Ball Dogs

Ball dogs designed with ArtBreeder

Ball Dogs ( Originally BallDogz TM from BioPetz,inc, though most are imitation products ), are a genetically engineered subspecies of canine designed as pets, similar to lap dogs. The main difference from natural dogs is that ball dogs have only vestigial legs, that only serve to keep them from rolling over. This “feature” made it more convenient for owners to manage these pathetic beings, making them suitable only for life as a sheltered pet.

Most brand name ball dogs come with a “base” that maintains their biological functions. Typically the ball dog’s owner will place the ball dog in the base overnight for “charging”, and remove them during the day when they often are carried around, or set in a secure place like a purse when not being held.

The Planetary League placed Ball Dogs on the official list of “cruel organisms” shortly after their introduction in GSC 255. This designation made them illegal to poses or create inside the League.

Squidbeast

Description

The Squidbeast is a large predatory animal native to New Promise. Terrifying the settlers, and preying off of smaller native animals, the largest populations of these creatures are found on the arid steppes, roughly in the triangle between Franklin City, Annan City, and Alexandria.

The Orgaff

The Orgaff (from the vorgon words 'Orr' - mighty, and 'Gaff'- beast) is a large animal native to New Albuquerque.  Often used as a pack animal, the Orgaff's enormous body and stout legs store an abundance of water and nutrients for long desert treks.  Their habits are diurnal and herbivorous, grazing on whatever vegetation presents itself.

Before the catastrophe that turned New Albuquerque's climate into a desert, Orgaffs were migratory, returning to the same regions each year for mating season.  As the planet dried and Orgaff populations dwindled, they became asexual, reproducing through parthenogenesis.  Wild Orgaffs are solitary creatures, though they can be fairly social when in captivity.

The high hump on the Orgaff's back is topped with a secondary pair of eyes that constantly scan the horizon for trouble while the creature's main brain is concentrated on finding edible plants.

An average adult Orgaff stands about 3 meters tall (2.5 at the shoulder), weighing around 2300 kg. Rare specimens have been found to exceed 4 meters, some weighing as much as 7000 kg.

Orgaffs give off a pungent odor when wet, and to say someone “Smells like a wet Orgaff.” is a not uncommon insult on certain planets, particularly in and around the Vorgon Empire.

Clockbeast

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The Clockbeast is a genetically engineered species, used to tell time in the Empire of 1,000,000 Suns. The Clockbeast is normally entirely sedentary, though it can walk on occasion, if needed.

Its nervous system is engineered to move it’s bodily tentacles at specific rates in order to maintain accurate timekeeping. The dial on the beast’s upper-left represents a short unit of time roughly corresponding to seconds. The dial on the beast’s upper-right represents a medium-length unit of time, similar to minutes. The dial on the lower part of the beast’s body/thighs represents a longer unit of time, similar to an hour. Also, the three large plumes on it’s head provide a binary representation of the eight periods of the Gronnic Cycle. The numerals on the clockbeast’s dials are actually patches of differing coloration in its short, velvet-like fur.

Clockbeasts are entirely incapable of caring for their own needs, and have to be tended to by keepers. The keepers feed the beast through a secondary mouth on the side of the beast’s right leg, and carry away it’s waste (which is shed in fleshy sacs that accumulate on the side of its left leg. Keepers can also train the clockbeast to sound an alarm at a prearranged time. The beast does this by letting out a loud bellow through its primary mouth.

At birth, a clockbeast is the size of a kitten, and often starts life as a table-clock (after training is complete). They grow slowly, but never stop growing, and can live for a very long time.

In the workplace, imperial subjects will often pet or talk affectionately to their office clockbeast in an attempt to get it to speed up. This mainly happens close to lunch time or the end of the workday. If the clockbeast is well trained, this has little or no effect on its timekeeping, which is handled through unconscious reflexive processes.

Bravaxian Grunkle-fly

The Bravaxian Grunkle-fly is a species native to Bravaxia (home-world of the Bravaxians).  Grunkle-flies are diurnal omnivores with three sexes (like Bravaxians, and most other animal species from Bravaxia).  Grunkle-flies are semi-buoyant in Bravaxia's thick atmosphere, and their main mode of locomotion is to fly on four paddle-shaped wings.  They have six eyes, and breathe through a series of small openings that run down the length of their bodies on both sides.  

Life Cycle

Grunkle-flies hatch from eggs laid by a female, and fertilized by both a left-male and right-male.  They mature over a period of about five weeks, and are about the size of a watermellon when fully grown.  They typically live as adults and reproduce for three Bravaxian years, occasionally living an additional year in old age.

Hunted for Food

Before the arrival of the Convergence on Bravaxia, the Bravaxians hunted Grunkle-flies for their diaphanous flesh, which has the odor and flavor of rotting fish.  Greys in the Convergence prize Grunkle-fly meat for this flavor (which Humans find repellent).  Along with Grabage-fruit, it was one of Bravaxia's major exports during the Convergence occupation.  Grunkle-fly meat is edible by Humans, though few actually enjoy it.  Bravaxians also use the sharp teeth of the Grunkle-fly as spearheads.

Juffalope

Named for its discoverer, Dr. Argos Juffle, the Juffalope is a grazing, herd-living animal native to Fitzgerald's world. 

Unique Traits

The fact that its home-world has no significant land predators has allowed the Juffalope to evolve several traits that would not survive in other environments:

-Its white skin is spotted in pastel hues, making it immediately visible in the landscape. 

-The Juffalope's three long, feather-like tails would be easy for a predator to grab. 

-Also, it's painfully slow gait is due to joints ill-adapted to running.

-The Juffalope's long, slender neck terminates in a comically small head.  The Juffalope has no ears, making it completely deaf.  The Juffalope's brain is quite small, which has the side-effect of making it remarkably easy to tame.  The small mouth and slender neck of the Juffalope make grazing an almost constant activity (except during mating season), as it has a hard time swallowing enough food to power its body.

Life-cycle

Juffalopes gestate for a short three months.  Mothers typically give birth to a litter of three or four offspring at a time.  The young juffalope is quite small, only weighing about ten pounds, but begins walking and grazing almost immediately after birth.

Juffalopes grow to maturity quickly, being able to reproduce after only two local years.  Adults can grow quite large, and specimens weighing over 2000kg are not unknown.

The average lifespan of a Juffalope is around 120 Earth-years, the most common cause of death being old age, although occasionally a disease or food shortage will devastate a population, felling entire herds.

Economics

Juffalopes found some market value as pets during Era-1.  During Era-2, with its scarcity-based economy, Juffalopes also became livestock.  Juffalope meat has an exceptionally mild flavor (often attributed to the low stress lifestyle of the Juffalope).  Juffalope hide also became somewhat popular in clothing during Era-2 for its unusual coloration.