Otis
From DALpedia
Otis is the pet poison headcrab of Alex. The latter acquired Otis in a dimension called the The Borderworld. Effectively, Otis is an alien.
Behavior
Otis acts rather strange for a headcrab, as he sometimes shows remarkable intelligence. This is unnatural, considering that the headcrab is one of the lowest forms of fauna on The Borderworld food chain. It is unsure if Otis has a gender, but for the sake of addressing, Alex believes that Otis is a he. Otis is unable to speak English, and so communicates through chirps and squeals. While difficult to understand, Otis couples these chirps with exaggerated body language that helps him get his point across. Despite his friendliness, Otis is not above the natural instincts of a headcrab to dine on small animals, such as rats, squirrels, and even birds. Apparently Otis can swim, not a standard ability of a headcrab, considering their large mouths on the undersides of their bodies, and the lack of any visible gills or breathing passages. Otis does not have eyes, at least none that can be seen. He also lacks odor-detecting organs, as well as ears. However, Otis might hear or see with the large hairs that cover his body. Otis' main method of attack is to leap at his prey and sink his large fangs into the victim, delivering a paralyzing toxin. This poison is so powerful that it can even corrode wrought-iron objects such as padlocks or cell bars. Another natural urge for any headcrab is to couple with the head of the nearest victim. How Otis is able to resist or avoid this urge is unknown, as he shows docile behavior around Alex and his friends. This could perhaps be due to Alex's incapacitated state upon departure from the Borderworld, or perhaps Otis might be an infant headcrab without a parent, and thus became attached to Alex by the process of "imprinting."