In many stories, they communicate with a complex array of insectoid clicking and buzzing noises, as well as reptilian roars, growls, and hissing sounds. In fact, there is no evidence in the fiction that Tyranids have language or civilisation, at least not as understood by other species native to the Milky Way. It is noted that these names are given by the scholars of the Imperium, rather than the Tyranids themselves. There are many other Tyranid hive fleets that have been destroyed or are still emerging. The most recent Codex has also introduced a number of smaller hive fleets and splinter fleets, such as Hydra and Gorgon, among a number of others, such as Hive Fleets Jormungandr, Colossus, Tiamet, Ouroboros, Dagon, and Kronos. Games Workshop has introduced three main hive fleets Behemoth and Kraken, which have been both defeated, and Leviathan, which is one of the current threats to the known galaxy. This game features Tyranid genestealers as the enemies. Space Hulk is a spin-off of Warhammer 40,000, which takes place in the corridors of a derelict spaceship. Some hybrids look perfectly human, and therefore a player can integrate Imperial Guard units into a genestealer army, passing them off as human-genestealer hybrids. This genestealer army has human-genestealer hybrids, who to varying degrees resemble humans. Genestealers are a sub-species of the Tyranid race, and while they can be played as part of a Tyranid army, they can also be played as a separate army in their own right. Tyranids have the most powerful counter-measures against enemies with psychic powers: many Tyranid units possess the 'Shadow in the Warp' trait, which makes it harder for nearby enemy psykers to use their powers.

They also have low point values, meaning Tyranid armies in play tend to be large.

Tyranid infantry units tend to be fast, hard-hitting, but frail. In later iterations of Warhammer 40,000-related products (starting with the release of Advanced Space Crusade) the Tyranids were given a complete makeover and became a major race, popularised by a number of successful expansions. Their physical appearance was not especially imposing: they were depicted as six limbed, relatively diminutive creatures (an appearance which would later be assigned to Tyranid Termagants). At that time they were not an emphasised race in the game, instead representing a limited number of occasionally encountered alien antagonists. Tyranids were first described in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, the first edition of the miniature wargame Warhammer 40,000. Giger, with the genestealer sub-race being further inspired by the Alien from the eponymous franchise. The visual design of the Tyranids was inspired by the art of H.

How to play tyranids