Diamondshelled Snapperbabe (Brackish Crab-Turtle)

Mini dossier for the Diamondshelled Snapperbabe

### Diet

Diamondshelled Snapperbabes are primarily carnivorous, but have also been known to eat some vegetation.

### Lifespan

Exact lifespan is Unknown, but legend says they can live for thousands of years

## Sociogeographical Information

### Language / Calls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JagKOhbKMTs

### Range

Estuaries near the northern coasts of Valliera

### Habitat

Brackish water environments

The **Diamondshelled Snapperbabe**, (*Torcrabatis sparklus)* also known as the **Goldenshelled Snapperbabe**, **Sapphire Snapperbabe**, **Blue Snapperbabe**, or simply the **Brackish Crab Turtle**, is a species created and designed by **Frostybites16.** The Diamondshelled Snapperbabe inhabits the Jonah's Mythical Ark universe.

## Appearance and Anatomy

These crustaceous testudines are one of the more beautiful mythicals in the world of Valliera, not to be confused with the closely related Colossal Snapperbabe, and the much more elusive Bonesnapper. Overall, they resemble giant alligator snapping turtles but with the legs of a crab and the tail of a crayfish. They have 4 eyes which can move independently or all together. They have two primary eyes which see in full color in roughly the same spectrum as humans vision. After the primary eyes are smaller secondary eyes, they see in infrared for night hunting, these eyes are cuttlefish-like with small speckles surrounding the scelera and pupil. These eyes can be extended as they rest on very long eyestalks that are most of the time, retracted into the skull. The eyes of females are surrounded by distinctive scales that have a star-shaped arrangement of fleshy, filamentous eyelashes. Only females have these eyelashes, Males don't. But mature males do possess a dewlap. They have 3 antennae, which they use as sensory organs and for long distance communication. They have extensive armor plating, having a sort of built-in helmet on their heads, as well as more armor platting running down the length of their long necks.. They are usually around the size of a RV, though very occasionally they reach sizes up to 66 ft (20 m, eset); with a Weight of 19 tons, but this is extremely rare.

these shelled beauties are able to change color and bioluminesce using special cells called chromatophores and photophores, this allows their bodies and the sparkly objects hoarded on their shells to change color and light up accordingly, but When they aren't camouflaging or changing color to show emotion, they are usually sapphire blue in color with lighter stripes starting at the head and down the length of the neck and shell, but in some individuals stopping before reaching the tail. They come in many different shades of sapphire blue, some being darker and some being lighter, while their eye color usually ranges anywhere from pink to purple. The insides of most their mouths are blue, and their tongues are also usually purple. Their legs are generally darker in color to the rest of their bodies and have lighter stripes running down said legs though there are some exceptions. On their undersides or plastrons, they are usually lighter though some may be darker on the bottom, and they have many dark blue spots, blotches or stripes. No two diamondshelled snapperbabes are exactly alike in color and pattern. Baby diamondshells ages 0 to 5 are black, gray, or very dark brown with small white and blue spots. This, along with their camouflage ability helps them blend in better.

Some individuals have little splashes of red on their bodies, however, that is rare. But what’s even rarer is when the shellbabes are mostly bright red due to a genetic abnormality that causes them to produce more of a certain protein than others of their species. But the odds of seeing one are slim, since the chance of a red brackish crab turtle is at about one-in-3-million.

## Ecology

### Behavior and Intelligence

These shy beasts have so far been elusive and peaceful in their native Vallieran homes. Diamondshelled snapperbabes get their name from the fact that they like to decorate their shells with sparkly objects, which therefore one might say they sparkle bright like a diamond. The objects hoarded on their shells generally consist of gold nuggets and gemstones. along with any other sparkly things that catch their attention. They are attracted to sparkly things, which makes them great at locating treasure, but how exactly they locate it is a mystery, almost like a 6th sense. How they stick things onto their backs is they secrete a very sticky substance from their bodies that allows items to be stuck to their back. this substance is like a glue, and items on their shells can only be unstuck if the shellbabe willingly takes it off with it's anti-stick saliva.

These hardy shellbabes are mostly found in brackish water, and can tolerate varying levels of salinity, but they aren't found in marine environments though they can survive in them for quite a long time if they had to, but generally they stick to brackish water and occasionally visit freshwater, but very rarely the ocean.

Diamondshells often live in close proximity to one another, and it’s not uncommon to see dozens of younger individuals basking together on the same boulder, sometimes even in piles. They are sociable, living in bales within their humble tide pools and coastlines. They can use their antennae to communicate with each other over long distances, basically like their own little radio signal, If one is in distress it can send a distress signal to other crab turtles in it’s area to come and help.. These shellbabes are crepuscular animals. and will scavenge or hunt for food.

They are generally not too aggressive, tend to have a "if you don't mess with me, I wont mess with you" type of attitude, but if you do accidentally end up pissing one off, be prepared. They are equipped with 3 main forms of weaponry, these creatures have their bone-crushing jaws and claws, and like sea dragons, It charges up water in its body and then squirts it at an enemy. Water expelled forcibly from the mouth it usually yeets smaller foes away, but this attack though is nothing to laugh at. It may not scald you or anything like that, but when the target is blasted with the forceful shot of water, the water pressure can be pretty violent, and definitely hurts...alot. Definitely gonna leave ya covered in bruises in addition to sending you flying if it's a full on blast from an adult. they will usually give warning signs like hissing and clacking their beaks and claws, and if that doesn't deter a threat they will begin to shoot water, and their chin bulges out when filled with water. The bulging of its jaw is an indication that it is going to shoot water, and this is your last chance. if the blast doesn't work then it will being snapping with it's strong jaws and clawing with their massive claws.

Lastly, going into depth about their hoarding behavior, the hoarding that they do may be greedy, and they are known to be so, (but only to an extent, since it is mostly instinctual) but its also much deeper then that. There is also another reason they do this. every item on a crab turtle's shell, means something to them, crab turtles have amazing memories you see, and part of that happens to be the fact that they associate certain events, and individuals, with their items in the same way you might see a hat that a passed family member used to have or see an old toy from your childhood that brings back memories. every brackish crab turtle has an item on their shell that means the most to them, if you learn their language and ask a crab turtle that's a thousand years old every story they can remember regarding each item on their back they will gladly do so, they probably have great stories to tell, since they are very wise when they reach their elder years. And while not always, the item that means the most to them, tends to be the first item they ever collected.

### Diet

they are omnivores that prefer meat, and are piscivorous mainly, hunting and eating mostly fish, but have also been known to eat some vegetation, and will occasionally eat aquatic plants as well. And they absolutely love coconuts. They are scavengers as well, and can use their highly acute sense of smell to locate carrion if it is available.

### Reproduction

Courtship and mating usually occurs at night, and either sex can initiate the courtship, it just depends on which individual is more eager. Both individuals will start bioluminesceing, and even the objects on their shells will start glowing too. Males will extend their glowing dewlap which will usually be decorated with diamonds and gold, and the female will flutter her tailfin, the two of them will circle each other, checking out each other’s shells, and giving each other little love bites. If they both like what they see, they will begin to tickle each other's faces with their claws for a few minutes. After that they will nuzzle each other and turn hot pink to signify they are now mates. they will then go to one of their burrows and mate.

After a few months of them living in a pair the female will go to a beach and lay 8 to 14 golden eggs a little bigger then a football, and then will cover them up and sit with them. The male and female will take turns in the burrow watching over the nest for about 60 days. and when they are ready to hatch, they begin calling to their mother & father from inside their eggs, alerting them to be ready for their arrival so they can protect them. During the week before hatching, some may poke a little hole in the eggshell with their eggtooth and extend a little eye out to peek at the outside world and their parents.

Once they hatch, their parents will scoop them up in their mouths or encourage them to hop onto their backs and will safely carry them to the water. The female takes over from this point but the male will always be in close proximity to his mate and offspring.

The babies will stay close to their mother for the first few months, riding on her back, swimming beside her, basking with her, and watching and learning. Once they feel that they are able to fend for themselves the babies will gradually start doing their own thing.

## CoinTrivia

* The diamondshelled snapperbabe can best be described as a chimera, a creature composed of several different animals. And those animals are: Suwannee Snapping Turtles, Diamondback Terrapins, Coconut crabs, decorator crabs, Cuttlefish, Chameleons, Sapphire Crayfish, Krill, Lobsters, Giant Ground Sloths, Ants, Anoles, Water Horses, Mountain Banshees (Avatar), Ankylosaurs, and Fiddler Crabs.