Rantan

Rantans are a sapient non-spacefaring aquatic species of ragworm-like creatures from the planet Ranta, in orbit of an F5 sun.

Biology
Rantans physically resemble the nereid polychaetes of Earth's seas. They are vermiform invertebrates, 4 meters long and about 33 cm in diameter, with thirty-four pairs of limbs and more than two eyes. Their bodies are colored in orange and salmon patterns. Their breathing organs are located at the base of their limbs. They are omnivorous and are strict saltwater dwellers, unable to tolerate freshwater. Their reproduction is oviparous. They are active during the day and sleep at night.

Rantan limbs are best equipped to help them move through the springy tangled vegetation of the tidal zones. These limbs have been described as being half-tentacles, half-flippers, and terminate in two pairs of opposable digits. Rantans are not particularly fast swimmers: the same body density that gives them great physical strength also makes them heavy. On dry land they move with much difficulty.

Humans and Rantans are not physically capable of speaking each others' languages, although they can hear them and learn to understand them.

Culture and society
Rantans evolved in the tidal jungles of their homeworld's seas. As an aquatic species, they never developed fire or metalworking, but instead learned to mold life forms to suit their needs, ranging from new food sources to bioluminescent plants to a living "cement" that provides extraordinarily strong adherence and allows them to glue stones and wood together and construct buildings easily. However, just like the development of chemical-based technology can lead to industrial pollution, the Rantans' biotechnology ruined much of their original environments due to discarded life forms upsetting the ecological balance, to the point that they were forced to leave the tidal jungles and build their roofless cities on land, kept flooded by dams and aqueducts.

Rantans practice marriage and are monogamous. They consider it extremely poor manners to contradict someone in any situation. Although they are well aware of the movements of the sun and moon, due to their effect on tides, their astronomy is still poorly developed given that their eyesight is not well suited for seeing out of water and it's hard for them to see the stars at all.

Appearances

 * "Stuck with It", by Hal Clement (1976)