Star Whales, also known as Ghaleens or Space Whales, are a colossal species of spaceborne lifeforms which travel through interstellar space at faster than light speed by unknown means.
Biology[]
Star Whales average about a mile long, although some individuals seem to be much larger. Their skin is covered in solar scales that gather energy from starlight, whereas nutrients are derived from an intricate ecosystem inside their bodies. Their internal ecology is so complex that the Doctor has likened them to "micro-planets", capable of supporting hundreds of Humans living inside the Whale's body for generations.
Star Whales have an internal organ known as the time core, which is made of tachyons, neutrinos and other dark matter particles collected by the Whale. This organ enables them to rejuvenate themselves and live for countless millennia. More importantly, the time core also allows the Whales to escape a threat by creating wormholes and diving beyond the event horizon. An ambergris-like substance protects their internal organs from the harmful radiation produced by the time core particles.
Despite living in vacuum, Star Whales are able to communicate with sound when in an atmosphere, in a frequency too high to be detected by Human senses. In their natural habitat, they communicate by radio waves.
Culture and society[]
A sapient and benevolent species, the Star Whales are featured in legendary stories in which they often guide space travelers, helping them in their journeys through the dangers of space, and providing assistance to ships in distress. Like Earth's whales, they often travel in groups. They have been hunted extensively by Humans and Tuthons.
In the 29th century, the last known member of the species volunteered to propel the country-sized ship that would evacuate the population of the United Kingdom out of the Earth, to escape a threat of intense solar flares.
Appearances[]
- TARDIS CAM No.6 (Webcast) (a pod of them with the TARDIS resting on the back of one) (2002)
- Doctor Who: The Lost Stories, The Song of Megaptera (2010)
- Doctor Who, Series 5 Episode 2, "The Beast Below" (2010)
Gallery[]
