Changes

Once the Hive Fleet's feeding has concluded, the fleshy parts of the towers will be stripped from them, leaving behind the mineral structure that had held them aloft. This structure is durable and can keep portions of the feeding towers upright even without their musculature and flesh tethers. It is evident that reabsorption of the mineral structures is problematic enough for hive fleets to leave them behind on multiple consumed worlds, leaving behind only the lacy remains of feeding towers.{{Fn|6}}

The death of a world is marked by enormous Capillary towers and feeding bioships typically marks the latter stages of a Tyranid invasion. The sight of large feeding towers and bio-ships deploying their feeding tubes is typically seen in Stage 3 "Consumption" and Stage 4 "Assimilation" of a Tyranid invasion.{{Fn|2c}}