Hoverthorn — Subnautica 2 Creature Guide | Location & Tips

Overview

Monopter astrapakantha, the one-finned lightning thorn. A small fish that has discarded fins in favor of a living magnetohydrodynamic thruster. Fish are a common body plan across alien worlds, but they usually evolve fins or wings for propulsion — the hoverthorn has just a single fin, a tail rudder at the base of the spinal braid. Spiracles behind the double eyes draw water for an internal gill. The hoverthorn's large primary eye is duplicated by a small secondary eye which contains columns of electro-active jelly, allowing it to effectively see electromagnetic fields. This second eye was created by a duplication in the hoverthorn's HOLOX genes — a viral gene sequence apparently copy-pasted the eye 'blueprint' several million years ago. Its most incredible trait is its charge crystal: a mineralized swim bladder filling the lower body cavity. When a portion of the crystal is charged, it polarizes and attracts surrounding seawater — moving the charge along the crystal creates currents, allowing the hoverthorn to generate and ride its own water currents. Hoverthorns joust with their charge crystals tail-first to select mates; the weaker or less skilled individual loses control. Assessment: fascinating.

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