Squigglers are a highly aggressive, a highly territorial, nocturnal alien creature first encountered by the Destiny
expedition while exploring the depths of the Jungle planet, and in the process
stumbled upon a mysterious Kino, along with human skeletal remains.
It was on that Kino recording, in that video, their first encounter with the deadly alien.
Or as Eli put it, "The most disgusting creatures you've ever seen in your life."
In appearance they loosely resemble a squid (were squid just as agile on land as they were underwater),
a cross between a cephalopod and an arthropod, as the creatures do appear to have an exoskeleton,
an opaque centre embedded in a soft, translucent exoskeleton.
Individual Squigglers, moreover, may vary in size with an average length (including body and tail) somewhere ~ 66 centimetres (or 26 inches).
With six muscular tentacles (or squid-like appendages), a circular lamprey-like mouth and dozens of needle
sharp teeth, as well as six small, crab-like appendages for grasping prey surrounding its mouthparts,
they are, in no uncertain terms, a true super predator.
Easily they crawl and jump about the jungle, hang from the tree branches, even launching themselves upon prey directly.
All this prowess and ferocity, in fact, comes despite them lacking eyes. Squigglers are eyeless hunters.
Being nocturnal, the day they spend asleep, slumbering in large mud structures, of their own construction,
large nests similar to mound-building termites, which can be seen littering the jungle floor.
Squiggler nests also appear to spew a foul smelling smoke, as Eli remarked, asking "What's that smell?"
"It's sulfur," Rush answered.
It is not known whether this sulfuric smell is an aspect of Squiggler physiology,
such as secretion via glands as perhaps a passive defence mechanism,
or whether the foul smelling odour is merely a byproduct of nest building, or even something else.
"I'd hate to see the ants who made these," Eli remarked,
noting how similar in form their nests are to African mound-building termites.
Although as industrious as beavers and communal as termites, attributes which compliment nicely
their predatory prowess and restless capacity for violence,
Squigglers also appear to be a hyper territorial and highly determined species,
using sheer numbers to overwhelm any prey, of virtually any size.
It is not unlike a swarm of Amazon army ants as they overwhelm a passing lizard,
a prey item many orders of magnitude larger in size; the possibility that there exists a queen Squiggler should be noted.
In terms of feeding habits, they feed first by injecting into their prey a highly potent venomous neurotoxin,
causing in them a comatose-like state of temporary paralysis.
At which point, they bore an opening into the torso of their prey,
pulling themselves in deeper as they burrow into the body cavity.
Prey are consumed alive, eaten from the inside out.
Indeed one cannot imagine a more disturbing or more horrifying mode of death.
Squigglers are unbelievably dangerous.
Perhaps now we know what it's like to be that lizard,
to be unfortunate enough to cross paths with Amazon Army Ants.