A much shorter subspecies, the Pygmy Strider, stands about 8 meters tall. It shares much of its biology with its much taller relatives.

Some notable features not previously mentioned are its lack of biolight stalks (2 as opposed to the usual 5 on most lifeforms). This is because they don't rely on sight as much as other species since it is hard for them to see in the constant storms. Instead they have evolved to walk slowly and carefully, communicating with sound rather than light. Their enlarged vocal holes on their butt plate is where their signature howl comes from. They communicate back and forth with each other by howling louder than the wind (death may occur if one howls next to you due to the volume of the sound). Basically their howls sound like 6 trilling brass instruments, rising and falling.