- Snuffleupagus Waders in Shallows -
"Ventrax III is a very old world. Planetological Surveys indicate that the core stopped generating tectonic convection some 50 Million years ago; since then, the continents have been eroded by wind, tides (caused by the large moon), and rain. The basic topography of the planet now is low continents, no hills higher than a few hundred meters, and wide shallow continental shelves. Life thrives in these shallows, but overall, Ventrax III is just not a very exciting place!
The 'dominant life form', if one can call it that, is a tall biped known as the Snuffleupagus Wader (named by the zoologist on the first expedition, who obviously had a sense of humour, and a knowledge of ancient educational 2D broadcasts). The Wader is about 3 meters tall, and large numbers of them wander around the shallows in social groups (herds? flocks?) This creature has taken bipedalism to an extreme, possessing only 2 limbs, long legs like those of wading birds on Earth. Manipulation of its environment is performed with the use of a long prehensile proboscis, analogous to the trunk of a terran elephant. This trunk is tipped with 4 muscular 'fingers' with densely-packed nerve endings, enabling it to feel around in the silty sand for suitable food items.
The Waders are omnivorous, eating almost anything they find in the sand. While their diet consists mainly of plant matter, worms, and molluscs (which they pry open using the heavy claws on their feet), they have also been observed to eat the local fish when they catch them.
The whimsical look of these creatures is completed by two remarkably human-looking eyes, mounted on bony stalks at either side of a substantial braincase.
The Waders have few natural enemies, and are by nature quite curious creatures; but when frightened, they try to hide beneath the water, with only their eyestalks and tips of their trunk showing..."
By the way, the trunk was purely an afterthought - after I had originally modelled the beastie, I realized the poor thing couldn't touch the ground! Adding the trunk brought out the 'Snuffleupagus-like' characteristics of the beastie, and the rest just fell into place. Also - my apologies to Sesame Street fans - I admit I have no idea how to spell 'Snuffleupagus' correctly - this came off an 'unofficial' Sesame Street webpage!
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