Xenos

Animals of Vertumna are often referred to as xenofauna or simply "xenos", especially by those whose job it is to hunt them. They tend to be larger than animals on Earth, and many of them seem to be part fungus and may spend part or all of their lifecycle rooted in one place like plants. There is a bestiary in expeditions which fills up as you encounter them. A few may be adopted as pets.

Common Name	Scientific Name	Description
Airsquid	Xenolevis cephalopoda	Large, cumbersome creatures with rough grey flesh filled with helium sacs. Float above the tree line, catching unsuspecting prey with long, dragging tentacles.
Balneal	Xenosynth Balneal	Gargantuan, agile filter feeders that are also capable of photosynthesis due to the shaggy, grass-like fur on their dorsal sides. Often home to colonies of birds, who wait for the balneal to spout water from its blowhole and snap up the small aquatic animals caught inside.
Bounceweasel	Xenorodentia saltus	Aggressive and territorial communal hunters. Capable of falling from great heights and 'bouncing' their bodies at the bottom. A distinctive high-pitched hunting call is used to startle and disorient their prey.
Bristleslug	Xenosynth gastropoda	Slow, dim-witted, and calm except during mating season; their spikes and berries are completely edible, as well as their meat.
Bushbub	Xenosynth arborescens	Part animal, part vegetable, part mineral. Intelligent and largely peaceful caretakers, they clear paths in the forest by collecting detritus and other interesting things for their 'shrines.'
Dillypillar	Xenosaurus polyped	Docile, caterpillar-like creatures that rapidly increase in length. Fully mature dillypillars can grow to be hundreds of meters long.
Dorbsmoth	Xenomoth amicus	Dog-sized docile pests with large blue-furred wings and catfish-like whiskers. Capable of squeezing through small spaces.
Eyebeast	Xenocanid ocula	Dog-like creatures with rippling oily-black skin and multiple ocular growths all over their bodies.
Faceless	Xenosynth horrificus	Chimaeric horrors. Their massive bodies terminate not in a head, but in a maw of teeth and tentacles. Incredibly tough and aggressive.
Floatcow	Xenolevis bovidae	These cumbersome-looking creatures are actually lighter than air due to large helium sacs on dorsal and ventral sides. Careful balancing of helium and urine allows them to control their elevation. They produce a salty, high-protein milky substance for feeding their young that is also nutritious for humans.
Common Hopeye	Xenofelis Monopodus	A communal rodent-like creature with two disparate sets of eyes and one strong foot used for both locomotion and defense. Though harmless, these small warriors can be fierce in groups.
Liar Flower	Xenosynth mendacia	A cunning hunter camouflaged as a giant sweet-smelling flower with five large petals.
Manticore	Xenofelis Tyrannus	Highly intelligent and predatory. Their plumage changes according to the season. Their body is composed almost entirely of dangerous weapons. Do not approach.
Muckwalker	Xenoichthys ambluae	Fish-like creatures that live in mud. Observable on land among the trees in Wet, when many parts of the forest flood.
Squeedger	Xenohiveal Nestmother	Mature female squeedgers who've undergone metamorphosis into an immobile 'hive' for the next generation. Secretes a sweet 'honey' from their deep tunnel-like pores to feed their larvae
Snapbladder	Xenohiveal Tumescus	Gelatinous, spined creatures that hunt by laying in wait and ambushing their prey. Beware their nests of young, who are not at all helpless as they try to appear. Highly poisonous.
Common Sugarbug	Xenohiveal Saccharum	Small, gelatinous orb-like creatures found in large colonies. Excrete a sweet edible syrup when provoked.
Sunbasker	Xenosynth Helianthus!	Majestic ungulate with a shovel-shaped underbite and a skull-shaped head. Prefers to bask in herds, as the name implies. Named by the player.
Trippet	Xenosynth tripetiole	More vegetable than plant, but capable of a small amount of mobility and consciousness. Whistles through its pores to communicate with others.
Unisaur	Xenosaurus Unicorn	Usually docile carnivorous reptilians, extremely dangerous when hungry. Feeds every two weeks, using its inner pharyngeal mouth to pull in its prey like an eel.
Vriki	Xenaraneae Amicus	Only mobile in its juvenile form, the vriki is a curious and largely harmless creature with symbiotic fungal growths. At some point in its life cycle, the vriki plants itself and begins a slow metamorphosis into a nursery tree, giving birth to hundreds of thousands of seed-like young.

Mentioned Xenos, questionable lifeforms, or otherwise creatures without a solidified place in the beastiary

Spectaraptor

(Toy Xenofauna)

"They called it a spectaraptor," - "it looks like it's wearing glasses on top of its five eyes. They said that's because its lenses are outside of its eyeballs."