Cable Crawler

The Cable Crawler was a strange climbing-type RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. native to the upper cable network above Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships., the transport district of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.. Created by the MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. through combinations of Viruses and Liquid ProtodermisProtodermisThe engineered substance building the Matoran Universe, protodermis exists in countless refined states from mundane metal to diamond-hard crystal to the destruction-or-transformation force of energized form., the species occupied a narrow ecological niche in which its only consistent contact with MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. civilisation came through stolen RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. shipments and severed power lines. The creatures were considered pests rather than predators, though their vertigo-inducing energy blasts placed them firmly outside the category of harmless wildlife. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts; BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Origin and Creation#

Cable Crawlers were bizarre creatures bred by the MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. using the standard process applied to most of the RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. population of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. The species was assembled from combinations of Viruses and Liquid ProtodermisProtodermisThe engineered substance building the Matoran Universe, protodermis exists in countless refined states from mundane metal to diamond-hard crystal to the destruction-or-transformation force of energized form., with the resulting biology suited to life in narrow, high places. The creatures were not the product of natural evolution but of a deliberate ecological seeding, one of many such species developed during the long period in which the MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. maintained their assigned duty of populating the universe with biological life. (BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe)

The Cable Crawler's specific niche placed it in the artificial environments of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.'s industrial infrastructure rather than in any natural wilderness. The species favoured the dense cable network strung above Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships., where suspended power lines, transport conduits, and chute supports formed a three-dimensional habitat largely beyond the reach of ground-dwelling predators. The combination of elevation, abundant climbing surfaces, and proximity to airship traffic suited the creature's body plan with unusual precision. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

The Cable Crawler made its first appearance in the field guide BIONICLEBIONICLE: Matoran AdventuresA 2002 GBA platformer where you play as one of six Matoran fighting Bohrok across Mata Nui's islands.: RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. Beasts, where the species made its first appearance. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

Anatomy, Habitat, and Behaviour#

Cable Crawlers were nocturnal and mostly seen hunting at night. Their bodies were built for climbing rather than for ground travel, with claws capable of gripping suspended cables and slicing through thick power lines in search of food. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

The cable network above Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships. provided the species' primary habitat. The cables themselves served as roads, perches, and hunting grounds, and the supporting pylons offered nesting sites secured against most ground threats. The arrangement placed the Cable Crawlers directly in the path of the district's transport infrastructure, with predictable consequences for the workers responsible for maintaining the power and chute systems beneath them. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

A separate behavioural pattern brought the species into contact with the wider economy of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.. Cable Crawlers were known to nest in the cargo holds of MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. airships and to feed on shipments of RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. bound by air for the ArchivesThe Archives of Metru NuiThe Archives of Onu-Metru were the central repository of Matoran knowledge and Rahi specimens, maintained by the Archivist Corps beneath the city's surface.. The habit came to light when an airship that was supposed to be carrying a shipment of Rahi landed at the Archives and the crew found that a single Cable Crawler had eaten every one of them. Otherwise the species mostly preyed on small birds and other climbing creatures. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

Vertigo Blast and Defensive Tactics#

The Cable Crawler's signature ability was a blast of energy capable of distorting the sense of balance in any target caught within its range. The blast produced acute vertigo in affected creatures, undermining their footing, their orientation, and their ability to track prey. The energy was projected rather than chemical and did not require physical contact. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

The species used the vertigo blast for two distinct purposes. Against smaller prey or other climbing-type RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts., the disorienting effect allowed the Cable Crawler to overcome targets that would otherwise have outrun it across the cable network. Against larger predators, the same effect served as a distraction, with the disoriented attacker losing its grip or its bearing long enough for the Cable Crawler to escape into the upper cables. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

The combination of nocturnal habits, climbing specialisation, and a non-contact disorientation power gave the species a tactical profile out of proportion to its size. The Cable Crawler was not a major predator within Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.'s ecology, but it was difficult to dislodge from its preferred environment once established. The same body plan that allowed it to grip cables also made it resistant to being shaken loose by anything operating in the narrow corridors of the upper Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships. infrastructure. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Relations with the Matoran#

Cable Crawlers normally left MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. alone. The species was shy around the inhabitants of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. and did not target MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. workers as prey. The relationship between species and city was nevertheless adversarial, because the Cable Crawler's foraging habits brought it into constant conflict with the district's infrastructure. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

The most visible nuisance was the species' practice of using its claws to slice through thick power cables while searching for food. Cutting the cables into small pieces was enough to make the species a recognised pest in Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships.. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

The airship-raiding behaviour caused a different category of damage. Shipments of RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. bound for the ArchivesThe Archives of Metru NuiThe Archives of Onu-Metru were the central repository of Matoran knowledge and Rahi specimens, maintained by the Archivist Corps beneath the city's surface. were meant for study, and losing a whole cargo hold's worth to one stowaway Cable Crawler showed how much trouble a single specimen could cause. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

Records, Collection, and Later Status#

The Cable Crawler appeared in the ArchivesThe Archives of Metru NuiThe Archives of Onu-Metru were the central repository of Matoran knowledge and Rahi specimens, maintained by the Archivist Corps beneath the city's surface. catalogue as a distinct climbing-type RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. and was recorded in BIONICLE: Rahi BeastsBIONICLE Reference BooksSeven Scholastic and AMEET reference titles published between 2003 and 2009 back up the printed story of the Matoran Universe. This page catalogs what each book contains and where the editions diverge., the field guide that compiled descriptions of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.'s catalogued fauna. The species was retained in both the original and updated editions of the BIONICLEBIONICLE: Matoran AdventuresA 2002 GBA platformer where you play as one of six Matoran fighting Bohrok across Mata Nui's islands.: Encyclopedia, indicating consistent reference status across the institutional literature of the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The species was not associated with the VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. invasion, the Toa HordikaToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. campaign, or any specific named encounter with the Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety.. The Cable Crawler's role in the narrative of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. remained that of an environmental hazard rather than an antagonist. Its presence was a constant background condition of life in Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships., known and worked around rather than confronted. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

No story follows the species after the collapse of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. Writer Greg Farshtey later said that many Cable Crawlers emigrated to Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. after the Great Spirit robot was wrecked. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)