Spikehorde

Spikehordes are a genus of insect found on almost every planet with a spaceport. The highly adaptable scavenger bugs were found on Nexus when the first settlers arrived. They get their name from the spiked carapace on their backs. Their planet of origin is unknown, but the seem to adapt their size to local gravitational and environmental conditions, so they can range in size from five centimeters to five meters depending on their habitat. Gravitational influences allowed most varieties on Nexus to grow about a meter in length, though some individuals grow much as large as four meters.

Environmental Speciation
Spikehordes have the ability to incorporate elements of their habitat into their genetic makeup, creating subspecies that blend in with their surroundings. These subspecies are referred to by the elements evident on their exoskeletons, such as the rockhordes that often inhabit quarries and canyons.

Biting Boulders
Although they appear to be comprised almost entirely of rock, the deceptively named spikehorde subspecies known as biting boulders employ camouflage and trace mineral elements to take on the appearance of the rocks around them. Despite their moniker, they actually contain far less mineral content that the common "rockhorde" varieties found in more mineral-rich areas such as Galeras and Algoroc - the verdant grasslands of Auroria do not necessarily seem to provide the raw materials these creatures would require to become true "boulders."

SCANBOT ANALYSIS

OBSERVATION: It would appear biting boulders are particularly aggressive when subjected to typical scanning frequencies, which appears to cause a harmonic effect that for lack of a better word, tickles them. And scanbot postulates they do not like that.