In early 2021, shimmering quarries became the first officially documented species falling under what was deemed Tabulis; a new class of cryptobiotic organisms whose form is sectioned off into equidistantly aligned, usually shifting, slabs. Consistent with our observations of other life at this level these shifting plates will typically resemble a specific shape or form when viewed as a whole, even if just loosely. The exact purpose of this continual movement is still unclear in most cases, but is likely related to the collection of ambient energy considering how wasteful it would be otherwise.

The Shimmering Quarry is made up of twenty such segments which, despite their perpetual adjustment, collectively adhere to the form of a dodecahedron with impressive accuracy. One peculiarity observable in this species is the thickness of these segments, noticeably waxing and waning at a pace that almost resembles breathing.