Shadow Leviathan

The Shadow Leviathan is a species of Leviathan-class predator found in the Crystal Caves and the Fabricator Caverns. It is the main threat of these cave systems and it will relentlessly hunt down its prey.
A total of four Shadow Leviathans can be found in Sector Zero, two in the Fabricator Caverns and two in the Crystal Caves.
==Appearance==
The Shadow Leviathan has an elongated black body with smooth skin and twin rows of 37 small red spots running from behind the head to just before the tip of the tail. Below each row of red spots is a shorter row of eight circular gill pores that run down the side. The head is composed of a triangular shovel-like structure featuring three pairs of dark eyes with jet black pupils ringed with bright red. The creature's mouth is located on its underside just behind the head: it is a glowing blue tone, and lined with curved teeth resembling a ribcage. The mouth appears to pass food directly into the creature's stomach.
Seven pairs of jointed clawed appendages run down the sides of the mouth. These have spines along the inside edge to assist in securing prey. Seven more pairs of these appendages can be seen running down the body, decreasing in size as they get closer to the tail to the point that the final three pairs are little more than a small spine. This gives the impression that these grasping appendages once served as walking limbs in a distant bottom-dwelling ancestor, but have since been repurposed into their current form.
Propulsion comes from the large fins on the rear portion of the Shadow Leviathan's body. Though lacking a tail fluke, a large fin is present around halfway down the body on both the dorsal and ventral sides, the ventral fin having smaller fins in front of and behind it. The tail ends with a red point.
==Design==
The tail portion of the body is very similar in appearance to the black ghost knifefish and the row of holes on the body resemble the gill openings possessed by lampreys. The mouth and mandible design was based on the heads of arrow wormshttps://twitter.com/alexriesart/status/1082212088657793025. It also bears a striking overall resemblance to aegirocassis, with its oblong proboscis, hanging feeding appendages, and many bilateral limbs.
== Behavior==
The Shadow Leviathan will grab the player’s Seatruck or Prawn Suit to attack, pulling the vehicle into its mouth dealing damage until it is released. When the Seatruck is in its mouth, the Shadow Leviathan will spray a bright blue acid onto the windshield. If the Shadow Leviathan attacks the player under 75 health, a cinematic death scene will instead play. 
Shadow Leviathans do not attack small prey fish such as the Red Feather Fish, but will attack most hostile fauna. This includes the Brute Shark and the Chelicerate, it is unknown if they are prey to this colossal creature. Due to the Shadow Leviathan commonly not targeting smaller Fauna, it is recommended to proceed with caution when entering its territory, as the Shadow Leviathan will likely attack the player immediately on sight.
If the player is being pursued, it is recommended they take cover in a fissure or among the biome's Large Morganite Formations where the Shadow Leviathan cannot reach them. It will usually give up after a short time, though it may take a while to return to its usual patrol path afterward. It is also possible to kill a Shadow Leviathan however it requires careful movement and the correct arms on your Prawn Suit, usually Drill and Grapple Arms. Shadow Leviathans do not respawn upon being killed.
==Databank Entry==
==Sounds==
==Gallery==
<tabber>
In Game=
ShadowLev2.jpg|Side view
ShadowLev3.jpg|Front view
ShadowLev4.jpg|Dorsal view
ShadowLev1.jpg|Bioluminescence
ShadowLev5.jpg|Bioluminescence, front view
ShadowLevsizeref.jpg|Size comparison with the player
ShadowLeviCC2.jpg|A Shadow Leviathan in Crystal Caves
CC ShadowLeviathan.png|Ditto, swimming next to a Large Morganite Formation
ShadowLeviFC2.jpg|A Shadow Leviathan in Fabricator Caverns
20191027212627 1.jpg|Ditto, but from below
ShadowKillCinematic.gif|Death cinematic
shadow_leviathan_grapple.png|Shadow Levithan shown attacking the Seatruck
|-|
Concept Art=
Shadow Leviathan.jpg|Final concept - by Alex Ries
ShadowLeviathanFront.jpeg|Front view - by Alex Ries
Alex leviathan016.jpg|Near-final concept - by Alex Ries
Shadow Leviathan 2.jpg|Earlier version of final - by Alex Ries
Alex-ries-alex-leviathan012.png|Earlier version - by Alex Ries
Alex-ries-alex-leviathanmouths01.png|Alternate mouth designs - by Alex Ries
EBP3ZbIU8AA9XZ1.jpg|Alternate design - by Alex Ries
Shadow Leviathan 5B.png|Intermediary design - by Alex Ries
Shadow Leviathan 5A.png|Ditto, mouth closed - by Alex Ries
Alex-ries-alex-leviathan06.jpg|Two scrapped alternate designs - by Alex Ries
E8nOUenVEAUj1LG.jpg|Another scrapped alternate design - by Alex Ries
Shadow Leviathan 3.jpg|Scrapped alternate design choice - by Alex Ries
Alex-ries-alex-leviathan11.jpg|Similar scrapped design - by Alex Ries
Alex-ries-alex-leviathan14.jpg|Ditto
Shadow Leviathan 3A.jpg|Head shots of scrapped design - by Alex Ries
Shadow Leviathan 3B.jpg|Ditto
Shadow Leviathan 4.jpg|Older concept - by Alex Ries
Alex-ries-alex-leviathan0b.png|Early sketches - by Alex Ries
Alex-ries-alex-leviathan02b.png|Early sketches - by Alex Ries
E17vXaPUcAAuEyg.jpg|Early sketches - by Alex Ries
Shadow Leviathan 0.png|First concept - by Alex Ries
|-|
Models=
ShadowModel.jpeg|Model from Sketchfab
</tabber>
== Trivia==
* The Shadow Leviathan has the most known concept artwork of any fauna species in Subnautica, with 21 pieces having been released featuring 27 different designs, with several more remaining unreleased as evidenced by the numbering of the released pieces.
==References==
Category:Fauna
Category:Aggressive
Category:Bioluminescent
Category:Leviathan Class
Category:Crystal Caves
Category:Fabricator Caverns
Category:Carnivores
Category:Subnautica: Below Zero