Scrabs and Paramites

[Wil]

Yeah, check out the FAQ - I'm sure one question in there is about senses. However, what you say about olfactory senses and multiple sensory organs to 'triangulate' vibrations and such are supreme theories. I also love your comparrisons to Earthly creatures. I may feel inclined to include those idea next time I update the FAQ.

As for Paramites, I agree they seem to be a more... hmmm, well, communist pack creature. However, in the Paramite Herd video, there is one Paramite ahead of the rest of the pack who stands atop a cliff as if to lead the others, though I suppose it could also be a lookout, checking for any dangers ahead.

[Nate]

like prairie dogs; they live in one big colony and take turns to guard.

[directer_phleg]

I dunno. I have wondered on that on for ages.
oh, and im new.

[Cyber-Slig]

Make a thread in the welcome forum and dont just say ''Hi okay bye Im leaving'' which many people do....

[Wil]

Haha, don't feel obliged to make a thread in the Welcome and Birthdays Forum. It's just a good idea, as it's where we can get to know you by posting "Hello."

[Statikk HDM]

Shit, scrabs always struck me as elephants. The chicks run the business and kick the males out. Then the alphas fight for dominance and afterwards through combat they prove what virile studs they are they go back to the herd for some sweet poontang(thanks Sweaty Uncle Teddy!).

[Nate]

Yeah, though thats not specific to elephants. Lots of herd animals are like that - particularly african mammals like the lion.

[directer_phleg]

i think theres some sort of queen scrab or paramite.
dunno, just a thought.

[Tathiel]

I can imagine them being breeding animals that actually give birth to their young. I dunno why they just always seemed to be like that. Or maybe they do have queens. We just dont know which is why i love these creatures. They are very interesting to me indeed.

[Cyber-Slig]

The chances of scrab/paramite queens are very low...they're like slogs but slogs turned to the industrial side...And if slogs have babies then so must the others.The chances of a paramite queen could be possible.They are parasites/spiders and they have queen versions.With spiders the queen might not control them/lead them but shes still queen.When I was a bit younger I thought of scrabs as something but I forgot now....But I think a female will ''have babies'' with the alpha if she impresses him enough...

[Wil]

Alf was once asked whether Slogs had a queen. He replied saying he did not know, but if there was one, she would be stashed away by the Glukkons.

Spiders do not have queens, they are a bisexual species. The closest model to Paramite bahviour is that of hyenas, which are also bisexual. I'm guessing that's what Paramites are. Those in the Paramonian temple were confined there, yet had nests.

Scrabs behaviour is like a lion's, so you're probably right. It makes sense that regular Scrabs are female and are fertilised by the Dominant Scrab of the herd.

[Nate]

I don't know what you mean by bisexual there. You definately don't mean hermaphroditic because neither spiders or hyenas are hermaphrodites. They have clear male and females. And I've never heard of male spiders and hyenas shagging other males (which would be the normal meaning of bisexual). Ditto for females.

[Wil]

We've gone through this before, Nate_dog: a bisexual species is one that has two sexes; bi- meaning two, sex meaning sex.

And there are cases of most species having sex with members of their own sex, so you never know.

[Nate]

You've been through this before; I never agreed.

bi·sex·u·al ( P ) Pronunciation Key (b-sksh-l)
adj.
1. Of or relating to both sexes.
2a. Having both male and female reproductive organs; hermaphroditic.
2b. Botany. Denoting a single flower that contains functional staminate and pistillate structures; perfect.
3. Of, relating to, or having a sexual orientation to persons of either sex.

I stand corrected on 2a; though it is still not the common use. Definition 3 is the standard one. Your definition is strangely absent.

We've gone through this before, Nate_dog: a bisexual species is one that has two sexes; bi- meaning two, sex meaning sex.

that would make the word bisex or, more likely, dual-sex. However sexual does not mean the same as sex. Sexual refers to your sexuality rather than your gender.

[Wil]

Granted. Whoever started me using the word thusly should be ashamed. Please accept the word 'dioecious' instead.

But 'sexual' is 'of or relating to sex or the sexes', not 'sexuality'.

[Tathiel]

Someone made a good point about there being paramite nests. I think theres only two reasons why there could be nests. The most obvious reason for having a nest is of course to keep your babies safe and warm but then the paramites could just use them to sleep in. My bets however on the babies being there.

Hyenas are a species unlike no other. In their hierachy it is the females that are the dominant sex and the females are actually larger than the males. Also, female hyenas possess a mock penis which the other females lick as a sign of i think affection or submission. It was a long time when i watched the programme on them and it said and showed you them doing it. Dont know what the hell that has got to do scrabs and paramites but someone mentioned about Hyena's being bisexual so i though i'd share my little knowledge of the Hyene

[Wil]

The Scrab and Paramite Nests being for the young makes sense. One of Alf's many explanations for why Scrabs were so deadly in the first two games yet existed in a herd in Munch (I think it got to being a new one every week at some point) was that the Scrabs were in their mating season and were very tetchy. If the Scrab Nests are for this purpose, it's logical to think the Paramite Nests are for the same purpose (as in what they were designed by OWI to be - I see no reason why Paramites and Scrabs should share the same breeding season).

[Nate]

Many creatures share the same breeding season. For herbivores it makes sense to give birth in spring when there is lots of plants to eat and hide in and for carnivores it is good at that time also because there is lots of tender, easy to catch herbivore baby meat.

[Wil]

Oh yes, but that's Earth. There's no reason why Oddworld fauna would follow the same rules. Do forest creatures and desert creatures on Earth usually share the same breeding season?

[Nate]

I'm no biologist but what I was trying to say was that many (if not most) creatures on earth breed at the same time - in spring. Obviously that is not a universal trait but it is very common.

[Wil]

You said it well enough the first time round... My point was Scrabs evolved in the desert where there doesn't seem to be much vegetation to hide in, so there's no reason necessarily why they and Paramites would share the same breeding season.

Heh, all this just to decide whether Paramite Nests are for the young or not.

[Nate]

I said the vegetation was important for herbivores and creatures at the bottom of the food chain but I think that the scrabs would be the main predator in the desert.

But that's got me thinking. What do the scrabs eat? I assume they're carnivorous but it doesn't look like there are many other big creatures in the desert to eat.

EDIT: Ooooh 666 posts...

[Wil]

Mudokons have apparently long been inhabitants of the desert, as the ancient statues and structures indicate. Elums are apparently hardy enough to endure Scrabania, if not the Necrum Desert. And who knows what kind of wildlife has already been extinguished by RuptureFarms.

[Nate]

I don't think that scrabs made a habit of eating Muds. If they were natives, they'd have enough experience to know how to stay out of their way. Just like lions in africa kill very few humans. More people are killed by elephants.

[Seargentbig]

Or, more yet by hippos.
People are making a mistake here; they're assuming that the alpha scrab is male. The title may not even matter weather it is held by a male or female scrab.
Yeah... I'm done.