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I was wondering if they are part of the ork race or if they just follow them around.

They develop from Ork spores to my understanding,

However at one point I think there was some fluff somewhere in an early Tyrannid codex or maybe just a white dwarf which implied that squigs were actually rippers developed with Ork genetic material and then adopted by Orks who recognised them as Orky.

Yyyyyep.

Ork society develops in stages.

Spores form mushrooms, squigs to eat the mushrooms, then eventually snotlings to tend the mushrooms and squigs, then eventually grots to build infrastructure, then Orks to rule.

Squigs themselves are a food source and pet for Orks.

They're all cousins. Orks are an entire ecosystem unto themselves, entirely self sustaining.

Yes they are, but if it hasn't been retconned, then squigs started out as rippers from the nids, some ork freebooterz boarded a hive ship, found the squigs, thought they were orky and took them out into the universe to be integrated into ork culture.

I like to think that they have always been with the orks from the very beginning, since they were made, just seems better that way.

Awwww I love snotlings. They are so cute.

Squigs are technically cannibals then because they eat snotlins :(

willhman wrote:
Yes they are, but if it hasn't been retconned, then squigs started out as rippers from the nids, some ork freebooterz boarded a hive ship, found the squigs, thought they were orky and took them out into the universe to be integrated into ork culture.

I like to think that they have always been with the orks from the very beginning, since they were made, just seems better that way.

Its mentioned several times that squigs form part of the Ork ecosystem and one of the first things to emerge from a a spore. Its not been mentioned since so I feel pretty confident thatt that has been revised.

Pretty much what these guys said. Ork spores are awesome! As are Orks!

They are an offshoot that come from orky spores.

 Melissia wrote:
Yyyyyep.

Ork society develops in stages.

Spores form mushrooms, squigs to eat the mushrooms, then eventually snotlings to tend the mushrooms and squigs, then eventually grots to build infrastructure, then Orks to rule.

Squigs themselves are a food source and pet for Orks.

it is actually the weedy ones who rule ork society. just not in a green might is right type of way. the grots are the brains and the extended body of a mek boss the grots are somewhat smarter/intelligent than the mekboy/boss it is they who create, maintain and develop (with a mek's help of course) each and every aspect of ork technology. (most people disregard the grots true purpose in ork society. in the ork codex there is mention of the gretchin being created as "brain boyz" and orks being created as "muscle")

but Squigs come into existant in two ways:
1. from the spores which every ork carries and drops into the wind every day waking or asleep,
2. from a tyranid hivefleet which didn't consume the world (like they ususally do- ie defenders actually staved off the endless sea of horror). they mutate rapidly i guess (best i can offer) that once an ork and a tyranid spore mix they create a stable "squig" strain/species. it might be that reason alone that the orks become stronger once mixed with tyranid DNA/Ork spore. one thing is for sure that the Squig are both food/pets and basic ork/greenskin species/genus

It isn't uncommon for stranded Tyranid life forms to adapt outside of the Hive Fleet, Catachan Devils are examples of rippers that were stranded and eventually adapted and evolved into a species no longer connected to the Tyranids. Now i'll be going through a lot of fluff limbs but hear me out. In the 40K universe technology, DNA, and cultures are constantly being assimilated. This can be seen in the Biovores who are Tyranids who evolved with Ork Bio Mass. Tau constantly are assimilating other races, the radical inquisitors use captured weapons, chaos turns others to their own ways, and even Dark Eldar experiment on prisoners turning them into living weapons.

Now for the Orks, the orks will do almost anything to turn the enemies resources against themselves, we see this in looted weaponry and machines. We also see that Orks will take slaves.

So the Orks found some stranded Tyranids and thought they were Orky. The tyranids will adapt to almost any ecosystem. Is it possible, nay probable, that the Squig is just a Tyranid off-shoot that evolved to have a symbiotic relationship with Ork Spores?

Personally, I like to think that the squig is the ULTIMATE proof that Orks truly can loot ANYTHING!!!

 Orkimedes1000 wrote:
(most people disregard the grots true purpose in ork society. in the ork codex there is mention of the gretchin being created as "brain boyz" and orks being created as "muscle")

Snotlings are the ones rumored to have been the "brainboyz"-- and even if that was true, it is past tense, and snotlings are NOT grots.

Yes, there are 5 distinct forms the Orkoid species comes in.

Orks, Snotlings, Gretchen, Squigs, and the base Fungus.


These in turn have other distinct subdivisions.

Orks can be regular Boys(who can develop into Nobs and Bosses) or any one of a number of Oddboyz(Wierdboyz, Mek boyz, etc...)

Snotlings and Gretchen only have themselves AFAIK.

Squigs come in many forms too. Attack Squigs, Facebiter Squigs, Oil squigs, Hair squigs, Squiggoths, Holepuncha squigs, Toilet squigs, Eatin squigs, Backscratcher squigs, etc... You name it, dere's a squig fer dat.