Terrarus

Codenamed Terrarus, the Terra Comedenticus (Earth Eater) is a very deadly omnivoric predator. The Terrarus prefers grazing volcanic or mountainous regions, as it takes advantage of the mineral rich soil that is abundant in these areas, preying on both the plants that habitat here, as well as any animals that migrate into this region. The extremely sharp barbed "feet" of the creature allow it to pierce through skin, or sometimes even external armor with enough force, as well as make it incredibly adept at climbing and digging.

When hunting, it burrows itself into the ground in order to appear as nothing more than a mound of rocks. Once burrowed, with it's back exposed, it uses 5 sensory organs at the top of the head of the creature as well as two sensory sacs at the neck, for sight, smell, and sound, to search for prey. Once it spots a suitable target, it will use it’s extremely strong hind legs to send it rocketing towards it’s target. It is an ambush predator, as the legs make it's gait awkward, and it does not do well in high speed chases, but it makes up for it with it's incredible ability to leap long distances at high speeds. It can also dig into the ground and eat any other burrowing animals, making it an extremely dangerous animal to encounter.

The multiple proboscises of the animal's ancestors have fused into one very strong articulated tongue, which serves almost as a finger. This tongue is extremely sensitive to touch, and functions as a mouth, being able to vacuum and chew, as well as expand itself in girth to handle eating. When feasting from plants, it will pierce the bark with it's claws (or jaws), and insert it's tongue into the hole, drinking from either animal or plant. The secondary pocket that the tongue rests inside is used to keep the tongue moist and hydrated.

To be more in-depth of the diet, the creature eats not only meat, but also nutrient rich soil, as well as plants rich in fiber, as it requires quite a diverse diet in order to maintain it’s chitin camouflage armor and muscle strength. It’s main threat is starvation, or eager predators attacking the exposed underbelly of the Terrarus after it’s eaten a full meal, as the ribs and stomach are able to expand greatly when eating a large meal, akin to a snake, which greatly reduces it's mobility. During long periods of time where it is unable to eat, it will absorb nutrients while it burrows, taking in whatever minerals it can through it's skin, while it goes through a semi-hibernation state. It's metabolism will slow down, and it will burrow and rest while the environment becomes suitable enough for it to continue to hunt.

The colorization varies, however the colors of the animal depend on what habitat the animal resides in. Sometimes the soft tissue will be more green, or even white, if it's a colder region. There are albino Terrarusi in the wild as well, however they are extremely rare, and not very effective, as the reddish colorization of their chitin makes it difficult for them to find suitable hunting grounds, considering their ambush tactics.

It has kept the jaws of it's very early evolutionary ancestors. It has also sacrificed one pair of legs entirely, two of it's ancestor's legs evolving into droopy "ears" on the sides of the head. Perhaps with time, these will develop into arms for the creature. For the other 4 legs, the hind legs have turned into a quadruple jointed legs used for leaping, and the front legs have developed into a more rudimentary pair of legs, the "calves" developing into massive claws. It uses these front legs for balance, as well as for intricate handling of smaller objects, like handling small prey or flipping rocks, as well as digging.