Template:HOUWikiUpdate
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| Korupaka
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Arthropod
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Non-sentient
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New Tython
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- Drones - 5 years
- Runners - 25 years
- Burrowers - 1 year from birthing cycle
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1.9 Meters
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1.4 Meters
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2 Meters, drones only
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Shades of light brown
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Black
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- Can burrow to escape cold.
- Resistant to dehydration and fatigue
- Can travel for long distances, high speeds
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Hailing from the southern reaches of the Hunonum Desert, the Korupaka is a large, insectoid arthropod. Though not as fast outright as a traditional quadrupedal mount might be, the Korupaka is still quite swift when running across sand, and has far better stamina and sure-footedness over the desert's dunes. Resistant to heat and domesticable, they are used as mounts and pack animals for many desert Harakoan tribes.
Evolution of Korupaka
The Korupaka's ancestors originally evolved on the sea beds of New Tython as amphibious arthropods, and have genetically changed very little over the eons. Their exoskeletons originally evolved to protect from sea predators and abrasive, salty ocean waters, while their bodies recycle fresh water for similar reasons. Initially quite small, it is found that they once sought after fish and aquatic animals for prey, but grew over time to deal with larger threats and, as a side-effect, had less nourishment available. Vestigial organs found in modern Korupaka thorax show that they were once amphibious creatures, which suggests they would always burrow into the shoreline to protect their young during the birthing cycle. This suggests that for eons, male Korupaka have been strictly land-based and avian, and indeed their swooping attack behaviours and sealable wing compartments seem ideally suited toward diving into the water to catch prey or mates.
Over time, it has been theorized that Korupaka grew larger and tougher to avoid predators, but while mobile on the sea floor became too cumbersome to keep up to fish and swimming creatures. To combat this, they would burrow into and climb upon the shores more and more, venturing further to find nourishment and safety. Around the time that Harakonids were undergoing their major milestones as a species, Korupaka were largely abandoning the ocean, and over time their bodies - already sealed units - adapted to the increased heat of the day. As shallow-dwellers, they found heat easier to adjust to than extreme cold, as the water they dwelled in would moderate temperatures; this explains their burrowing behaviour at night, as their instincts direct them toward sand for safety, and why they are poorly adapted to the sudden cold of desert night.
While these theories account for why the Korupaka is so unique amongst land-dwellers of Kamuekiko, they also account for both their size and mobility on sand. The end result is a large, durable, and dependable creature with few predators and many advantages. Thanks to the migration from seabed to sand dune, they are capable on their own terrain and have an insurmountable gap between the Korupaka and their prey - the smaller, subterranean creatures of the Hunonum desert. In this way, they have conquered their tiny niche of the food web.
Biology
The Korupaka is an arthropod, bearing a thick and durable chitin exoskeleton that encases a biology designed to go without water or resources for long periods of time. In general, they have three main portions of the body, those being a rounded head with two bulbous eyes and interlocking mandibles, a large thorax that connects to six powerful, pointed legs, and an abdomen that either houses dormant reproductive organs or, in the case of male drones, a retractable barb. Any food and water they consume is digested and utilized by the thorax, before being processed through the abdomen to release the bare minimum of waste - nature's equivalent of a water treatment plant. Rather than fecal matter or urine, the abdomen of a Korupaka actually has small glands along its sides that expel a constant, vapour-and-gas form of waste into the air. This is very faint, but bears important pheromones that attract or deter drone mates.
The Birthing Cycle - Burrowers
Korupaka are born when a female becomes impregnated by a drone, after which the drone dies and the female devours its innards, leaving only the husk of its exoskeleton. She will then burrow into the ground, seeking out insects, reptiles, and small mammals to eat before moulting her exoskeleton; her large legs are replaced by smaller, thicker ones, as her thorax shrinks slightly and her abdomen swells to nearly twice the thorax's width. Inside she will grow a clutch of anywhere from seven to twenty eggs, which will hatch into larval korupaka inside of her abdomen and will sustain themselves upon her insides for the next year. The Burrower actually goes into hibernation and shuts down her body's pain receptors in this time, gradually going into a coma before dying. Her chitin becomes brittle, and the surviving larvae - now sporting their own first exoskeletons - will emerge. A typical clutch sees three to five females survive the process, occasionally more, while every clutch is guaranteed to produce at least one male drone.
Female Korupaka - Runners
Female Korupaka grow larger than their male cousins, and will spend the entirety of their lives together underground until they moult and grow their true exoskeleton. This typically takes around six months, after which they reach their full size and achieve the Runner form. Groups of runners, typically called pods, travel the desert together in skittering packs and typically burrow under the sands on cold nights. Interestingly, the animals seem to have sensory organs in their heads that work as natural compasses, directing them toward north, south, east, and west. Biologists have yet to study these organs, but Harakoan tribesmen say they are used to help the Korupaka find sources of water. Unless impregnated by a male drone and forced into mutation, Runners can live together for upwards of twenty-five planetary years - sometimes longer, if domesticated. Female reproductive organs are contained in a small sac within the abdomen, and until it is pierced, remain dormant and essentially unused.
Male Korupaka - Drones
Male Korupaka are known as Drones, and depart from their female kin as soon as they hatch from their mothers. Aggressive by nature, Drones have a very different bodily structure than other Korupaka. In addition to large sensory crests along the tops of their heads, used to detect pheromones and weather changes, their bodies are about half the size or less than their female counterparts. Nowhere is the difference more apparent than in their legs; while they will still burrow and crawl while on the ground, these are smaller, slender, and more agile than female legs and are used as pincers when grabbing prey animals. Their thoraxes, while still bulky, split into two plates that open to expose gossamer wings. Their abomens are large, but rather than expelling pheromones they house a large, hooked barb. Typically used to poison prey, this is used in mating to impregnate a female; a Drone will grab hold of a Runner with its legs, often tackling her to the ground, and will pierce her abdomen with his barb and pass genetic matter through specialized glands at the weapon's base. Should a male manage to impregnate a female, it will then die, allowing its body to enable the Runner to metamorphose into a Burrower. if used upon prey, however, the weapon has no limitations and delivers a deadly neurotoxin. With a much smaller mass than females, drones are capable of low flight, but are both too small and too aggressive to be used as mounts. Removal of their barbs by Harakoan tribesmen results in the death of the drone, due to the same biological processes as a successful mating.
Domestication
Korupaka Runners are both the most common form of the species, and the most suited to domestication - though they do initially resist. Harakoan tribal customs vary on the subject, but most dictate that for every Korupaka taken, two must be released. Females will often try to escape their captors, but can be coerced into a more docile state by offerings of water and food. While they are docile, skilled Harakoans carefully peel open the plating on the abdomen and remove the reproductive sac from the female without piercing it and awakening the organs within. Done properly, the procedure scarcely causes any bleeding and is harmless to the Korupaka. Once the organs are removed without being activated, the Korupaka becomes peaceful and docile, losing its drive to continuously run toward resources and away from drones and predators.
Once it is pacified, a Korupaka is equipped with a specialized saddle depending on its purpose. Pack animals will be lashed to others of their kind and led along with weighted saddles, while mounts are trained to respond to a pair of reins tied around the uppermost joints of their front legs. With practice, a rider can train a Korupaka to turn or stop based on tugs of the ropes, while spurring their sides with the heels can teach them to speed up. Though the actual process of sitting and directing a Korupaka is different from that of a quadrupedal mount, they are actually easier to control when mastered, and are compliant to skilled direction.
One downside to Korupaka domestication is that the drive to constantly seek nourishment disappears alongside their drive to run in pods. This means that Korupaka mounts must be brought water to survive, as when left alone for long enough they will wander aimlessly or even stand still. They are difficult to scare, which can be an asset and a detriment; though they are swift under direction, they are placid and ponderous without it. They cannot be trained to fight, though their steadiness as mounts makes up for this.
Utility and Purpose
Korupaka are extremely useful to the tribes of the Hunomum desert because of their extraordinary durability, tiny sustenance needs, and speed in the desert. Though they can maneuver on soil, mud, and even in shallow waters, they are typically slow on these terrains; and yet, on sand dunes, they are incredibly swift and steady. In this regard, they put quadrupedal land mammals and reptiles to shame.
Used as pack animals, Korupaka can carry several times their own body weight and are capable of running for literal days without growing tired. Part of this is their docility, and partly their endurance; the recycling quality of their bodily systems means many resources within them are re-used seamlessly, eliminating much of the need for rest. Only at night do they typically need to stop, as they do not produce heat like mammals do and are susceptible to cold. Aside from this, they are perfect for transporting much-needed resources across the deserts, making them a lifeline of the Hunonum tribes.
As mounts, Korupaka are useful both for general transport and in battle. While they no longer seek it out, a Korupaka's directional organs will cause an idle one to stare toward the north pole of the planet, aiding its rider in navigation and in finding sources of water. While they cannot do battle themselves, as females have little hostility to begin with and none once their reproductive sacs are removed, they are incredibly steady on the sand; unlike equine or other quadrupedal mounts, they do not bob and bounce very badly due to their even locomotion, and thus allow their riders to use ranged weapons like bows, spears, or even blaster weapons if the tribe in question bears such equipment. They do not spook, and can resist a lot of damage before going down; it's not uncommon to see a war Korupaka with old slash and puncture scars on its exoskeleton.
Due to their docility, a third possible usage is emerging as the Harakoan and Tythonian peoples come to a lasting peace; non-Harakoans are being taught in small numbers to ride the beasts, and the practice is becoming more common as travel through the desert becomes more prevalent. In time, the beasts may seat Tythonian colonists and even Jedi as they explore outward and negotiate future settlements and land usages with the natives of the continent of Kamuekiko. In addition to becoming the preferred mount for a whole new class of riders, they may literally pave the way for peace and prosperity.
Altogether, while Korupaka are a rare sight for most Harakoans and Tythonians, their presence in the deserts of Kamuekiko and southern Owyhyee has been a driving force in the existence, survival, and success of the desert Harakoan tribes. In a limited and narrow niche of the ecosystem, they are silent lords, largely without predator and with no need of prey. They are the perfect desert survivors.
Etymology and Inspiration
The name for the Korupaka comes from several syllables of the words for spider, ant, and crab in the Maori language. These words were chosen for obvious reasons, given the animal's nature. That said, it follows no true structure, and was simply the first combination of satisfying syllables for the purpose.
The inspiration for the idea comes from very early-stage designs for colonies on a desert world in a fiction, using a creature like the Korupaka for mounts due to shifting sands. Instead of being used as such, the fiction was scrapped and the creature adapted into a competition entry for Odan-Urr.