Desiccated Skitter Leaf

The Desiccated Skitter Leaf is a more advanced close cousin to the more common Skitter Leaf, discovered during Captain Charlie's expedition onto PNF-404.

Biology
Agile and elusive, Desiccated Skitter Leaves have adapted to a more carnivorous lifestyle than other Skitterlings due to living in a harsher, less-nutrient environment. This played in part to both its camouflage and its method of hunting. Their front legs had developed barbs on the tips in order to snatch prey when any come too close to it.

They typically prey upon very small creatures such as Pikmin and Sheargrubs, though it is noted that they pick their prey rather carefully: while they will attack a lone Female Sheargrub, Male Sheargrubs they tend to avoid as they can bite back. This same idea goes for Pikmin, as pikmin holding Bomb-Rocks are especially avoided. This indicates a higher level of intelligence within this Skitterling species possibly due to it being the most frail carnivorous creature as noted by explorers.

Reproduction
Recent studies of this skitterling revealed that the disguise is also a lure for scavenging animals. While percise details are unclear, this allows the scavenger to carry its eggs, making it a semi - parasitic species.