Stein’s Lab in Soul Eater
Here we are again at the lab. Going prehistoric for some of these. Enjoy!
The first three monsters have been donated by John W. Howell:
Prehenseltaurus
Thought to be extinct, this ancient bison was recently rediscovered in a small valley that is surrounded by a volcanic ore bubble. They have been living here with minimal predators, so they have thrived without destroying the restricted area. Not as large as a bison, but still bigger than a human, the Prehenseltaurus lives among thick forests. They are capable of getting into the trees thanks to their long horns, which they sharpen on the many chunks of quartz found in the region. Their horns are usually hard and immovable like one would expect, but they are actually made of muscle instead of bone. By relaxing, these parts can be turned into prehensile appendages that allow them to swing into the trees for fruit and honey. It is believed that they can temporarily reduce their density to prevent themselves from snapping the branches, but no tests have been attempted as of yet. Being born with horns larger than their bodies, the juvenile Prehenseltauruses are arboreal until they gain too much wait to stay in the trees.
Softagerous
Another ancient beast, this one is small and adorable. It has thick, soft fur even though it is cold-blooded and has reptilian features. In reality, the fur is cosmetic and does very little for warmth. It serves two main purposes. One is to collect algae when the Softagerous goes swimming in the morning. A long, scraping tongue is used to clean its entire body of this food source, which gives it plenty of energy. This is also why it has a blueish green color in the morning and a dull yellow by nightfall. The fur’s second purpose is to attract larger animals to clean it. Living near human settlements, it’s cute appearance and friendly temperament makes it very approachable. Children especially while be attracted during their monthly cleaning ritual. The Softagerous will play with the other animal and get them to scratch and rub them. This results in their dry skin being broken and helping them shed like a snake. Once it is done, the animal returns to the wild and waits another few months before it grows again.
Slandermander
Nobody is sure where this creature came from or how it learned human speech. Some believe it was born from the darkest recesses of our society. It’s very small and slimy with no eyes and a stump of a tail. There is no specific color for the Slandermander because it changes into whatever it’s touching at a faster rate than chameleons. Tests have shown it to be warm-blooded, but it still has scales. Breeding is asexual since they are never found together. One attempt to put two in the same cage led to one disappearing completely and not returning until the visible creature was removed. Now, what do these things do that makes them worth studying? They scream insults and lies about whoever is nearby, especially if there is a crowd. Some have been known to imitate a drunken slur and the voice of someone else in the room. Tests have shown that the Slandermander gains immense amounts of all four ‘happiness’ neurotransmitters. It is unclear how they choose a target or what makes them go away aside from being smashed with a shoe.
The next three monsters have been donated by Audry Driscoll:
Antillophore
A lumbering beast in the mountainous region of Herkaldus, it has pincers like a goliath beetle and walks on two legs. Some say that it resembles a shaved bear while others wonder if it’s closer to an armor-plated gorilla. It has humanoid nails instead of claws and its teeth are flat to help it crush plants and bones. Even though it is very strong, it eats the tough shrubs on the cliffs and carrion. For a large beast, it is very nimble and able to scale sheer cliffsides by using its pincers to make finger holes. Instead of fur to stay warm, this creature absorbs sunlight through plates on its back. When it is dark, the Antillophore burrows into the ground and curls into a ball. All life functions ceases until it is touched by the sun again.
Turbulator
Found in the open ocean, these large-finned fish travel in schools that range from 20-30 members. They are about the size of tuna, but their caudal/tail fin can fan out to be four feet across. Each school has one male who protects the females by using a poisonous barb under his chin. This protrusion resembles a thin, white beard, which is why male are called the Wise Assassins. The females are plainer and don’t stand out to help them avoid attention from predators. Turbulators get their name from their hunting strategy, which they use against schools of feeding fish. Similar to the methods of dolphins, the females drive their prey into a single area, but they stay away from the surface to avoid anything that might each them. They start in a large circle and swim backwards to use their extends tails, which create waves that push the prey. As the females make a smaller circle, the male repeatedly rushes in to stir up the water. His strikes the water movements that the females make with his own tail to create a turbulence that stuns the prey. When most of the school is knocked out, they feast.
Skaganiffer
These flightless birds are found on the island of D’hargo, which has been abandoned by human society. The reason is because of an epidemic that has been contained within the island. Because of this, Skaganiffers can only be studied through drones or when wearing protective suits. They have bright red bellies and the rest of them are black with a plume on top of their head. Even though they can’t fly, they have very long and beautiful wings that are prismatic on the underside. Males and females both dance during mating season, which can cause some confusion since very few are hunting. Instead of clearing a spot like Birds of Paradise, which many believe they are related to, the Skaganiffers claim one of the hundreds of fossilized skulls that litter the island. They use moss and an oily residue left by a type of snail to polish the bone to a shine. Once they are satisfied, they call out and tap dance on their stage. Having hard spurs on their feet, they can make loud noises that carry far. For food, they eat the slower insects like maggots, caterpillars, and sluggish beetles.
