Pathiga Tericanth mates

A male and female of the Pathiga species, members of the Tericanth subset. The male is a heavily armored walking shelled creature with eight legs, while the female is smaller, lighter, and generally much faster in the water. Females of the species are very social creatures, staying in large schools mainly for protection, and to shelter their young. Males on the other hand, tend to wander the floor of the oceans and bays of Midden, feeding on smaller crabs and sea life. The females congregate near the shallower shores and inland seas during mating season, and the females also move towards land. The male of the species is capable of beaching, and traveling a decent distance inland, in search of food, or to reach bodies of water isolated by land. They are rather brave, almost fearless, when encountering threats above or below water. While they cannot withdraw into their shells, the male's hardened lower legs and sheer strength is often enough to deter, if not overcome any would-be predator. The topside of the bodies of females are covered with hard plates, not enough to withstand much of an attack, but enough to allow them to escape. The underside of their bodies are covered with highly sensitive raised nodules, which can detect electrical impulses in the water, as well as pressure and shock waves created by approaching animals and ships, allowing them to evade attacks or threats easily. Their species inhabits nearly every large body of water on the planet Midden.