Sporlaks are large, amphibious animals, native to Albion 4. Their build resembles that of a sauropod dinosaur. Sporlaks have a variety of adaptations for their native habitat, beaches and shallow seas. Their large, webbed feet are broad enough to keep them from sinking into the sand, and their gills allow them to breathe under water indefinitely. Their backs support a row of spiny projections, possibly vestigial remnants from a time when sporlaks were fully aquatic.
Diurnal in habit, sporlaks are omnivorous, mostly eating seaweed, but also opportunistically dining on fish and land animals alike. Sporlaks dig nests on the beach where they lay their eggs. Soon after hatching, the juveniles make their way to the sea.
Subspecies
Dwarf Sporlaks evolved after the crew of Zoe Bonnard's ship brought sporlak eggs they had collected as biological specimens when they crash landed on Bonnard's End. That planet's biosphere was relatively simple, and could not support full-sized sporlaks, so evolutionary pressure shrunk them considerably.