The Chloro-men, also known to Human colonists as "Greenies", are a nearly extinct species which inhabits the misty swamps of Venus.
Biology[]
The Chloro-men are strange creatures which combine traits of both plants and animals. They stand about 5 ft in height (1.524 m) and their bodies are supported by a cartilaginous internal skeleton, with no bones. Instead of legs, they form pseudopods to move around, which is done slowly and infrequently. Their skin is porous, tough and bark-like, but also flexible, and invulnerable to most weapons. About 70% of their blood is composed of a chlorophyll-like compound which gives their bodies a distinctive greenish hue and allows them to perform photosynthesis.
Having neither mouths nor noses, Chloro-men feed on sunlight and absorb CO2 and minerals through their skin, this being all they require to live. Their sense organs consist of eyes and rudimentary ears. They produce humming sounds of varying pitches to communicate. They are physically tough creatures and can work for extended periods without fatiguing themselves, making them ideal targets for illegal slave trade operations. In their natural foggy habitat, they can live for two or three centuries, although exposing them to environments with far more sunlight, such as Earth, speeds up their metabolism and shortens their lifespans radically.
Appearances[]
- "Green Hell", by Arthur K. Barnes (1937)