A sand-sniper or tunnel-biter is a type of crustacean-like carnivore that is found in the the Wastelands.
Eva Nine and a sand sniper.
History
The Search for WondLa
Rovender had warned Eva about the sand-snipers, prior to arriving in the Wastelands. Eva encountered sand-snipers several times during her journey. While escaping from the taxidermy lab at the Royal Museum, Eva played a recorded sans sniper call from her omnipod to attract a captured sniper and use it to escape. During Eva's inevitable confrontation with the huntsman, Besteel, in the desert, a group of sand-snipers mauled Besteel and pulled him underground, killing him.
A Hero for WondLa
When Eva and Rovender were searching for a lost Omnipod, Eva was held captive and ensnared by two sand-snipers. However, as with Otto, Eva was able to make a connection with the creature and communicate with it, assuring the sand-snipers that she would not harm them. The sand-snipers retreated, and one of them vomited the lost Omnipod, much to Eva and Rovender's surprise.
Eva and Rovender were later attacked by a sand-sniper after having left New Attica, and were pursued by a warbot that Cadmus had sent to apprehend Eva had intercepted and began launching numerous SHOCdarts at her. However, the sand-sniper then went against the machine and managed to cripple and subdue it.
The Battle for WondLa
Eva Nine freed a trapped female sand-sniper and her clutch of eggs during the Battle of Solas. She later used the sniper to destroy a pillar guard and sever some of Loroc's arms.
Anatomy
Sand-snipers possess a set of eight appendages, the topmost being larger and are used to grasp and ensnare victims, similar to lobsters or crayfish on a much larger scale. They also have sets of large feeler antennae, which are perhaps used to sense vibrations from above their underground burrows. Their shells are covered in numerous tiny spikes, particularly along the back and at the edge of their arms. Two bioluminescent quills stick out from the sides of their head, which could be used as a sort of threat display. Their shells can withstand bullets and SHOCdarts.
Behavior
Sand-snipers live in burrows underground and may emerge from below in order to ambush prey. Through a series of clicks and chirps, the sand-snipers are able to communicate with other members of their species. They are known to hunt in packs and are, therefore, able to take on larger prey, even managing to kill the huntsman, Besteel, and one of Cadmus' warbots.