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[[Image:40k-309-Island.jpg|thumb|right|Capillary towers funnel aquatic biomass to the [[Hive Ships]] in orbit{{Fn|7b}}]]
==Overview==
These plant-like growths are often seen sprouting across the landscape in the wake of a Tyranid invasion, often in the Tyranid's backlines. The nascent towers will eventually grow to monumental heights in the latter stages of a world's consumption,{{Fn|2c}} like gigantic jagged fangs erupting from a world's crust.{{Fn|2a}} Their fleshy, musclular bulk is held upright by durable mineral structures and flesh tethers.{{Fn|6}} The feeding tower's ultimate role is to serve as a connection point for a bioship's feeding tubes that will then gorge on the consolidated biomass.{{Fn|2c}}{{Fn|5}} The feeding tubes are a multi-pronged system of proboscises twisted together that descend from consumption ships that themselves are tethered to larger bio-ships in orbit.{{Fn|5}}
The biomass consolidated at these towers is collected by various Tyranid [[Ripper|feeder beast]]s who, alongside their larger combat bioforms, throw bloated bodies into the [[Reclamation Pool|reclamation pool]]s at the base of a towers, being dissolved in digestive acids alongside their harvest of biomass. The towers can also spawn additional bioforms planetside, bolstering the invasion of a world.{{Fn|2a}}
Spores that can later become capillary towers ===Consumption Process===These plant-like growths are seeded by often seen sprouting across the landscape in the wake of a Tyranid bioforms as they burrowinvasion, such as [[Trygon]]s and [[Mawloc]]often in the Tyranid'sbacklines. The nascent towers absorb any organism or organic matter they are will eventually grow to monumental heights in contact withthe latter stages of a world's consumption, growing quickly {{Fn|2c}} like gigantic jagged fangs erupting from the ground. These towers are often seen in the Tyranid backlines and their biomass reserves are used to birth additional bioforms in a world's assaultcrust.{{Fn|2a}} Their powerful metabolic filtration systems draw in all fleshy, musclular bulk is held upright by durable mineral structures and flesh tethers.{{Fn|6}} The feeding tower's ultimate role is to serve as a connection point for a bioship's feeding tubes that will then gorge on the consolidated biomass,.{{Fn|2c}} causing the thinning air {{Fn|5}} The feeding tubes are a multi-pronged system of a world proboscises twisted together that descend from consumption ships that themselves are tethered to blow directly towards the largest nearby towerlarger bio-ships in orbit.{{Fn|5}}
File:Tyranid Ships Feeding.jpg|Consumption ships tethered to larger bio-ships consume biomass from enormous capillary towers jutting from a world's surface.{{Fn|4}}File:Tyranid-CapillaryTowers1.jpg|Tyranid feeding system; capillary towers and bioship feeding tubes.{{Fn|3}}{{Fn|8}}File:TyranidCapillaryTower-IcarusLascannon.jpg|Bioship feeding tube towers seen on day 4 of the [[Leviathan]] splinter fleets' invasion of [[Kadaku]]. The consumption stage has begun.{{Fn|3}}
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{{TyranidsPortal}}
[[Image:40k-270-command-tower.jpg|thumb|right|Capillary towers funnel biomass to the [[Hive Ships]] in orbit{{Fn|7a}}]]
'''Capillary towers''', also called '''feeding towers'''{{Fn|6}} or '''intestinal towers''', are a key part of a [[Tyranid]] [[Hive Fleet]]'s consumption cycle.{{Fn|5}}
==Overview==
[[Image:Tyranid-CapillaryTowers1.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Tyranid feeding system; capillary towers and bioship feeding tubes.{{Fn|3}}{{Fn|8}}{{Fn|7a}}]]
These stationary bioforms may appear like plant-analogues, but they are just as aggressive as their more mobile bioforms. The towers extend tendrils that will absorb any flora or fauna that lack the ability to quickly exit the capillary tower's vicinity. They simultaneously filter the world's atmosphere, absorbing any microbes, flying fauna, or other organic matter to be gathered.{{Fn|2b}}
Capillary towers can grow to reach the upper atmosphere (and beyond). Where they grow, [[Reclamation Pool]]s then start to appear. The towers are linked to them via underground roots. Later, the towers link up with the sucking proboscis feeding tubes of hive ships in low orbit, which then pump the biomass upwards and distribute it to the waiting [[bioship|biovessels]].{{Fn|1}}
The capillary biomass consolidated at these towers are capable is collected by various Tyranid [[Ripper|feeder beast]]s who, alongside their larger combat bioforms, throw bloated bodies into the [[Reclamation Pool|reclamation pool]]s at the base of growing a towers, being dissolved in the deepest digestive acids alongside their harvest of seasbiomass. The towers can also spawn additional bioforms planetside, able to sustain the pressure of the depths and bolstering the coldest invasion of waters. As they grow the planet's tidal flow is altered by their powerful metabolic filtration systems, used to draw all biomassa world.{{Fn|2c2a}}
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}}
==Disruption=Dispersion===[[Image:40k-309-Island.jpg|thumb|right|Capillary towers funnel aquatic biomass to the [[Hive Ships]] in orbit{{Fn|7b}}]]Spores that can later become capillary towers are seeded by Tyranid bioforms as they burrow, such as [[Trygon]]s and [[Mawloc]]s. The towers absorb any organism or organic matter they are in contact with, growing quickly from the ground. These towers are often seen in the Tyranid backlines and their biomass reserves are used to birth additional bioforms in a world's assault.{{Fn|2a}} Their powerful metabolic filtration systems draw in all biomass,{{Fn|2c}} causing the thinning air of a world to blow directly towards the largest nearby tower.{{Fn|5}} The capillary towers are capable of growing in the deepest of seas, able to sustain the pressure of the depths and the coldest of waters. As they grow the planet's tidal flow is altered by their powerful metabolic filtration systems, used to draw all biomass.{{Fn|2c}}{{clear}}==Vulnerability==[[File:TyranidCapillaryTower-IcarusLascannon.jpg||thumb|right|Bioship feeding tube towers seen on day 4 of the [[Leviathan]] splinter fleets' invasion of [[Kadaku]]. The consumption stage has begun.{{Fn|3}}]]
Enormous Capillary towers and feeding bioships typically marks the latter stages of a Tyranid invasion and death of a world. Large feeding towers and bio-ships deploying their feeding tubes typically marks Stage 3 "Consumption" and Stage 4 "Assimilation" of a Tyranid invasion.{{Fn|2c}}
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HiveShip-CapillaryTower.jpg|Bio-ship feeding from a capillary tower.{{Fn|2c}}
</gallery>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="300px">
