| Terabyte | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Binomen | N/A | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Insectoid | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sentience | Sentient | ||
| Sapience | Hive-Mind | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Place of origin | Pangaea II | ||
| Habitat | Desert | ||
| Diet | Herbivorous | ||
| Locomotion | Quadrupedal (Transporter caste) | ||
| Lifespan | DD | ||
| Related species | Termite (Ancestor) | ||
| Status | DD | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | The Future Is Wild | ||
Terabytes are a termite species that forms complex hives over the endless desert of the super-continent Pangaea II, circa 200 million years in the future.
Biology[]
They build cities with 2-meter-high towers, connected to each other by underground tunnels and chambers. Their diet is herbivorous, with their primary food source consisting of algae which can be found symbiotically within the bodies of the Garden Worms. For this reason, Terabyte troops will seek out and attack Garden Worms, and sever some of their branches to gain access to the algae, which they bring back to their colonies to cultivate within special farms inside their nests.
These algal crops are cultivated over flat platforms, in areas where strategically-positioned holes covered in translucent hardened gum act as skylights and windows, allowing some sunlight to pass through. As the air circulates within the tunnels, the hot air rises into the highest layers of the city where the algae farms are located, which allows them to act as greenhouses.
Castes[]
Terabyte societies are intricately complex, containing numerous highly-specialized castes. One fundamental caste consists of the Transporters, which are the only caste with well-developed limbs, and carry the members of the other castes around, thus freeing them from the need to spend energy in a locomotory system and allowing them to specialize even further by directing all their body energy to their respective functions.
Examples of these specialized castes include the Gum Spitters: a caste that does nothing but produce and shoot out a sticky glue-like substance, which can immobilize a Garden Worm when produced in large enough quantities.
The Rock Borers; which look virtually identical to Gum Spitters; are a caste specialized in producing hydrochloric acids that can melt the limestone away and allow the nests to be extended deep, about twenty meters below the surface, to have access to the underground cave systems filled with water reservoirs. They work together with Biters, whose strong jaws can chew and tunnel their way through this dissolved rock.
The Water Carriers are a grub-like caste that lives in the cool, subterranean cave systems. Their only purpose in life is to drink from the underground reservoir and accumulate water. When they're bloated, they will be carried back to the colony by members of the Transporter caste to spew water over the crops of algae. Water Carriers are also used to keep the air vents moist, allowing them to function as an air-conditioning system for the hive.
Gallery[]
