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The Kanamit (singular: Kanama) are a sapient, spacefaring species of porcine humanoids.
Biology[]
Kanamit are short, stout, hairy creatures, with an appearance that combines humanoid and porcine traits. Their bodies are covered in thick, bristly brown-grey hair. They have three-fingered hands, snout-like noses, flat ears and small eyes. They are either omnivorous or carnivorous.
Kanama physiology is surprisingly similar to Human physiology in terms of how they react to stress, including an increase in heart rate and perspiration, and a variation in the intensity of brain waves. For this reason, it has been demonstrated that a Kanama subjected to a lie detector will react in the same way as a Human, making it possible to detect whether the Kanama is being honest or dishonest.
Culture and society[]
Kanamit travel through space making contact with non-spacefaring civilizations and offering them technological gifts. Their attitude is seemingly friendly, and they have displayed a sense of humor. Their attire consists of green leather harness and shorts. Their written language is based on complex ideographs which can be extremely hard even for a trained linguist to translate.
When they landed on Earth in the 20th century, their gifts to humanity included a new power source, a technique to increase the fertility of any arable lands, and a device that suppresses all kinds of explosives. They asked for nothing in return for these gifts, and claimed that they merely wished Humans to enjoy the same peace and plenty as themselves, by helping them to overcome war, famine and suffering, as they did on several other planets.
Once the Kanamit gain the trust of the natives and help to bring peace and prosperity to their world, they start to organize ten-year exchange groups to their own planet. Unbeknownst to the natives, the Kanamit actually use the people in these exchange groups as a food source. The existence of cookbooks such as How to Serve Man suggest that the Kanamit regard Humans as a delicacy.
Appearances[]
- "To Serve Man", by Damon Knight (1950)
- The Best of Damon Knight (1976)
- Galaxy: Thirty Years of Innovative Science Fiction (1980)
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- In the Twilight Zone episode adapted from this story, the Kanamit are portrayed as a different species, more human-like in appearance, although their modus operandi remains the same.