Crana
| Crana | |
|---|---|
| |
| Species information | |
| Type | Insect |
| Homeworld | unknown |
| Environment | Jungle |
| Average Length | almost 1 meter |
The Crana is a predatory insectoid found on scattered worlds throughout the Inner Sphere and Clan space. Its original homeworld was not mentioned.
Description[edit]
These aggressive creatures can measure up to almost a meter in length. They possess multiple large claws, are covered in thick, bony scales and have a tube-like mouth. They feed on warm-blooded creatures (including humans) and attack their targets by clawing onto a victim while trying to insert their mouths into a major blood vessel. The Crana's mouth contains a paralyzing toxin that immobilizes its prey while it feeds upon the target's blood. On human-sized prey or larger, the Crana may deposit up to 50 eggs in the victim (crana are asexual and can lay eggs once every 25 days). If a victim of a Crana attack is not killed, but was injected with eggs, they will be terribly ill until the eggs are removed. If the eggs are not removed by a doctor within about two to three weeks, then the eggs will hatch and kill the victim as the larvae burrow out of the body.[1]
When the Crana cannot find food, they enter a dormant state and can remain in this state for a long period of time. Any heat sources that approach nearby (living or mechanical) will awaken the Crana. Sometimes Crana have been found clinging to heat sink exhaust ports on BattleMechs.[1]
The genetically-modified Star Adder was released to the northern steppes of Strana Mechty to control the disease-carrying insect by the Star League in Exile; the Strana Mechty version of the Crana was described as (only) "rodent-sized".[2][3] It is unclear if they were brought to Strana Mechty by humans when the world was settled, or if the Strana Mechty Crana is a different alien species that is native to Strana Mechty but so similar to the Inner Sphere Crana that the name was used for this species too.
By the thirty-first century, the crana have become immune to even the most deadly toxins. While the crana prefer warm jungle environments, they can survive almost anywhere.[1]