Sand Maw

Sand Maws are a species of gargantuan carnivorous arthoropods native to the Sahdrian desert. They are one of few large predators in northern Haedoran.

Appearance
Sand maws vary in length from 196'10" to 656'2", with a width between 30'2" and 70'5". A maw's body is covered in 2'3" chitinous plates that can shift position individually, acting as their main defence other than size. The upper plates also have large blade-like fins between angled between straight up and horizontal, which aid in breaking the surface. Between the lower foot plates and the upper armour are hundreds. of small legs. Before the head are four gill-like slits used to eject the thick, oily-substance produced by digestion. The head has no eyes, but the three 40-foot jaws are capable of sensing vibrations.

Sand maw larvae are less than a metre long, and covered in poisonous slime. By their first molting, this slime is lost as the shell hardens.

Behaviour
Sand maws are territorial, with only one inhabiting a particular patch of desert. They appear only briefly during the short seasonal rains later in the year, eating any animals they happen to encounter. The rest of the year is spent hibernating and molting, with the exception of those over 600 feet who require constant sustenance and molt on the move.

Uses
Sand maw plates are used by Sahdria to create tough armour with no metal component, and bows with incredible tensile strength. The oil they produce is used for lighting, being highly flammable.