Pod Devils

The bizarre Pod Devils of Mars are small, very annoying bastards. They hatch from their pods early if the mother plant is disturbed and then go against the intruder like a swarm of bees, using their sarp teeth. Thankfully they are real weak, and a determined adventurer can kill them without much of a problem.

Found whereever their mothplants grow.

Lore
''Here is a creature with no Earthly equivalent. Three times during the Martian year, the mysterious pod devil blooms. Anywhere from five to 30 pods appear on each mature adult. Within each pod, a young devil begins to grow. If left alone, the pods drop to the ground and a fully grown pod devil emerges. If the "mother" plant is disturbed before the "babies" reach full maturity, a variable number of pods burst, releasing immature (and quite vicious) devils. The young are bipedal, frog-like whirlwinds of teeth and claws. They have been reported to attack from a distance by hurling small stones, an indication of relatively high intelligence. If one of the prematurely-released young dies, a new pod devil plant grows on the spot thus assuring the continuation of the species.''

- from "Mysteries of the Red Planet", Martian Dreams