Budong

Budongs are gigantic space-dwelling predatory creatures; a full-grown Leviathan is smaller than one of a Budong's fangs. These creatures eat rock and ice, but also have an extreme sensitivity to electromagnetism; ships are like "electromagnetic candy" to a Budong, making these creatures the "sea monsters" of outer space.

No known substance can survive Budong ingestion; their innards are extremely acidic, and their eight stomachs are infernos that burn at "nine thousand klances" to help offset the chill of space. It has been stated that anything that a Budong eats is ultimately reduced to "liquid ore".

Live specimens of the species are extremely rare - however, when dead, their bones can be mined, which are quite valuable. Mining camps similar to those of the Yukon Gold Rush on Earth often spring up on Budong corpses, and Peacekeepers use some Budong mining operations as internment camps as the remains are nonetheless incredibly dangerous; the remnants of the creatures' digestives system are a constant hazard that have been known to decimate mining operations.