shrieker | |
---|---|
![]() a shrieker | |
height |
3 ft. |
weight |
170 lbs. |
weapons |
beak |
Shriekers are asexual, and as such only have one role, make more shriekers, once they eat enough food they reproduce. When they reproduce the fetus that is attached to the lining of their stomach\uterus detaches from the lining of this organ. They then open their mouths to the greatest extent and with a good deal of screeching deposit a fetus on the ground the baby immediately begins to stand up also it was observed that it already seem to begin to grow. Kate Reilly theorizes that they must of course be able to repeat this feat, one becomes two, two becomes four. This is proven in later additions and in the same movie in fact it has an unknown number of fetuses lining its stomach/Uterus. The process of giving birth can lead to stress however which will eventually lead to death. Unlike their previous incarnations, the huge, subterranean and limbless graboids , shriekers live on the surface. Much smaller than graboids, shriekers are about 4 feet long and 3 feet tall with their jaws pieces about one and a half feet long. While graboids are worm-like in shape, shriekers slightly resemble dinosaurs or heavy ground-dwelling birds, having stout, three-toed legs and a compact body. They also have a short, stump-like tail. This tail, as well as some small bulges in the neck, has some orange coloring on it. While its function is unknown it could possible be the early stage of the Assblaster tail and could have the chemicals already present in small quantities; or it could even be used in signaling other shriekers. The one thing that shows shriekers are related to graboids is their skull - just like a graboid's, it consists of a powerful, beak-like armored upper jaw and a much narrower lower jaw and the mandibles have sharp hooks and serration’s, ideal to hold prey. Inside the "beak" is a slightly prehensile tongue that they use to pick up smaller pieces of food or other edible material, they do this by dragging their tongue over the ground. Sometime during their twelve hour molting it is believed that they lose the ability to duplicate and instead their bodies convert over to being able to lay eggs. After surviving for 24 the shriekers will molt into an Ass Blaster.Unlike the usually solitary graboids, shriekers are pack hunters, using their numbers to bring down large prey. They are able to hunt in packs, for a special ability they have. By eating sufficient foods of any kind and getting enough to eat, they have the ability to multiply. The creatures are hermaphrodites, being able to double in number every few minutes. Sensing heat, they let out loud screams (earning their name). While the sound is useless they produce a lot of heat when screaming, alerting each other to the presence of prey. Another thing unexplained is the shriekers' ability to "see" heat before raising the frill covering their heat sensor; they always seem to know when to raise it. It is explained that they can see some heat through the frills. Raising them merely enables them to make full use of the obviously delicate sensory organ, similar to opening one's eyes widely.When first introduced, they appeared to be so intelligent they would know to wreck cars and destroy radio towers to isolate and slow down their prey. This was later proven to be false as they attacked these objects beacause they gave off heat, making the creatures think that they were attacking prey.They have been observed attempting to eat warm car engines, electronic cables, and steamed clothes. While hunting, shriekers show some good feats of insight and cooperation, using each other to form natural ladders to reach prey hiding on high ground such as rooftops.
It has been theorized that the colorful patches on Shriekers are areas where more blood is near the skin surface. This is to emit more heat than the rest of the body, and that might communicate something to another Shrieker like, “Stay away from my food,” or “Look out, I’m about to throw up a new baby.”