The Catapult Scorpion

The Catapult Scorpion was a savage 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. of Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it., a heavily armoured scorpion species equipped with razor-edged pincers, sharp teeth, and a horned head whose distinguishing weapon was a stinger capable of catapulting hardened balls of magma at its prey. The species nested in caverns beneath the Sculpture FieldsSculpture FieldsThe Sculpture Fields were the open Po-Metru courtyards where Po-Matoran carvers worked statues too large for any building, hid one of the Great Disks, and gave Onewa his first confrontation with Ahkmou's betrayal. of Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it., trailed the KikanaloKikanaloBionicle's most underestimated Rahi: intelligent herd creatures whose stampedes terrified even Dark Hunters on Metru Nui. herds for food, and was first documented in the BIONICLE: Rahi BeastsBIONICLE Reference BooksSix Scholastic and AMEET reference titles published between 2003 and 2009 form the primary printed canon for the Matoran Universe. This page catalogs what each book contains and where the editions diverge. reference book.

Habitat and range#

The Catapult Scorpion was native to Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it., the carving 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., and confined almost entirely to the cavern systems beneath the Sculpture FieldsSculpture FieldsThe Sculpture Fields were the open Po-Metru courtyards where Po-Matoran carvers worked statues too large for any building, hid one of the Great Disks, and gave Onewa his first confrontation with Ahkmou's betrayal. that dominated the metru's surface. The Sculpture FieldsSculpture FieldsThe Sculpture Fields were the open Po-Metru courtyards where Po-Matoran carvers worked statues too large for any building, hid one of the Great Disks, and gave Onewa his first confrontation with Ahkmou's betrayal. were the open plains on which Po-MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. carvers worked the rough slabs of 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. into the figures and architectural pieces for which the metru was known. Below those fields ran a substantial network of natural caverns, and it was in those caverns that the scorpions made their nests.

Surface activity was rare. The species spent most of its life within its caverns and emerged onto the Sculpture FieldsSculpture FieldsThe Sculpture Fields were the open Po-Metru courtyards where Po-Matoran carvers worked statues too large for any building, hid one of the Great Disks, and gave Onewa his first confrontation with Ahkmou's betrayal. only periodically, usually when food was scarce. When it did surface the Po-MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. carvers cleared the area, and the other large 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. of the plains followed suit. Phase DragonsPhase DragonSpeed-obsessed Rahi with the rare ability to phase through solid matter, gentle when stimulated but dangerous when bored., Rock RaptorsRock RaptorCunning Po-Metru Rahi that hunt Kikanalo using engineered avalanches., and TunnelersTunnelerA Rahi that absorbs any power directed at it, but becomes fragile when turned to glass. were all named in the record as creatures that knew to stay away from an active Catapult Scorpion, on the understanding that any of them was a potential target. The only major species of Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it. that the scorpions did not attack on sight was the KikanaloKikanaloBionicle's most underestimated Rahi: intelligent herd creatures whose stampedes terrified even Dark Hunters on Metru Nui..

The Catapult Scorpions did not migrate to Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. during the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. evacuation of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. after the Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent.. They remained inside the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. for the duration of the thousand-year exile, and eventually relocated to the surface of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. after the planet was reformed and the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.'s population was released from the body of the Great Spirit RobotMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna.. On Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. the species presumably resumed a comparable cavern existence, although no detailed observations from the post-reformation period were recorded.

The catapult stinger#

The Catapult Scorpion's distinguishing weapon was the stinger that gave the species its name. The mechanism was unusual among Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it. 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. for being a projectile system rather than a contact weapon. The scorpion was able to materialise a ball of molten magma at the tip of its tail, harden that ball into a solid rock over a very short interval, and then snap the stinger forward in a whip motion that catapulted the rock at the target. Range, accuracy, and rate of fire were not recorded in the reference material, but the weapon's lethality against creatures the size of a TunnelerTunnelerA Rahi that absorbs any power directed at it, but becomes fragile when turned to glass. was implicit in the catalogue 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. that avoided active scorpions.

The biological process by which the scorpion produced the molten magma at its stinger tip was not explained in any surviving documentation. The end result was effectively a self-loading rock catapult, and a Catapult Scorpion in cover could engage a target at distance without exposing its body to retaliation. The combination of the stinger projectile, the razor-edged pincers for close work, and the heavily horned and spined head that protected the creature from frontal attack made the Catapult Scorpion one of the most heavily armed 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. of Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it. on a per-individual basis.

Confusion with the Nui-Jaga#

The Catapult Scorpion was commonly mistaken for a large Nui-JagaNui-JagaGiant scorpions with lethal stingers that were hunted for profit despite a grim death toll., the more widely known scorpion 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. of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. The visual similarity was real: both species presented as massive scorpions, both carried prominent stingers, and both occupied territories overlapping with Po-WahiPo-WahiPo-Wahi is a region of the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Po-Matoran and Rahi. The territory formerly fell under the control of Teridax. and Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it.. The distinction was practical rather than taxonomic. Catapult Scorpions were substantially more hostile and substantially more dangerous than Nui-JagaNui-JagaGiant scorpions with lethal stingers that were hunted for profit despite a grim death toll., and an observer who treated an active scorpion in Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it. as the more familiar species risked underestimating the threat.

The behavioural difference was also marked. The Nui-JagaNui-JagaGiant scorpions with lethal stingers that were hunted for profit despite a grim death toll. was a hostile 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. but operated within an identifiable territorial pattern; the Catapult Scorpion treated every living thing in its operating area as an enemy by default. The narrower diet, the projectile weapon, and the willingness to engage at distance set the species apart from the Nui-JagaNui-JagaGiant scorpions with lethal stingers that were hunted for profit despite a grim death toll. pattern of close-quarters territorial defence. The two species were not recorded as related.

Diet and the Kikanalo#

The Catapult Scorpion's tolerance of the KikanaloKikanaloBionicle's most underestimated Rahi: intelligent herd creatures whose stampedes terrified even Dark Hunters on Metru Nui. was the species' single observed exception to its general hostility, and the explanation was nutritional. The scorpion ate solid 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., and its preferred method of acquiring it was to trail KikanaloKikanaloBionicle's most underestimated Rahi: intelligent herd creatures whose stampedes terrified even Dark Hunters on Metru Nui. herds across the Sculpture FieldsSculpture FieldsThe Sculpture Fields were the open Po-Metru courtyards where Po-Matoran carvers worked statues too large for any building, hid one of the Great Disks, and gave Onewa his first confrontation with Ahkmou's betrayal. and scavenge whatever the larger creatures' horns dug up. The KikanaloKikanaloBionicle's most underestimated Rahi: intelligent herd creatures whose stampedes terrified even Dark Hunters on Metru Nui. were heavy-bodied 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. that moved in herds and ploughed surface material with their horns as they grazed, and the displaced 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. was substantial enough to feed a Catapult Scorpion population. The relationship was effectively commensal from the KikanaloKikanaloBionicle's most underestimated Rahi: intelligent herd creatures whose stampedes terrified even Dark Hunters on Metru Nui.'s perspective. The scorpions caused them no harm, took only what the herd had already dislodged, and avoided drawing the herd's collective attention.

The arrangement became unstable as the KikanaloKikanaloBionicle's most underestimated Rahi: intelligent herd creatures whose stampedes terrified even Dark Hunters on Metru Nui. population declined. With herd numbers approaching extinction across Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it., the scorpions lost their primary food supply and were forced to range across the surface in search of alternative sources. The increased surface activity made the species more frequently observed but also more dangerous to the Po-MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. carvers and to the smaller 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. of the plains. The full long-term impact of KikanaloKikanaloBionicle's most underestimated Rahi: intelligent herd creatures whose stampedes terrified even Dark Hunters on Metru Nui. decline on the scorpion population was not recorded before the evacuation 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 the species' eventual relocation to Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. presumably reset the situation entirely.

Place in the record#

The Catapult Scorpion entered the documented 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. catalogue through the reference work BIONICLE: Rahi BeastsBIONICLE Reference BooksSix Scholastic and AMEET reference titles published between 2003 and 2009 form the primary printed canon for the Matoran Universe. This page catalogs what each book contains and where the editions diverge., the principal compendium of Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. creatures. The catalogue treated the Catapult Scorpion alongside the Archives MoleArchives MoleSmall, harmless burrowing Rahi engineered by the Makuta, originally native to Po-Metru and forced into the shadowy recesses of the Onu-Metru Archives, where their cooperative behaviour built living ladders and bridges through the lower levels., the Cable CrawlerCable CrawlerClimbing-type Rahi of Metru Nui's Le-Metru cable network, created by the Makuta and notorious among Matoran for severing power lines and raiding airship cargo holds., the Dermis TurtleDermis TurtleThe Dermis Turtle was a small, silver-shelled Rahi native to Metru Nui, valued by Ga-Matoran for its musical cry and its instinctive prediction of storms., and other 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. drawn from the carving district and the wider city. The species was recorded again as a reference entry in both BIONICLE: EncyclopediaBIONICLE Reference BooksSix Scholastic and AMEET reference titles published between 2003 and 2009 form the primary printed canon for the Matoran Universe. This page catalogs what each book contains and where the editions diverge. and its updated edition, though without additional narrative detail beyond what Rahi BeastsBIONICLE Reference BooksSix Scholastic and AMEET reference titles published between 2003 and 2009 form the primary printed canon for the Matoran Universe. This page catalogs what each book contains and where the editions diverge. had originally documented.

The Catapult Scorpion's permanent place in the Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it. ecosystem rested on the combination of its weapon, its diet, and its general hostility. Few other 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. of the carving district matched the species' offensive capability, fewer still scavenged in the wake of a herding species, and none combined those traits with a stinger that operated as a self-loading projectile system. The Sculpture FieldsSculpture FieldsThe Sculpture Fields were the open Po-Metru courtyards where Po-Matoran carvers worked statues too large for any building, hid one of the Great Disks, and gave Onewa his first confrontation with Ahkmou's betrayal. beneath which the species nested were the same plains across which 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. and the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. carvers worked through the central events 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 the Catapult Scorpion was therefore a constant background feature of the region without ever being the explicit subject of a major narrative.