This vicious predator, originally from the Rodian homeworld, has been exported from the Outer Rim to the Core. Although owning a svaper is illegal in most systems, many wealthy citizens have large tanks with one or more of the beasts on display. Some crimelords even use their pets to dispose of witnesses, intruders or unproductive employees.
Svapers are quite fast and always hungry. They often wrap themselves around their intended prey, securing it in place while the svaper feasts. Although the predators are not particularly strong, many non-aquatic beings cannot gain the leverage necessary to break the creature's grip. Food is torn from the prey by strong needle teeth, then bolted into a long stomach deep inside the svaper's body. The thin spines located behind the creature's head and along its back often break off in the prey. This defensive measure, combined with the beast's quick reflexes, has ensured the survival of the species on a most inhospitable world.
Large animals make up the bulk of a svaper's diet, though some have been known to consume garbage, floating molds or the occasional Rodian. Svaper owners quickly discover their pet's voracious (and expensive) appetite.
The outer skin of a svaper is colorful, but coarse and tough. Handlers have been scratched by the rough skin alone. Only the gills, located beneath a frill of spines, are vulnerable to attack. Beings attacking these gills hand-to-hand risk impaling their arms on the spines that protrude from the svaper's back and head. These spines are lightly barbed, and very painful to remove. Svaper eyes are glossy black, absorbing all light into two giant pupils. A protective layer coats the eyes, screening out the dirt and tiny organisms of Rodian waterways.
"Svaper wrestling" is a Rodian "sport" which has spread to some black market casinos. Sadistic casino owners have been known to offer a losing gambler quintuple or nothing if the unfortunate can kill the house svaper with his bare hands. Needless to say, this is a fairly sure bet. Nevertheless, especially quick strong-lunged beings have successfully wrestled svapers. Beneath the tough skin, sharp spines and ripping teeth, svapers are quite fragile. By puncturing the gills, an attacker can rupture the creature's brain. Putting this knowledge to use, however, is difficult.
These creatures are often solitary, but schools of them have been seen in especially rich feeding grounds. They spawn once a standard year, eating the local waterways clean. Svaper eggs resemble large opaque bubble clusters; each egg is about the size of a large grenade and hatches within four standard weeks. A large percentage of these eggs are eaten before they hatch; after hatching, the svapers proceed to eat everything within reach until they attain maturity, which can take from one to three standard years. Svaper lifespans are short - between four to eight standard years - but the creatures grow throughout their lives. Captive svapers can live as long as 20 years and attain frightening proportions. | 
