Slirdu

The slird was a strange arboreal creature found only in the forests of the remote islands off the southeast coast of Middle-earth. Most lived in colonies of 2-40 individuals on the isle of Vulm Shryac. Green or green with red stripes, slirdu were four or five-armed invertebrates that resembled both squids and starfish. They were distantly related to both creatures and had adapted to life on land by developing true lungs and a sophisticated network or extremely thick, tough, well-insulated nerves that served as a quasi skeleton. Each of the slird's prehensile appendages joined with a trunk that resembled a squid's body and housed the beast's two eyes and beak-like mouth. An opening just below the mouth connected with an ink sack.

Slirdu resided in nests near the tops of trees and moved through the forest with alarming speed by grasping tree-limbs with their powerful arms. True carnivores, they hunted mammals, birds, and reptiles and consumed about twenty pounds of meat a day. A slird caught its prey by enveloping it with one or more arms. Each arm was equipped with a patch of suction-like pads that immobilized most victims. In addition, the slird could spray its prey with a slightly toxic ink that stunned, blinded, or knocked out the victim. The creature occasionally used this thick, greenish liquid to cover its retreat, precisely spraying an area as wide as 20' at ranges of up to 100'.

Slirdu were not particularly intelligent, since their rudimentary brain was essentially a massive nerve root/brain stem. Instead, they were more akin to well-honed killing organisms.

References

• Retrieved from [Realms of Arda]; original reference: [ICE MERP 2012]