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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 22, 2018 18:56:20 GMT -5
This topic is a child of the Pseudocrustaceans article directory.SPEED BREEDINGAs with their physiology, the reproductive cycle of pseudocrustaceans is a topic with no single answer. Some are oviparous and lay clutches of eggs, some are viviparous and give birth to litters of live young. Some shed their children year-round as planktonic nymphs that die in the millions before a single survivor achieves adulthood. Others still reproduce by implanting a host with parasitic eggs that gradually mutate surrounding tissue into an embryo. A handful even use multiple methods depending on seasons, climates, conditions, or pure happenstance.
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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 22, 2018 18:56:47 GMT -5
REPRODUCTIVE RATE
What can be generally agreed upon is that pseudocrustaceans, sentient or otherwise, reproduce at a rate that dwarfs that of all other sentient species combined. In only a week, several thousand pseudocrustaceans can be born, reach adulthood, and begin reproducing on their own, all from the same mother. If enough resources existed in a single area, a handful of pseudocrustaceans could potentially balloon into a population of trillions over the course of a year. It is much to the fortune of all others that their reproductive rate is dictated strongly by the food and water in the region.
Despite this, most pseudocrustaceans proliferate until they reach such a point that starvation and collapse are the only options. In absence of natural predators, towns, Looney bunkers, or Cult sects, the crabs will overrun their native environment quickly after forming a society. When resources begin to dry up, many will take to desperate departures into the wilderness to begin the cycle anew elsewhere. Only the most advanced and intelligent of communities ever manage to break free from their self-destructive overbreeding.
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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 22, 2018 19:02:47 GMT -5
ACHIEVING SENTIENCE
There is no single trigger that can be claimed as the root of pseudocrustacean intelligence. In some cases, it is no more than evolutionary pressure adapting simple crabs into apex predators. In others, it may be a result of paranormal interference from anomalous activity. Some pseudocrustaceans develop facets of sentience and sapience only late into their lives, others are born as fully-formed individuals with complex genetic memory. Some have had intelligence induced by electrical shocks in laboratory environments.
In addition, not all instances of sentience are viable. Individual pseudocrustaceans might develop intelligence, only to accomplish nothing or die before they can reproduce. Some may achieve intelligence, only to continue feral behavior based on environmental pressure or personal choice. A generation of pseudocrustaceans could be born sentient, only to be eaten by their parents and peers before a society could evolve. The crab will rise, as it always has, and it remains to be seen if any good will ever come of it.
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