Cerebrute

The cerebrute is a feared creature. Only recently discovered within the last decade, they have quickly spread since then to multiple spheres. While capable of living in many enviroments, they have become especially feared as urban dangers, where they often feed on the poor and the homeless, chasing the food they prefer above all else. Sapient brains.
Cerebrutes seems capable of analyzing brains and prefer brains with more activity, the more intelligent the better. They can live off animals, but prefer the rich brains of sapient creatures. Wizard brains, or the brains of anything with arcane magic, is seemingly the best and they will prioritize these above others.
Cerebrutes prefer to attack from ambush and quickly kill their prey before they make a racket. They can wait patiently for a long time for a meal and have been known to fall back and return if spotted.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The cerebrute has a low profile. It has four limbs. The two frontal limbs are elngated, with three clawed digits on each, perfect for grabbing hold. The hindlegs are smaller, but tout with muscles, designed to propel the creature forward. Their bodies are long, covered in dull, leathery hide. Their long bodies can compress like a spring, which alongside their legs give them impressive leaping capabilities.
Two large grey eyes allow them to see, though their face's most remarkable feature is their teeth. Two massive dental point jut out the side of their wide mouth, turned inwards towards the middle of the mouth. They have been compared to tusks or mandibles and can close with fearsome strength. Their tongues are long and a greyish colour.

Genetics and Reproduction

Cerebrutes are perfect hermaphrodites. When they encounter each other and neither is underfed, they will mate, impregnating each other. Both carry their eggs, usuall two to four, for about a season, before laying them in a warm, covered place. At this point, paental care ends.

Growth Rate & Stages

After ten to twenty cycles, the young cerebrute breaks out of their eggs, using their large teeth to rip the shell open. They are ready to hunt after a few minutes. Cerebrute young are quite small, but grow to their full size within the first year of their life.

Ecology and Habitats

Cerebrutes are attracted by brains, the more active the better. They have thus become a urban danger, lurking near villages and cities. In the wild, they can adapt to a number of biomes, targeting the animal population with the most neural activity.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Cerebrutes primarily eat brains and spinal fluid, supplemented with meat. Their preferred hunting method is to either lie in wait or quietly sneak up on prey. They then leap and latch on with their front limbs, before closing their teeth around the head of their target, shattering the skull. Once the brain is eaten and the cerebrospinal fluid has been lapped up, they'll often crack open the spine to lick its insides clean. They show a special interest in brains laces with arcane energy and prioritizes them if possible.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Cerebrutes are loners.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Cerebrutes have started to appear in a number of spheres. Its believed they end up sneaking onto ships and similar, lured by the many brains onboard.

Average Intelligence

While not sapient, cerebrutes are very clever predators. They choose their prey carefully and appear capable of determining if their target is too powerful or surrounded by too many other lifeforms.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The large, grey eyes of the cerebrute are not the best at seeing most things. It lacks colour vision and most shapes must appear slightly blurry, though it has some capacity to see in the dark. The most fascinating aspect of its eyes is that they can detect electric signals, being especially adept at noticing the signals of brains.
Their tongue can pick up scent particles and deliver it to an organ in their mouth, allowing them to smell without a nose.

Scientific Name

Spina Comedentis

Lifespan

30 years

Average Height

0.6-0.8 meters

Average Weight

70-90 kilos

Average Length

1.3-1.5 meters

Average Physique

Cerebrutes are strong, with most of their strength concentrated in their jaws. They are not the toughest of creatures and prefer discretion.