Xenomorph

The Xenomorphs are the titular 'Aliens' of the franchise. They have a complex multi-stage life cycle, and depend upon large host animals for reproduction.

The first stage of the Xenomorph life cycle is the egg pod. These fleshy growths are laid by an Xenomorph Queen. From the egg comes a small, spidery creature, the Facehugger, which is about the size of a cat. Facehuggers are able to scurry at an alarming rate in search of victims. Once a victim is found, the Facehugger latches onto the face (hence their name) and inserts a long 'ovipositor' down the throat. It then releases what will become a larval large-phase Xenomorph into the host, and immediately dies upon doing so.

The larva, which requires a host at least as large as a cat to ensure adequate mass and placement, then grows furiously within the victim. Upon reaching the size of a large squirrel, the larva breaks out of the host's body cavity, often through the ribcage - hence the name of this stage of the life cycle, the 'Chestburster' stage.

The newly free Chestburster is quick, but small and vulnerable. It quickly flees from danger and goes into hiding, while it (presumably) searches for organic matter to fuel its growth into an adult large-phase Xenomorph. (In the original film, the growth from Chestburster to mature alien took place within hours, certainly not more than a day or two, which has prompted some to speculate that Xenomorphs do not need to eat in order to grow. But as this violates basic physical laws like conservation of mass, it is perhaps more likely that the Xenomorph got into a food storage area or other substantial source of organic matter.)

Mature Xenomorphs vary considerably in size and shape, as their final adult form is determined in part by the genes of their host. While all adult Xenomorphs share similar jaw structures, skull shape, skin texture, and other anatomical features, they can vary wildly in other respects. In general, they retain the basic shape of their host organism, whether upright and bipedal for human-hosted individuals, lean and quadrupedal for dog-hosted individuals, or other host-determined growth forms. Why an alien species - even one which may be artificial, such as the Xenomorphs - should be adapted to assimilating foreign and presumably quite dissimilar genetic material is uncertain.

Once adulthood is reached, a Xenomorph normally participates in maintaining a local hive with its fellow Xenomorphs. Two basic castes are present - drones, which tend to the strange organic stucture of the hive and prepare hosts for Facehugger implantation; and warriors, which defend the hive from external threats. At the center of the hive's operation is the Queen, an extremely large and powerful individual responsible for producing Facehugger pods. Large Queens can be as big or bigger than the largest carnivorous dinosaurs, although other Queens may only be half that size (perhaps depending on the amount of open space in their environment). Queens are also quite intelligent, possibly approaching or matching humans in this regard. With this intelligence the Queen can direct the activities of the entire hive, via some sort of pheromonal or psychic control mechanism.

Queens are often guarded by Praetorians, individuals nearly as large and powerful as the Queen itself. If the Queen should happen to be killed or otherwise removed from the colony, one of the Praetorians can ingest some of the Queen's 'royal jelly' and take over the role of Queen for the hive.

While a Xenomorph infestation is capable of rapidly destroying human colonies via the implantation process, their reliance on large host organisms for reproduction ultimately puts the Xenomorphs at a disadvantage when it comes to sustained growth. Without fresh hosts, a hive must necessarily cease expanding, or even replacing its existing members. Whether any Xenomorphs ever have a mechanism to counteract this fact, such as 'farming' host organisms, is unknown.

Mature Xenomorphs are quite tough, although they will go down to small-arms fire from assault rifles, shotguns, and machine guns. Larger specimens, like Praetorians, are much tougher, being compared to light armored vehicles in terms of resilience and thus being able to shrug off small-arms fire with ease. All Xenomorphs are notorious for their incredibly caustic blood, which can eat through virtually any material, including flesh, metal, kevlar, and more. This makes close-range engagements with Xenomorphs exceedingly dangerous, as the spray of blood resulting from bullet strikes can wound or kill soldiers nearly as effectively as the creatures themselves. The saliva in a Xenomorph's twice-fanged jaws is also highly caustic and can be spit at moderate distances.

Record 259 - creature - Last update 08 Nov 2007, 11:03:07

Entry written by: Torvus

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