Eyeboreal

Eyeboreals are a species of eyeclambers indigenous to the Grasstree forests on the planet Ailosis. Semi-sapient creatures, they are capable of using tools, which are most often used in an attempt to thwart predators from getting to them or their fallen young. Distantly related to the local sapients, the Ailodons, they are, like them, chemosynthetics, filtering precise chemicals out of the atmosphere to keep them alive and active. As such, Eyeboreal lung and stomach functions take place within the same organ. Eyeboreals speak in a shrill, shaky voice, caused by air vibrating back out of their filter mouth.

Eyeboreal nest in the Grasstreetops in clans of up to 20 individuals, and are very family-oriented. Eyeboreals breed relatively quickly, mating and producing young up to 2-3 times a year. Young take about a month to become curious enough to start attempting to swing about the local branches, and it is around this time that they generally will begin to learn, mostly from watching adults and copying what they do. This action is always clumsy at first however, and the young must be careful not to fall; however, every year hundreds if not thousands of individuals will fall to the ground. Despite having deadened nervelimbs the sudden smack into the ground will still shoot intense feelings of excruciating pain through their bodies, and generally makes them incapable of moving for some minutes. This is only made worse by their natural unfamiliarity and unadaptedness with walking on the ground, causing them to be cumbersome and slow thereon. This is a serious problem, especially for the young, as one of the planet's few predators stalk these forest floors - the Tentaclape. They anxiously await for a young Eyeboreal to fall to the ground, and will then quickly pounce on it as a source of food. Adults will try and toss the hard Grasstree fruit at the creature, but often do not succeed to stall it long enough for the youth to return to the canopy.

A number of Eyeboreals were the focus of an early Ailodon genetic manipulation plan put into motion by one of the more bold nations. These Eyeboreals were enlarged dramatically and transformed into mounts to help keep potential predators and foes away by the now-giant creature's intimidating visage; however, it was quickly discovered that they were still incredibly slow on the ground, and since Grasstrees could no longer properly support their frame, they were eventually converted into simple beasts of burden. These eventually fell out of favor for Ailodons themselves being genetically modified for such labor, making these larger Eyeboreals, known as Eyeburdens, increasingly rare. Nowadays, only a few hundred Eyeburdens exist, mostly under the care of extremely rich Ailodons wishing to not use Ailodonian labor, or in the poorer areas of the world where Ailodon genetic conversion is still an unfeasible option.

Sporepedia Description
"Eyeboreals are a species indigenous to Ailosis, where they move about in the Grasstree forests. Unlike many species on the planet, they are naturally capable of quick movement thanks to deadened nervelimbs. They are awkward on land, however."