Wrapper

Full Description

There are many different types of Wrapper from the handkerchief-sized to those the size of a carpet, but only the largest are a real threat to humans and humanoid races. These dangerous Wrappers live in the swamps and bogs and deltas near rivers or pools of deep water. A Wrapper resembles a flat carpet the colour of the muddy sand that it buries itself in, with two strong tentacles lined with suckers for a better grip on it's prey, two eyes and a large toothy mouth.

They are superb ambush predators, waiting for days if need be just under the sand with only their eyes and a soft narrow breathing tube of skin sticking out. When prey steps upon the Wrapper it rises underneath it and in doing so, throws the prey to the ground and wraps it's muscular body around it. The tentacles wrap around the neck of the prey and try and strangle it, and the Wrapper, which can hold it's breath even when in combat for up to fifteen minites, rolls into the water and takes it's victim down with it to drown, whilst biting it again and again at the same time.

A large victim can keep a Wrapper fed for a whole month before it needs to eat again.

October is the mating season of the Wrappers where the males shed their dull colouration, replacing it with glossy rainbow colours, and stage wrestleing matches with each other for the benifit of the female Wrappers who mate with the victors.These fights almost never lead to death or serious injury, the loser merely loses his chance to mate until the next year.

Female Wrappers lay three or four eggs a year and are very protective of their babies, feeding them until they are six months old with milk from their breasts, after which the young Wrappers can swim away and hunt on their own.

When a Wrapper infringes upon another's territory, the two will go into the water and display to each other their size and the length of their tentacles,and the smaller retreats. Should two of equal size meet a savage battle will erupt and the loser could die or be left too injured to hunt, resulting in a slow death by starvation.

Additional Information

Although fast in water,Wrappers are slow on land and will not pursue very far. They are also quickly repeled by spiked armour and will disengage and flee into the water as soon as they feel the spikes,unless their eggs or babies are threatened in which case they will try and trip up the attacker with their tentacles and then pull him or her into the water to be dragged down by the armour that he or she is wearing.