Tyranid

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In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, Tyranids are a swarm of aliens in many sizes and shapes.

Tyranids form a superorganism: they travel the universe on their Hive Fleets, destroying all ecologies in their path. They are psychically linked via their Hive mind, a collective consciousness that links all Tyranid organisms to one another. This gives them great abilities to strategize and coordinate.

Tyranids were first described in Rogue Trader (Priestley, 1992), the first edition of Warhammer 40,000, with their basic form not too different from today. At that time they were not an emphasised race in the 40K universe (see External Links). In later editions, they became a playable race in their own right.

1 Tyranids in Warhammer 40,000
2 Hive Mind
3 Tyranid Species & Biology
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

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Tyranids in Warhammer 40,000

In Warhammer 40,000, the Tyranids the first recorded encounter with Tyranids came in the Eastern Fringe in reports from the planet "Tyran". Eventually, an Inquisitor took note of a pattern in desolate planets and predicted Tyran was next, but too late. The mass of invaders were dubbed "Hive Fleet Behemoth". The Tyranid force reached Macragge, where they were completely destroyed, but at great costs to the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines, at the Battle of Macragge, losing their entire First Company.

Word for help and need of planets under invasion were blocked out by the "Shadow of the Warp", a great shadow over the Warp where astropaths would normally send messages.

The second wave of Tyranids against the Imperium was Hive Fleet Kraken which, instead of throwing one mass of troops against the Imperium, split into countless smaller fleets, each small fleet enveloping whole systems before reinforcements could arrive. The brunt of this new attack was borne by the Space Marine chapters Scythes of the Emperor, Lamenters and the Eldar craftworld Iyanden; all were almost completely destroyed.

Hive Fleet Leviathan appeared from "below" the Galaxy (in a 3D sense, on the Z-axis) and attacked from two points, cutting off large portions of the galaxy from reinforcements.

Tyranid Invasion Ahead of the main mass of Tyranids are Genstealers that infest and inhabit planets good for feeding the fleet. They are strongly linked to the Hive Mind and are considered some of the most independent creatures of the Tyranid make-up, luring their fleet to the planet for consumption.

When Tyranids attack a planet, they do so with a full force of the Hive Fleet. This composes of some near thousand Hive Ships (bioships travelling across the galaxy) that empty all forces onto an unsuspecting planet. The skies darken and the ground is covered with Tyranids. When the planet is completely covered and all resistance defeated, all the planet's contents are absorbed by the Hive Ships, gathering DNA and "recycling" its original forces and materials.

Currently the Imperium has bought itself time by redirecting the attacks of Hive Fleet Leviathan towards the Ork held worlds of the Octavius system thanks to the vailant efforts of Inquisitor Kryptman. Unfortunately it appears the Tyranids are slowly destroying their way through Ork space, assimilating everything that stands before them. The Imperium has bought itself decades at least; but with newly-harvested Ork DNA, the Tyranids could well evolve into an even more dangerous opponent.

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Hive Mind

The Tyranid race make up a superorganism called the Hive Mind. This is the sole influence and will of the Tyranids. It keeps the more low and unevolved Tyranid creatures in check through synapse creatures. Without the influence of the Hive Mind, they become mere animals with instictive motives. It keeps creatures fearless, linked, and drives them to the planets for consumption.

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Tyranid Species & Biology

Tyranids appear in a multitude of genera, and all have an extremely rapid rate of evolution, adapting to threats in direct response to their presence. Tyranid matter is constantly reabsorbed into biomass reclamation pools to create new species and adapt existing ones to suit the immediate purpose.

Tyranid Biology

The Tyranids are all of a basic genetic stock. The tyranids all have six limbs, external skeletal features apart from an internal skull, five carapace plates on their head and a series of ventricles on their heads and at the base of their tails (Spurrier, 2006). All Tyranids seem to be based on one basic form. Tyranids contain certain base organs and a few highly specialised organs, but not all of the base organs, as well as the basic psychic link with the hive mind. Some "pure" Tyranids include the synapse creatures such as:

Hive Tyrants
Tyranid Warriors (of smaller stature)

The larger creatures of Tyranids that are not synapse creatures with strong links to the Hive Mind include:

Lictors (infiltrating stalkers)
Carnifexes (Tyranid bio-dreadnaughts)
Ravener (fast-moving, snake-like)

Gaunt genus include the smaller make-up of a Tyranid invasion force making up of specific traits with the same body type:

Hormagaunts (leaping, claws)
gaunts (running, gun)name determend by the weppon melded to it. (like termagant armed ith fleshborer)
Gargoyles (flying, gun)
Ripper Swarms (possible immature Gaunt species)

The bigger differences in Tyranid species are shown in the genes of races attacked by the Tyranids that make up various parts of a Tyranid invasion force. Examples are:

Genestealers with human DNA (holding many human characteristics)
Biovores with possible Ork DNA (spore mines included in the chain)
Zoanthropes with possible Eldar DNA (phychic abilities)

Old One Eye and Red Terror

These were Tyranid notable creatures in the Third Edition of Warhammer 40,000, similar to that of "special characters" of other armies.

Old One Eye was a monstrous Carnifex mutation with gigantic pincers and missing an eye found on Macragge centuries after Hive Fleet Behemoth was destroyed. Not only did Old One Eye, presumed dead, tear apart the ship transporting its body, but later the system it must have come to be in was raided persistently by Tyranids, suggesting it called the forces to it. Its ability to rapidly regenerate suggests that it was a genetic experiment of the Hive Mind.

The Red Terror was a hellish, terrifying mutation of the ravener genus sighted on the mining world of Devlan. It was also nightmarishly fast, armed with huge scythes, and usually leaves no trace of its victims as it can swallow them whole. It is primarily subterannean in nature and can burrow straight through the densest of materials due to a powerful acid it secretes in liberal amounts. It is possible that there are more (like all of the Tyranid notable characters) but any engagements there may have been in did not yield any survivors.

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