Ussal

The Ussal are herbivorous crab-like Rahi that are extremely common and extremely useful to Matoran.

History
On Metru Nui, Ussal Crabs were used by the Le-Matoran in Le-Metru who worked as Ussal riders, where they hauled transport carts around the city and competed in racing tournaments. Tame Ussals were kept in pens scattered across Le-Metru and were put to work chiefly when a bulky or delicate item deemed unfit for Chute travel needed to be transported. Ussal carts were also used on occasion to carry passengers, although the transportation of bulky cargo was their main application and Ussal drivers were often too busy to pick up other Matoran who flagged them down.

Later, on the island of Mata Nui, they were found all over the island, but were primarily used by the Onu-Matoran. Some worked in digging tunnels like the Le-Koro Highway; others worked in the great Ussalry, led by Onepu. In addition, some were still used in sports, such as the Great Ussal Race and Kolhii. On this island, some Ussal were kept in stables. Not many of the Ussals on Mata Nui were infected by Teridax during his time there.

Mutated Ussal
An excessively large version of an Ussal crab was found in the Metru Nui Archives by Toa Metru Whenua and Nuju. It attacked them viciously, but they quickly determined that it had an aversion to loud noises. Whenua activated his Earthshock Drills to drive it into submission and he defeated it long enough for the two Toa to force it back into its chamber and lock it up.

Its status is unknown post-Great Cataclysm, during which the Archives were shattered.

Rock Ussal
Rock Ussals are extremely well adapted Ussal crabs that are scattered around Voya Nui and came originally from the Southern Continent. They can be found in the Desert of Sorrows, and are considerably more aggressive than the average Ussal. The Rock Ussals on Voya Nui may have not survived the island's decent to the Southern Continent.

Abilities and Traits
Ussals are very common and they come in a wide variety of colors, including purple and black, blue and yellow, or orange and dark gray. They have an unpleasant odor that makes their dwellings easy to identify from a distance. While they are easily tamed, some wild Ussals will attack Matoran if provoked. Ussals are also amphibious - while they are usually found on land, they can live underwater too.

Ussals are some of few biomechanical Rahi that grow as they age. Ussals generally start out very small (several inches long) and then grow to a ridable size. They age for a while after this and then develop fairly rapidly into a larger stage and may or may not change color.

Set Information
Parts and instructions to build an orange Ussal were included with the BIONICLE Master Builder Set released in 2002. Pressing levers on either side of its back caused it to pinch anything lying between its two claws. The larger Ussal Pewku was released in the larger boxed set "Takua and Pewku" in 2003. This Ussal featured a crawling feature when one rolled it across the floor on its non-canon wheels.

Appearances

 * BIONICLE Adventures 1: Mystery of Metru Nui
 * BIONICLE Adventures 2: Trial by Fire
 * Lunchable Comic 1
 * Comic 17: Disks of Danger
 * BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui
 * BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows
 * Comic 1: The Coming of the Toa
 * BIONICLE: Mask of Light
 * BIONICLE: Mask of Light (Book)
 * BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui (Minor Appearance)
 * Federation of Fear (Mentioned Only)
 * Dark Mirror (In an Alternate Universe)
 * BIONICLE: Metru Nui - City of Legends (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts
 * BIONICLE Encyclopedia
 * BIONICLE Encyclopedia: Updated
 * BIONICLE: Quest for the Toa
 * Mata Nui Online Game
 * BIONICLE: Quest for the Masks (Mentioned Only)
 * Bohrok-Kal Online Animations
 * Voya Nui Online Game (Non-canonical Appearance)