Post by Vasemmasti on Nov 13, 2011 15:21:25 GMT -5
Species Name: Polar Squid, Missile Squid, Makhrothum
Species Type: Resembles a cephalopod, unspecified
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 230 years
Age of Maturation: 6 years
Average Height: 1m (deflated, not counting tentacles), 3m (inflated, not counting tentacles)
Average Weight: 50kg
Notable biological features: The Polar Squid is a strange creature indeed. It breathes both water and air, and is capable of producing immense pressures within its body, which it releases to cross large distances in giant leaps, often using its own body as a missile against prey and aggressors. It has 8 meter-and-a-half long tentacles protruding from the base of its body around a central hole which it uses to release pressure. Its oily black skin can even withstand the heat of a geyser, and the creature is carnivorous. They tend to punctuate periods of slumber with short periods of activity before returning to sleep.
Number of limbs and Type: 8 tentacles
Research Notes: Found exclusively Hkarro Draka, people are advised to avoid these creatures. They are fiercely territorial. Due to their stealthiness, they are usually not spotted until it is too late, and thus known lairs are simply left alone most of the time. They usually eat whatever fish they can find, but they will not turn down land-based prey. They are generally considered the most dangerous creature on the planet, as a blow from one is generally enough to outright kill even a Kozwelk Dwarf. They are also very resilient themselves, and very difficult to hit with weapons, as they usually move too fast to be targeted. Capturing one is very difficult, and thus, little is known about them.
Species Name: Cauldron Rat, Horkat
Species Type: Rodent
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 4 years
Age of Maturation: 6 weeks
Average Height: 30 cm (+ 15cm tail)
Average Weight: 700 g
Notable biological features: The creature resembles the rat found in many planets, though it is red like the soil, and has remarkable resistance to heat. It is also slightly larger. They are omnivorous and will eat almost anything. They are also good swimmers.
Number of limbs and Type: 4 legs and a tail.
Research Notes: Their name in basic comes from an urban legend. It is claimed that the first explorers on kozwelk had touched down in a jungle, and were attempting to boil unspecified food in a cauldron, only to find a reddish-furred rat swimming around in the boiling water. This story is generally regarded as stupid, as cauldron rats frighten very easily.
They are known as pests, as they will rampage through farms to eat the crops, or dig into dwellings to eat the contents of the cupboards. Since they also reproduce very quickly, people generally kill them on sight with impunity.
Species Name: Clampfish, Johruharu
Species Type: Fish
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 7 years
Age of Maturation: 8 weeks
Average Height: 47 cm
Average Weight: 1.5 kg
Notable biological features: The clampfish is a species found mostly in the waters around the Thatagon peninsula. It is a very flat fish, named for its extreme jaw strength. It is colored a bronzeish grey, and its fins are fairly small. They eat smaller fish.
Number of limbs and Type: It's a fish. None.
Research Notes: Found in the waters of the Thatagon Peninsula, the clampfish is a valued catch, known as a delicacy throughout the planet, and sometimes outside it. They are unable in thrive in freshwater, but resistance to heat has been noted in them, like in all creatures on Kozwelk.
Species Name: Tree Panther, Ochadeer
Species Type: Feline
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 17 years
Age of Maturation: 2 years
Average Height: 1,2 meters
Average Weight: 48kg
Notable biological features: Found in both Rakith and Shezerinne, this reddish brown feline tends to live in trees. Its tail is fully prehensile and unusually thick, being about half a meter long. It has long claws that allow it to climb and hunt prey, and it eats primarily birds and primates. The creature is a very fast mover, and can leap from branch to branch with either its tail or legs with great strength and speed. It is a common predator in the jungles of Kozwelk.
Number of limbs and Type: 4 Legs and a tail.
Research Notes: While a predator, the creature is noted to have a healthy sense of self preservation, and the Ochadeer targets small creatures almost exclusively. They tend to be fairly solitary. They are hard to spot as they blend well into both the trees and the ground, but they are known to be rather common. As they have the same short bursts of activity that Kozwelk Dwarves do, they were never domesticated.
Species Name: Kozwelk Hippo, Khaothurid
Species Type: Equine
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 57 years
Age of Maturation: 4 years
Average Height: About 4,2 meters long, 1,4 meters at the shoulder.
Average Weight: 1200kg
Notable biological features: While many variants of this species exist throughout Kozwelk, they all have the same basic qualities. They all have a long horn in their heads for use against the few predators that may attack them, and they are all herbivores. They have slow metabolisms, and unlike many other creatures, effective thermoregulation. They are typically colored a yellowish brown, though variants exist. In general, they heavily resemble hippos.
Number of limbs and Type: 4 legs
Research Notes: The Kozwelk Hippo is a creature that lives in packs, but is actually fairly docile. They have often been domesticated for heavy labor, and Var Khugene civilization practically built itself on the backs of these beasts. Their resilience means that they are still sometimes used as beasts of burden, even though droids have usurped many of the things they were previously used for.
Species Name: Tankfish, Kronoharu
Species Type: Fish
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 89 years
Age of Maturation: 10 years
Average Height: 17 meters
Average Weight: 60 tons
Notable biological features: The single largest living creature on Kozwelk, the tankfish is surprisingly widespread. It is rather hydrodynamically challenged, as it is rather wide, tall and long. It mainly subsists off plankton, and lives mostly in the deep sea. The creature is colored a dirty grey, and is simply far too big to have natural predators.
Number of limbs and Type: Two fins.
Research Notes: While mostly left alone, the tankfish is occasionally fished for, though such is a difficult endeavor since they usually live a few kilometers deep underwater. In general, they have many external similarities to whales, but they are actual fish.
Species Name: Kozwelk Ape, Korjyru
Species Type: Primate
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 27
Age of Maturation: 4
Average Height: 80cm
Average Weight: 12kg
Notable biological features: A furred monkey-like creature, the creature is noted for possessing a face much similar to those of rodians, though red and furred. The creature has a long tail (40 cm), and it mostly lives in trees, subsisting primarily on the fruit of a plant known as orangeweed (which itself is a very widespread plant). The tree panther is the kozwelk ape's primary predator.
Number of limbs and Type: 4 hand-like limbs. Prehensile tail.
Research Notes: Found in jungles throughout Kozwelk, the creature is generally regarded as harmless. It is simply one of the many creatures swinging through the trees, though one of the most commonplace by far. They are sometimes used for medical experiments, and like all creatures on Kozwelk, they are resistant to heat.
Species Name: Balloon bird, Firebird, Karokohra
Species Type: Avian
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 34 years
Age of Maturation: 2 years
Average Height: 40 cm
Average Weight: 1.4 kg
Notable biological features: The balloon bird is a white bird with sienna red patches on its feather coat. Its head is shaped like a ball with a beak, but that is not where it gets its name. The bird stores fat externally on its back under a partially attached flap of very thin tissue, which it can prop up like a balloon. Two small segments of bone protruding from its back can then be made to strike spark with a muscle spasm, literally igniting the fat. With a few wingbeats, the bird can then soar to the sky. It usually eats bugs. They are known to be even more resistant to heat than most creatures on Kozwelk.
Number of limbs and Type: 2 wings.
Research Notes: Care is advised with the balloon bird, and they are responsible for quite a few forest fires. Tree panthers occasionally prey on balloon birds, but only when they are not flying, as their fat burns at high temperatures, and most creatures are afraid of the balloon bird due to their natural aversion to fire. This keeps the creature clear of most predators. Some like to keep these creatures as pets, but utmost care is required, for the presence of one is a definite fire hazard.
Species Name: Clawsnake, Thogukahr
Species Type: Reptile
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age:
Age of Maturation:
Average Height: 120cm Long
Average Weight: 20kg
Notable biological features: The clawsnake is a reddish grey snake that, oddly enough, has arms. These arms have long claws that it uses mainly for digging. The snake is highly venomous and tends to stay in place in hiding until a suitable prey species comes near. At that point, it will launch itself at the target and bite, killing the creature quickly.
Number of limbs and Type: 2 clawed arms.
Research Notes: The clawsnake is found in the jungles of Kozwelk, is a big reason why the jungles are dangerous. The snake seems to have trouble distinguishing one species from another, and as such, may even bite bipedal creatures. Their venom requires immediate medical treatement, and will incapacitate a grown human of Kozwelk dwarf within an hour, and kill within the next two days.
Species Type: Resembles a cephalopod, unspecified
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 230 years
Age of Maturation: 6 years
Average Height: 1m (deflated, not counting tentacles), 3m (inflated, not counting tentacles)
Average Weight: 50kg
Notable biological features: The Polar Squid is a strange creature indeed. It breathes both water and air, and is capable of producing immense pressures within its body, which it releases to cross large distances in giant leaps, often using its own body as a missile against prey and aggressors. It has 8 meter-and-a-half long tentacles protruding from the base of its body around a central hole which it uses to release pressure. Its oily black skin can even withstand the heat of a geyser, and the creature is carnivorous. They tend to punctuate periods of slumber with short periods of activity before returning to sleep.
Number of limbs and Type: 8 tentacles
Research Notes: Found exclusively Hkarro Draka, people are advised to avoid these creatures. They are fiercely territorial. Due to their stealthiness, they are usually not spotted until it is too late, and thus known lairs are simply left alone most of the time. They usually eat whatever fish they can find, but they will not turn down land-based prey. They are generally considered the most dangerous creature on the planet, as a blow from one is generally enough to outright kill even a Kozwelk Dwarf. They are also very resilient themselves, and very difficult to hit with weapons, as they usually move too fast to be targeted. Capturing one is very difficult, and thus, little is known about them.
Species Name: Cauldron Rat, Horkat
Species Type: Rodent
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 4 years
Age of Maturation: 6 weeks
Average Height: 30 cm (+ 15cm tail)
Average Weight: 700 g
Notable biological features: The creature resembles the rat found in many planets, though it is red like the soil, and has remarkable resistance to heat. It is also slightly larger. They are omnivorous and will eat almost anything. They are also good swimmers.
Number of limbs and Type: 4 legs and a tail.
Research Notes: Their name in basic comes from an urban legend. It is claimed that the first explorers on kozwelk had touched down in a jungle, and were attempting to boil unspecified food in a cauldron, only to find a reddish-furred rat swimming around in the boiling water. This story is generally regarded as stupid, as cauldron rats frighten very easily.
They are known as pests, as they will rampage through farms to eat the crops, or dig into dwellings to eat the contents of the cupboards. Since they also reproduce very quickly, people generally kill them on sight with impunity.
Species Name: Clampfish, Johruharu
Species Type: Fish
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 7 years
Age of Maturation: 8 weeks
Average Height: 47 cm
Average Weight: 1.5 kg
Notable biological features: The clampfish is a species found mostly in the waters around the Thatagon peninsula. It is a very flat fish, named for its extreme jaw strength. It is colored a bronzeish grey, and its fins are fairly small. They eat smaller fish.
Number of limbs and Type: It's a fish. None.
Research Notes: Found in the waters of the Thatagon Peninsula, the clampfish is a valued catch, known as a delicacy throughout the planet, and sometimes outside it. They are unable in thrive in freshwater, but resistance to heat has been noted in them, like in all creatures on Kozwelk.
Species Name: Tree Panther, Ochadeer
Species Type: Feline
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 17 years
Age of Maturation: 2 years
Average Height: 1,2 meters
Average Weight: 48kg
Notable biological features: Found in both Rakith and Shezerinne, this reddish brown feline tends to live in trees. Its tail is fully prehensile and unusually thick, being about half a meter long. It has long claws that allow it to climb and hunt prey, and it eats primarily birds and primates. The creature is a very fast mover, and can leap from branch to branch with either its tail or legs with great strength and speed. It is a common predator in the jungles of Kozwelk.
Number of limbs and Type: 4 Legs and a tail.
Research Notes: While a predator, the creature is noted to have a healthy sense of self preservation, and the Ochadeer targets small creatures almost exclusively. They tend to be fairly solitary. They are hard to spot as they blend well into both the trees and the ground, but they are known to be rather common. As they have the same short bursts of activity that Kozwelk Dwarves do, they were never domesticated.
Species Name: Kozwelk Hippo, Khaothurid
Species Type: Equine
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 57 years
Age of Maturation: 4 years
Average Height: About 4,2 meters long, 1,4 meters at the shoulder.
Average Weight: 1200kg
Notable biological features: While many variants of this species exist throughout Kozwelk, they all have the same basic qualities. They all have a long horn in their heads for use against the few predators that may attack them, and they are all herbivores. They have slow metabolisms, and unlike many other creatures, effective thermoregulation. They are typically colored a yellowish brown, though variants exist. In general, they heavily resemble hippos.
Number of limbs and Type: 4 legs
Research Notes: The Kozwelk Hippo is a creature that lives in packs, but is actually fairly docile. They have often been domesticated for heavy labor, and Var Khugene civilization practically built itself on the backs of these beasts. Their resilience means that they are still sometimes used as beasts of burden, even though droids have usurped many of the things they were previously used for.
Species Name: Tankfish, Kronoharu
Species Type: Fish
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 89 years
Age of Maturation: 10 years
Average Height: 17 meters
Average Weight: 60 tons
Notable biological features: The single largest living creature on Kozwelk, the tankfish is surprisingly widespread. It is rather hydrodynamically challenged, as it is rather wide, tall and long. It mainly subsists off plankton, and lives mostly in the deep sea. The creature is colored a dirty grey, and is simply far too big to have natural predators.
Number of limbs and Type: Two fins.
Research Notes: While mostly left alone, the tankfish is occasionally fished for, though such is a difficult endeavor since they usually live a few kilometers deep underwater. In general, they have many external similarities to whales, but they are actual fish.
Species Name: Kozwelk Ape, Korjyru
Species Type: Primate
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 27
Age of Maturation: 4
Average Height: 80cm
Average Weight: 12kg
Notable biological features: A furred monkey-like creature, the creature is noted for possessing a face much similar to those of rodians, though red and furred. The creature has a long tail (40 cm), and it mostly lives in trees, subsisting primarily on the fruit of a plant known as orangeweed (which itself is a very widespread plant). The tree panther is the kozwelk ape's primary predator.
Number of limbs and Type: 4 hand-like limbs. Prehensile tail.
Research Notes: Found in jungles throughout Kozwelk, the creature is generally regarded as harmless. It is simply one of the many creatures swinging through the trees, though one of the most commonplace by far. They are sometimes used for medical experiments, and like all creatures on Kozwelk, they are resistant to heat.
Species Name: Balloon bird, Firebird, Karokohra
Species Type: Avian
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age: 34 years
Age of Maturation: 2 years
Average Height: 40 cm
Average Weight: 1.4 kg
Notable biological features: The balloon bird is a white bird with sienna red patches on its feather coat. Its head is shaped like a ball with a beak, but that is not where it gets its name. The bird stores fat externally on its back under a partially attached flap of very thin tissue, which it can prop up like a balloon. Two small segments of bone protruding from its back can then be made to strike spark with a muscle spasm, literally igniting the fat. With a few wingbeats, the bird can then soar to the sky. It usually eats bugs. They are known to be even more resistant to heat than most creatures on Kozwelk.
Number of limbs and Type: 2 wings.
Research Notes: Care is advised with the balloon bird, and they are responsible for quite a few forest fires. Tree panthers occasionally prey on balloon birds, but only when they are not flying, as their fat burns at high temperatures, and most creatures are afraid of the balloon bird due to their natural aversion to fire. This keeps the creature clear of most predators. Some like to keep these creatures as pets, but utmost care is required, for the presence of one is a definite fire hazard.
Species Name: Clawsnake, Thogukahr
Species Type: Reptile
Planet of Origin: Kozwelk
Average Maximum age:
Age of Maturation:
Average Height: 120cm Long
Average Weight: 20kg
Notable biological features: The clawsnake is a reddish grey snake that, oddly enough, has arms. These arms have long claws that it uses mainly for digging. The snake is highly venomous and tends to stay in place in hiding until a suitable prey species comes near. At that point, it will launch itself at the target and bite, killing the creature quickly.
Number of limbs and Type: 2 clawed arms.
Research Notes: The clawsnake is found in the jungles of Kozwelk, is a big reason why the jungles are dangerous. The snake seems to have trouble distinguishing one species from another, and as such, may even bite bipedal creatures. Their venom requires immediate medical treatement, and will incapacitate a grown human of Kozwelk dwarf within an hour, and kill within the next two days.