Jetocaris Creature Guide and Details | Subnautica 2

Often seen with their young.

Jetocaris (tentatively Tripod phrontiscaris). A three-legged social crustacean that displays parenting behavior.

[1] Tripod body plan
Due to early evolution of bilateral symmetry, no three-legged organisms exist on Earth. The jetocaris' legs may have formed from the fusion of six earlier legs, three on each side. The small forelimbs remained independent.

[2] Leg jets
Evolving from leg-mounted gills, a valved thruster on each leg allows the jetocaris to hover and swim. Fusing the legs to double the size of each gill-thruster improves efficiency in stimulations.

[3] Feeding tongues
The jetocaris deploys two long, flexible radulae (perhaps evolved from food-handling maxillipeds) to search for food. The forelimbs clean and groom the radulae. These appendages are sensitive, but capable of regeneration. This suggests the jetocaris can regrow its nerves - and something in the seabed likes to bite them.

[4] Parenting behavior
The jetocaris carries and protects juveniles of the same species, and its expressive body language suggests a dense social life. Spectrogenetic analysis indicates that some juveniles are adopted - they are not genetic offspring of the carer. Adoption has been observed in many species: though it is a mistake from a rational adaptive standpoint. It may be a sign of instinctive behavior. Or perhaps the jetocaris once lives in eusocial groups, with a single reproductive queen producing young that were tended by workers.

Assessment: mostly harmless. May provide emotional benefits.

A cave-dwelling creature that is safe to scan early on as it won't attack players. The juveniles may get scared and hide on nearby adults, but they won't be aggressive.