The mud lurker

The Mud Lurker, or lurker for short, is an 8-legged beast that lives beneath the ground in swamp- or marsh-like areas on Wallace II. Leaving the majority of its scale-armored body beneath the surface of the mud, it scans its surroundings using eye-stalks attached to its head. Its mouth, too, is left above the surface, as it is only able to breathe through its mouth, which has evolved to become a multi-use orifice for respiration and consumption of prey. It has a venomous barb at the end of its tail that it uses to catch prey. Its head, legs, underbelly, and tail barb are all armored with hard plating.
 A lurker begins its life from a soft-shelled egg, laid by the mother beneath the surface of the mud. A mother lurker usually lays around 20- 26 eggs at one time, which she guards closely. The hatchlings are weak when they first emerge from their eggs, their armor soft. Before they have much use for their armor, though, they must first use what little strength they have to tunnel upwards and out of the mud. They will then travel towards their mother, who will usually have caught a meal in preparation of the arrival of her hatchlings. If she has been unsuccessful, the hatchlings will have to wait.
 The newly-hatched lurkers will then begin their journey into becoming fully-grown adults, which have been known to reach up to two meters in length. However, they must first reach the stage of juveniles. A juvenile lurker will finally become independent from its mother, staking out its own claim to land and attempting to woo a mate. All lurkers are very territorial, and this can be dangerous for young lurkers as they try to find their own home grounds. If a juvenile attempts to set up shop in an already-claimed territory, it will most likely be killed and eaten by the previous owner. If a young lurker does manage to find its own home turf, it buries itself, digging into the ground using its strong forelimbs and sits, waiting for its next meal. These meals are scarce, and it may take weeks for a lurker to catch anything. This is tolerable for the lurkers, though, as their slow metabolisms allow them to sit in wait for much longer than one would expect.
 A hunting lurker will sit under the surface of the mud, completely still. If an object of prey comes near enough to be caught, the lurker will swing its powerful forelimbs down upon it, killing it in the process. If the prey is not immediately killed, the toxins injected by the barb at the end of the Mud Lurker's tail will do the job. Restrained by the crushing power of the scythe-like forelimbs, the prey is helpless as the venom kills it. This venom will also aid in the digestion of the prey once its innards are sucked through the Mud Lurker's elongated, fleshy mouth (see the GIF on Imgur).
 When mating season arrives, an annual occurrence, mature lurkers must find a mate. Afraid to enter new territories, these lurkers must find an optimal partner near to themselves. To do this, male lurkers make a call and females will answer. The call of a Mud Lurker is not really so much a call as it is a rattle. The lurker will emerge from the ground, in a haze of hormonal energy, and extend the large scales on its back. It will then wiggle its body back and forth, causing the scales to collide and a rattling noise to be made. Once a suitable mate is found through the use of these "calls," the two will pair off and mate, the female later returning to her territory to lay eggs beneath the soil and rear her young alone.
If two males are called to the same female, they will enter a standoff, the younger or otherwise weaker male usually backing off. If one male does not retreat, however, the two enraged male lurkers may combat for the affection of their potential partner. Once the victor is decided, the female will allow him to mate with her. She will then lay her eggs, and the cycle starts anew.