Vegans are a sapient, spacefaring species of caterpillar-like creatures from the planet Vega Five.
Biology[]
Vegans have a long fusiform body with multiple legs and a pair of mobile antennae. They are covered in fur with black and yellow stripes. Their eyes are tiny and protected by heavy lids. Being used to the brightness of their homeworld's blue sun, Vegans find it difficult to see in Earth-like daylight, which they consider too dark.
Vegans require the same atmospheric composition as Humans and Pentapods, but are accustomed to a much lower gravity and can only move slowly under an Earth-like gravitational pull. They also require ultraviolet light to live, and can't withstand more than a few hours away from it.
Vegans have a sense of hearing, but produce no sounds whatsoever. Instead, they communicate in an elaborate sign language using their antennae. It is possible for Humans to speak Vegan using their two arms. Pentapods, while they can easily understand the Vegan speech, have difficulty using it due to the fact that their arms can't move sideways to the same degree as they can move up and down. The Vegan method of communication has been noted as significantly slower than the vocal languages of Humans and the complex spine-based sign language of the Pentapods.
Culture and society[]
Humans and Vegans are commercial allies and have a generally good relationship, to the point that many Humans are well versed in the Vegan language and many Vegans can understand English.
Appearances[]
- "Attitude", by Hal Clement (1943)