onto a twig or other projecting object and raise their abdomens. They release threads of silk from their spinnerets, letting the silk catch the wind and carry them away. While most ankalings travel short distances this way, some can be carried to remarkable heights and across long distances.
The ankalings will molt repeatedly as they grow larger and they're very vulnerable until the new exoskeleton forms completely. Most species reach adulthood after five to 10 molts. In some species, the male ankaboot will be fully mature as they exit the sac. Female ankaboot are always larger than males, so often take more time to mature.
Adult, the Sexually Mature Stage
When the ankaboot reaches adulthood, it is ready to mate and begin the life cycle all over again. In general, female ankaboot live longer than males; males often die after mating. Ankaboot usually live just one to two years, though this does vary by species.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Ankaboot are predators. Because of their size, the prey that they hunt is generally fairly large. They have also been know to cannibalize their own kind, eating the species that are smaller than they are. Although, eating a larger species is not unheard of, it just generally happens when the larger species is somehow vulnerable.
Biological Cycle
In order to increase its size, the ankaboot has to form a new, larger cuticle exoskeleton and shed its old one (this is called molting).
Molting occurs frequently when an ankaboot is young, and some ankaboot may continue to molt throughout their life. At the appropriate time, hormones tell the ankaboot's body to absorb some of the lower cuticle layer in the exoskeleton and begin secreting cuticle material to form the new exoskeleton.
Additional Information
Civilization and Culture
Gender Ideals
The female ankaboot is the dominant gender in ankaboot society. Males are subservient to the females, and are occasionally even eaten by them when they are displeased.
Relationship Ideals
There are no longterm relationships among ankaboot. Males and females simply mate with each other with no ties of any kind.
Average Technological Level
Although highly intelligent, the level of technology among the ankaboot is fairly low. Their short lifespan makes it difficult to advance to anything other than basic technologies, and their refusal to deal with other species means that the advancements from other creatures rarely make it to them.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Ankaboot are considered to be hostile. There are those who have successfully joined the ankaboot society, but their existence is perilous, as ankaboot put little faith in loyalty and could turn on them at any moment.
Lifespan
3 Years
Average Height
6 ft
Average Weight
400 lbs
Average Length
9 ft
Geographic Distribution
