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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
They are able to move with surprising speed for something of their size, being superbly adapted to move across a large variety of terrain. Once capturing a victim, the Devil will shred it with razor claws or, alternatively, will sting into insensibility with the array of stinging cells at the end of each of the short tentacles, located around its maw. The mouth itself is extendable, and its lateral mandibles filled not with teeth but bony hooks, lining around it and tearing apart the meat of prey. The victim will then be consumed.{{Fn|3}}{{Fn|5}}
Catachan Devils are territorial, yet quite sociable creatures, tending to form into nesting groups. These groups often contain several large Devils, as well as a few dozen or so of ''''Devilspawn'''' (younger Devils) who, whilst physically weaker, can burrow underground to ambush their victims. Devils and Devilspawn are able to blend into foliage silently and swiftly, all but invisible to the naked eye. The entire nest will come together to defend their territory from any intruders, be it rival Devils, colonists, or other predators, and they have even been known to attack [[Imperial Guard]] Tank [[Imperial Guard Company|Companies]].{{Fn|2}}{{Fn|5}}{{Fn|7}}
Catachan is prized by the Imperium for the excellent training that its denizens provide to the units of the Imperial Guard formed there. Local Guardsmen consider it a rite of passage to slay a Devil.{{Fn|6}} The Imperium has sought to further utilise the sheer killing power of the Devils. Though the Imperium has been unsuccessful in training or taming them, Devils have been introduced to Imperial worlds in order to dissuade invaders. This proliferation has inevitably led to escapes, and there have been rumoured sightings of Devil nests on [[Hive World]]s and colonies all over the Imperium. Such is the infamous lethality of this creature, that the Catachans have named both their most [[Catachan Knives#Devil's Claw|fearsome knives]] and [[Tempestus Scions#Catachan Devil Squads|deadliest soldiers]] after it.{{Fn|4}}{{Fn|5}}
**{{Endn|1a}}: pg. 17
**{{Endn|1b}}: pg. 24
*{{Endn|2}}: [[White Dwarf 292 (UK)]], pg. 103 - ''Chapter Approved: Creature Feature'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20070525083602/http://uk.games-workshop.com:80/warhammer40000/creature-feature/3/ Web Version] ''(saved archive page without images, dated 20 May 2007, last accessed 03 February 2026)''
*{{Endn|3}}: [[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader]], pg. 25
*{{Endn|4}}: [[Codex: Astra Militarum (8th Edition)]], pg. 59 - ''Gunnery Sergeant Harker''
*{{Endn|5}}: [[White Dwarf 314 (UK)]], pg. 104
*{{Endn|6}}: [[Liber Xenologis]], pgs. 58-59
*{{Endn|7}}: [https://web.archive.org/web/20070525083602/http://uk.games-workshop.com:80/warhammer40000/creature-feature/3/ Games Workshop: Creature Feature] ''(saved archive page without images, dated 20 May 2007, last accessed 03 February 2026)''
[[Category:Catachan]]
