Decapodians

The Decapodians are a race of sentient, lobster-like creatures from Decapod 10.

Culture
Decapodians do most of their building with packed sand. Their government is a totalitarian dictatorship, and there is little freedom on their world, which leads many Decapodians to seek it on other worlds, like Earth. It seems that the Decapodian culture has taken over many things from Human civilization, including many Jewish stereotypes. They sometimes settle matters of honor by Claw-Plach, a ritual battle to the death before a massive audience.



Politics and War
While usually seeming peaceful on the surface, they can be provoked to declare all-out war at a moment's notice. They will enslave the entire population of a planet with their army, and force them to build the tools of their oppressors. They once declared war on Earth, and were actually successful in enslaving the population. However, in spite of the successful completion of the Mobile Oppression Palace, they were defeated and Earth freed by Dr. Zoidberg (4ACV05).

Anatomy
Like lobsters or crabs on Earth, Decapodians have no bones. Instead they have an exoskeleton&mdash;a hard, chitinous shell which gives their body the rigidity needed to move about. These shells&mdash;like seemingly most of their other organs&mdash;are not an integral part of the body, but are moulted and replaced when they grow too large (3ACV01). They may vary in colour from pink, red, or brown, and all hues in between. They have claws instead of hands and feet, and have a row of four small finger-like flaps that cover their mouths. The thorax has three ridges, possibly containing orifices, and ink pouches are set in the armpits. A blowhole is set on top of the head, and the males possess a decorative fin in the same place that can be erected at will in times of the mating frenzy. Internal organs are numerous and seem to be vestigial or redundant. There are, among others, four hearts, a gas bladder, an "empathy" bladder, a stink gland, two stomachs, one containing fresh water and the other containing salt water (vomiting from both of them is a sign of happiness), gonads in their necks, and a tiny brain in their rump, which takes over during the mating frenzy. Apparently Decapodians are very strong, and their claws are sharp enough to cut steel bars and similarly hard things (but not diamond filaments). Decapodians are cold-blooded, the blood appears to be light purple in colour. They also have an organ that gives off foul odors when they become bored.

Life Cycle
Decapodians go through many different stages during their lives. Starting off as tiny larvae in a puddle, they progress through no less than a dozen forms. (4ACV09) In their "Coral Form" their siblings bud off. In their mature form, Decapodians are bipedal humanoids.

Pearls
Like many Earth mollusks, Decapodians create pearls when irritants are introduced into their throats. These pearls are blue in appearance and can be used to make jewelry. (3ACV03)

Reproduction
As with life on Earth, female Decapodians carry eggs, which are fertilized by the males. Like many sea creatures, their survival strategy is to produce massive numbers of offspring, rather than to protect a small number of children until adulthood. Decapodians have no concept of love, and enter into relationships only for reproduction. When their mating season arrives, each male attempts to attract a female with an erotic display in the same place as the humans does their erotic display&mdash;the beach. Successful couples will participate in the mating frenzy. After participating in the frenzy, they die a gruesome death. This brings into question how Zoidberg knew his parents, but not enough is known to draw any conclusions (i.e., they may have been adoptive parents from another generation). Zoidberg also states that he is "Norm and Sam and Sadie's boy" (3ACV08), which implies Decapodians may have three parents, whether that be one biological and two adoptive or some other combination (or all biological), however it may also be coincidence, that three Decapodians picked up Zoidberg, which may also suggest that some children are taken care of, after they return to shore.

Characters

 * Dr. John Zoidberg
 * Edna
 * Harold Zoid
 * Ambassador Mervin
 * Hugh Man
 * Decapodian Emperor

Trivia

 * "Decapod" means "having 10 feet"&mdash;a common trait of crustaceans, though one the Decapodians lack in their mature, bipedal forms.
 * While they are confirmed to die after mating with each other, Yivo was able to mate with them without causing any known deaths. This suggests that they may be able to mate with members of other species without it resulting in their death.

Quotes

 * Dr. Zoidberg: Fry, it's been years since medical school, so remind me. Disembowelling in your species: Fatal or non-fatal?
 * Decapodian Emperor: Once invoked, the sacred tradition of Claw-Plach can not be taken back. It is a recent tradition, only 18 years old, but it is a tradition nonetheless.

Appearances
Note: Not all episodes featuring Zoidberg are listed, only episodes showing other Decapodians, or those revealing new information about the race.