Guys you've got this all wrong, sorry y'all. However lets analyze and add up the different features that have been given to us.
1) The expadition in the Herald that was lost, was lost inside the Melders, these melders kill with a virus or "spores", what produces spores? Plants.
2) The next observation is that the HOC has no obvious mouth but it also has tendrils or alternatively (ROOTS)
3) The HOC is in a rainforest, that is populated by Trees, which have Roots. Which suck up food, this leads me on to my most prominant point.
4) Theres no food tiles around the HOC and that is also spreading, what do roots do? Suck up food and once there is no more food, the roots must expand and grow out to find more food (More tendrils than before originally found)
In conclusion and review, the HOC is a living tree or plant, using the spores to kill predators and threats (US) rapid expansion which means it has an ever growing thurst or hunger for food. With no mouth it must mean these tendrils are roots and are used to suck up the food which then need to expand and grow to keep up with " the hearts" hunger.
Edited by (EOM) Harry - 15 Jun 2011 at 20:23