Yorgh (Y-oh-r-g)
Basic Information
Anatomy
Yorghs are amphibious creatures that resemble translucent green slugs with bulbous orange eyes. All of their internal organs as well as their blood are the same translucent green, allowed observers to see straight through the squishy animals. In stark contrast with their almost cute appearance, Yorghs are one of the most toxic creatures in the known universe. Their slimy bodies are coated with a neurotoxin that almost instantly blocks nerve endings in contacted tissue, spreading only a little less rapidly to nearby areas. This is excruciatingly painful as the nerves are perminently burnt out, cutting off all feeling and control of the area after the toxin has run its course in a matter of seconds. This mechanism very effectively prevents them from being eaten by predators as anything that puts one of this creatures in their mouthes will likely be dead before they can either realize their mistake or bite down and swallow, the neutotoxin quickly infiltrating their brain and burning out neurons. Yorghs move around fairly slowly on land, repeatedly growing and shrinking the front and back parts of their body to propel them forward. In water, these creatures are incredibly boyant and float on or very near the surface, using the same method of locomotion just far quicker, speeding across the surface like a tiny translucent blob of a motorboat at speed of up to 1 foot per second.
Genetics and Reproduction
These creatures reproduce by mitosis like a large single-called organism, growing an extra pair of eyes before splitting into two independent being over the course of a day. Interestingly and more common however, Yorghs also reproduce more traditionally through eggs, releasing fertilizer into bodies of water and physically beginning to produce eggs of other fertilizer that is not their own comes into contact with their bodies. The eggs grow inside the creature for several weeks before spewing out of the Yorgh into the water as tiny copies of the parent.
Ecology and Habitats
As they only reproduce when in water, Yorghs always live very close to some body of water, usually ponds and lakes but some even live on the oceans of Segeb Atar. They usually sleep on water, their buoyancy keeping them afloat as they peacefully drift across the surface.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Small bugs and algae are most common foods for Yorghs, the creatures skimming across the surface of a green pond with its mouth open, carving a trail through the algae, or otherwise hunting bugs in or around their mini ecosystem. They often leave their habitats to hunt bugs, swallowing them and allowing their toxins to immobilize the creatures as they are slowly dissolved within before returning to their watery homes.
Additional Information
Domestication
In an at first white controversial move, scientists have been able to genetically engineer Yorghs that are devoid of any dangerous chemicals or toxins. This was initially intended to be a way of reducing the dangerous wild population by breeding the neurotoxin out of them, but attempts were unsuccessful. These genetically engineered Yorghs do tend to make surprisingly great pets however, so long as they are kept away from small children who are liable to eat the yummy looking critters.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
The neurotoxin these creatures produce spread around a foot in every direction from its original contact point with flesh, burning out all nerve endings in its wake. This has led to the animals being harvested and farmed for this toxin in the past for brutal use in warfare, torture, and other such dark things, but this practice has since been banned and ratified into official galactic law as per an addition to the Alphega Accords.
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