Talk:Headcrab

I have a proposal for headcrab reproductive cycle:

Stage 1) Nymph stage consisting of headcrabs newly spawned from the gonarch.  Nymphs then attack and kill larger prey to facilitate growth into the adult stage.

Stage 2) Adult stage in which headcrabs seek out and latch onto a host organism.

Stage 3) Parasitic stage.  This is the classic "zombie" stage, in which headcrabs, having secured a host organism, assume direct control over its nervous system. Headcrabs in the zombie state have been observed ingesting freshly killed victims by placing the organic matter into an exposed thoracic cavity.  Although the purpose of this behavior is unclear, a likely scenario is that the headcrab is amassing fat reserves for a metamorphosis into its Gonarch stage.  Since "Fast" and "poison" headcrabs do not display thoracic splitting in their hosts, it is likely that these varieties do not eat, and are sterile.  Instead, their role is to defend and provide food for the more vulnerable, standard headcrab.

Stage 4) Gonarch stage.  Although the exact nature of the metamorphosis to gonarch is unclear, a likely scenario is that several "zombies", having amassed sufficient fat reserves, form a group cocoon and transition to a single gonarch.  This allows for sufficient energy to transform into the much larger stage, as well as ensuring genetic variation across generations.

Would including such information be beneficial? I've thought about it, and I simply can't think of any other way headcrabs could transition to gonarch stage. JorduSpeaks 14:18, March 5, 2010 (UTC)