Milky Way Bestiary

[Mr Prophet]

Well, the Ancients were biologically human - or, again, vice versa - so it makes sense to call them the same species. Remember, taxonomy is not a record of genetic identity or literal relations, but a descriptor of similarity based on traits.

[The Prophet]

It is? So a bat's has wings like a bird, so it an avianoid?

[Mr Prophet]

It is? So a bat's has wings like a bird, so it an avianoid?

What's important changes; these days the fur would be the initial consideration, making it a mammal, but early taxonomy considered the otter to be a fish, because it lived in water. Modern taxonomy still debates whether anatomical differences outweigh genetic considerations in classifying the genus of gorillas and chimps. Anatomically they are still considered to be Gorilla and Pan respectively, but genetically some suggest they could be considered part of the genus Homo.

Equally, the sparse fossil evidence for human/neanderthal interbreeding has led many to suggest that H. neanderthalensis should be H. s. neanderthalensis, although mitochondrial DNA analysis suggests this is unlikely.

[Mr Prophet]

So anyway...

~Shay (Ashrak'uld)
~Homo sapiens astarte
~Shayara and other worlds in the Ancient Domains and Shay Protectorate(extinct)
~Male 5'10"-6'4", Female 5'6"-6'2
~The Shay are a race of 'lesser' humans who were selectively bred and genetically modified by the Ancients, after they developed a hatred of war, but before they abandoned its pursuit. The Shay were designed to be the Ancients' footsoldiers, warriors to fight for them so that they need not bloody their hands. As a result of their adaptation, the Shay were superior in almost every respect to ordinary humans; stronger, faster, with more acute senses, more accurate recall and more efficient information processing faculties. They possessed a genetic marker quite different to the ATA gene, which allowed them to control some of the Ancients' military technologies. In order to make them better soldiers, however, the Ancients instilled a drive to fight and allowed the Shay's higher emotions to atrophy, resulting in a race who were savage and brutal, capable of incredible loyalty, but with no understanding of love or sacrifice.

After the passing of the Ancients, the Shay developed their own culture. Not well suited to administration or labour, they used prisoners and slaves to do their work. This helot class also adopted the work of governing the Shay Protectorate and after many generations ceased to be slaves and instead formed a civilian society parallel to the Shay military class. The Shay Protectorate at its height rivalled the Goa'uld Empire for power and cruelty. As the Shay became obsessed with seeking for challenge in battle, however, the civilian class created a gentler power which stepped back from conquest and abandoned many of its outer provinces.

The Protectorate finally collapsed when the homeworld of Shayara was decimated by a meteor strike, but the Shay still repelled a massive Goa'uld invasion and launched a counterstrike which left a permanent scar on the Goa'uld genetic heritage. Although the Shay were finally destroyed by the combined attacks of the Goa'uld and the kalshek'tak, memories of the Ashrak'uld - the God Hunters - still haunt and few Goa'uld will dare to set foot on Shayara.

All that now remains of the Shay are a few genetic relicts.

~Dragr (Kalshek'tak)
~Nign sapiens
~Nign and others in the ancient Dragrsrech
~5'10"-6'4"
~The Dragr are another race who once rivalled the Goa'uld in the post-Ancient galaxy. They are humanoid in appearance, slim and angular, with dense flesh and hard, heavy bones. They are superhumanly strong and very swift, especially when moving in straight lines, although they can not turn fast because of the configuration of heavy bone of their joints. They are resistant to blunt trauma, owing again to the thickness of the bones protecting their organs, but are vulnerable to heavy, armour-piercing rounds and high-temperatures.

The Dragr brain is capable of manipulating EM fields, granting them considerable psychic powers. Members of Dragr families are linked together through the maternal line, these bonds being forged in the womb. Each of the Dragr clans is led by a queen; a matriarch whose psychic power dominates her offspring and their progeny.

Despite superficial similarities of appearance, they are largely unrelated to humans and are not in fact mammalian. Female Dragr have no mammary glands; mother and father alike suckle their young on their own blood and this has led to the Dragr becoming the source of a great many vampire legends. Blood-drinking among adult Dragr is rare, but was practiced as a form of infantile fetisism among the old ruling clans of the Dragrsrech; the Holy Empire of the Dragr.

The Dragr once dominated a third of the known galaxy in competition with the Goa'uld and the Shay. Their downfall as a galactic power came with the decline of the Shay. They were over-eager in pursuit of the Shay and - like the Goa'uld - suffered from underestimating their weakened foes. The Goa'uld then allowed the Dragr to suffer the brunt of the final days of the war against the Shay and launched a sneak attack on Nign, effectively destroying the Dragrsrech.

The remnants of the Empire reformed and the Dragr continue to be feared, but they are no longer a power. Some Goa'uld have managed to possess a Dragr host and these are very hard to kill. Many others claim to have done so and cash in on the fear this generates.

[Andrew Joshua Talon]

Well, time to get back to work. Nice job on the post-Ancient Galaxy work, Mr. Prophet!

~Ziggurat creature of P2X-338 (Rabisu)
~Biceras rabisu
~P2X-338
~3-4 feet long
~Further expeditions to P2X-338 after the disasterous Russian missions revealed that the deadly creature the System Lord Marduk had been inhabiting was in fact a native of the planet. And a fairly common one, at that.

The species was named after a Babylonian vampyric spirit called the rabisu, which would lay in wait for travelers to attack them and feast upon their flesh. The real zabisu is not much different. Distantly related to mollusks, such as squids and snails, on Earth, the rabisu is a predator that uses it's high speed, strength, and ferocious fangs and claws to tear apart it's prey and devour them. It often digs itself into the sand, waiting for an unsuspecting creature to pass by before ambushing it. They hunt during the night, or in dark caves or structures littering the area, as they find the desert during the day much too hot. The rabisu are not picky eaters, nor are they exclusively predators-They will eat carrion as easily as they would a careless traveler. And they practice cannabalism during times of excessive drought.

Similarly to many mollusks, the rabisu has the sexual organs of both male and female. The creatures mate in a staggered cycle-Some of them will have their female organs activate during a certain time of the year, while others will have their male organs activate. The creatures mate with the first rabisu they see and smell has the opposite organs "online". Competition can be fierce-"Male" rabisu can tear eachother apart over a "female" as easily as "females" can kill eachother over a "male". The fertilized "females" will burrow deep into desert creches near rock formations to lay their eggs, leaving the carcass of an animal for the offspring to feed upon. However, if the "female" cannot find a suitable place to lay her eggs within a month of fertilization, the infant rabisu will hatch within her body and eat her from the inside out.

Rabisu have been taken from P2X-338 by several Gou'ald, as pets and for entertainment. Cronus would send traitors and fighters alike to face the creatures in battle for his amusement, as would Sokar.

[ray245]

who would want to explain how come on earth, there is so many different types of dragons? Like chinese dragon, european dragon and many others..

[Andrew Joshua Talon]

Well, while this isn't Harry Potter, different cultures (in this context) probably did perceive different species of dragons that would have been more adapted for certain niches in various environments. Long, linear Chinese dragons would be smaller and would also be much harder to see, because they would be as flexible and agile as snakes-useful in environments such as the rocky moutains and grassy steppes of Asia. The European big-bodied dragons wouldn't have to be as flexible or agile in the forests, plains and mountains of France, Poland, Spain or Germany, and would be able to retain more body heat because of their shape and size. And aquatic dragons wouldn't need wings, but would need fins, and so on.

How about I give you an assignment, ray245? Come up with a few profiles for a few of the various dragons inhabiting the universe. They would be an entirely new order of reptile (Draconia), and would fall into a few different families (the Chinese dragons, the aquatics, the big-bellied Eurasian animals), and so on.

[The Prophet]

~Spektrai
~Iratus Superior Effigia
~Size: 5"10' to 6"4'

~Description:

The Herbivoreal Cousin to the Carnivorous Wraith (Iratus Superior Conscio), they survive mostly on the leaves of the Hybernion Tree (Acer Collossus). Due to distinct evolutionary differences between the two spieces, the Spektrai didn't the develop the ability to project "Ghost-like" images, as they had no prey to hunt. They still have a connection that other Spektrai, & a few abnormal Wraith" can communicate with, but it is weaker than their carnivorous cousins.

Their appearance is roughly similar to the Wraith, but with a few differences. There skin is greener, to camouflage themselves against their surrounding food as to avoid predators (Such as Wraith & the Ambedo (Ambedo Ambedo). They also lack canine teeth, with a double row of incisors & molars, to chew the fibrous Hybernion Tree.

They possess a similar social stucture to the Wraith, with a Queen controlling the rest of the nest, consisting of Soldiers, Workers & Scouts, but they lack self-interstellar travel, relying mostly on the Stargates on the planets for transport & migration when the Hybernion Tree supply becomes depleted, migrating to another, suitable planet, to let the Hybernion Tree supply re-grow whilst they Hibernate.

The terrortory of an average colony of Spektrai is ussuallly consists of up to 8 Planets of Hybernion plantations & another 1 or 2 Planets for hybernation whilst the stock becomes low.

The Spektrai feed of the Hybernion plants in much the same way that Wraith feed of Humans (Homo Sapiens Sapiens). The "feeders" on their hands leech onto a Hybernion leaf & they suck the nutrients out of it, carefully avoiding the Main Tree Trunk as to let leaves grow back for another feed, eventually. They maintain a careful symbiotic relationship with the trees, defending them against other parasites & pruning & caring for them, whilst the trees give them nutrients for survival.

A Spektrai would ussually pose no threat to Humans, willing to run away when they are in the vicinity. But they have been known to attack if Humans renture too near a Hybernion Plantation, using Stunners & other makeshift weapons to disable them, then leaving the uncounsious intruder on a Wraith infested planet, giving them a more suitable offering in substitute for themselves.

Presently, Spektrai are being attacked more frequently by their cousin Wraith as an alternative food source than humans. This is mostly due to the awakining of the Hibernating Wraith, finding no human food source, they prey upon Spektrai, this is causing a decrease in their numbers & a decrease in Hybernion trees, as they rely on the Spektrai for survival. Unless something is done to quench the Wraith's appetite, Spektrai & Hybernion trees will soon become extinct...

[Mr Prophet]

The Herbivoreal Cousin to the Carnivorous Wraith (Iratus Superior Conscio), they survive mostly on the leaves of the Hybernion Tree (Acer Collossus). Due to distinct evolutionary differences between the two spieces, the Spektrai didn't the develop the ability to project "Ghost-like" images, as they had no prey to hunt. They still have a connection that other Spektrai, & a few abnormal Wraith" can communicate with, but it is weaker than their carnivorous cousins.

Herbivorous; and why would they be herbivorous at all when the two 'donor' species in their heritage are a predator and an omnivore. While they might well not have inherited the Wraith hunting urge from the iratus bug, neither ancestor suggests a biology that could easily thrive on leaves alone by any method of feeding.

As a side thought, you could say that the Spektrai use their ghost-images as a defence to deter or confuse predators.

[The Prophet]

Well, Yes. But, if they can't "evolve" into herbivors, how can a insect hope to "evolve" into a life sucking humanoid in such a short space of time? The Answer: Lantiens, they might of wanted to make the Wraith more "docile" so they tried to change the Iraus bug into a herbivor, resulting in the Spektai, possibly. Another answer would be that they hadn't enough prey as carnivors, so they adapted & became Herbivors somehow....

Also, thanks for the shadow idea... makes you think, doesn't it?

[Andrew Joshua Talon]

Well, Yes. But, if they can't "evolve" into herbivors, how can a insect hope to "evolve" into a life sucking humanoid in such a short space of time? The Answer: Lantiens, they might of wanted to make the Wraith more "docile" so they tried to change the Iraus bug into a herbivor, resulting in the Spektai, possibly. Another answer would be that they hadn't enough prey as carnivors, so they adapted & became Herbivors somehow....

Also, thanks for the shadow idea... makes you think, doesn't it?

Indeed.

Bloody Lanteans... Why do they always have to make things worse for themselves and hence the rest of us? (sigh) Maybe it's genetic for them to mess around with stuff they really shouldn't. And we got some of that.

[The Prophet]

Yeah, maybe the pre-Ancients who created the Alterans gave them a Suicide Gene, designed to kill themselves off in many, many ways. (Oddly enough, the same gene is found in Lemmings, genetic descendants of the Furlings!). The ASA gene, Ancient Suicide Activation gene, hence why O'Neill & Sheppard are become extremly risky in battle...

[Andrew Joshua Talon]

Yeah, maybe the pre-Ancients who created the Alterans gave them a Suicide Gene, designed to kill themselves off in many, many ways. (Oddly enough, the same gene is found in Lemmings, genetic descendants of the Furlings!). The ASA gene, Ancient Suicide Activation gene, hence why O'Neill & Sheppard are become extremly risky in battle...

Honestly... The Ancients did all this cool stuff, and then died because of some religious idiots back home and bloodsucking goths in their new home. I REALLY hope we're only superficially related to them. I would prefer to be their "successors" in the sense that we do a better job than they did, not that we're their children. It would just be really rather awkward.

So, Mr. Prophet: What are you thoughts on the rabisu?

[Mr Prophet]

So, Mr. Prophet: What are you thoughts on the rabisu?

Interesting, although in normal circumstances for any wild animal to fight to the death over mates is rare. Any injury in the wild means death, so animals avoiding fighting unless they are starving. The exception might be something mass-spawning where life expectancy is very short, but in that case they should be sufficiently common that getting to the Ziggurat unmolested not once but twice seems highly unlikely.

The species could work, but I would think it would have to come from somewhere other than that world. If nothing else, there must have been something special about it for the people to chose that as the devourer of their god; possibly that one was Marduk's pet.

[Prior_of_the_Ori]

~Nereid
~Ocea Nereis
~
~'Water World'
~ Named after the mythical creatures of Greek mythology, the Nereid are actually a microscopic life form that lives on a planet the short lived Russian Stargate program. The planet was completely or almost completely submerged in water or a water-like substance. The Nereid itself live entirely in the waters of the planet where they seem to have near total dominance. The evolution of the species is somewhat hard to track as little research has been made into the race.

The creatures seem to have an amazing control over their surroundings and were able to exert increasing amounts of pressure on a Russian DSV (Deep Sea Vehicle) sent through the stargate and were capable of preventing the occupants from drowning. A more sinister side is the ability to actually take other life forms as a host similar to the Goa'uld however the species seem to have no desire for hosts as its not part of their life cycle. The organism takes full control of a host creature either through the liquid itself or can enter the body in a gaseous state. The host is almost completely single minded ints actions to the will of the Nereid with almost no capability of speech or individual action as seen in the Goa'uld symbiotes.

What attracted Russian scientists to the life form - the idea of a living water organism was not known at the time - was that the liquid had energy generating properties which included the constant heat being created. This 'natural' power source is great enough to maintain a stargate connection to another world indefinately. The creatures were capable of directing this 'energy' transfer and could stop it as they see fit.

The Nereid are difficult to classify either as an animal or not as they have made attempts to communicate and engage in actions similar to a prisoner exchange during the first encounter with the species. From early Russian analysis, it can be concluded that the Nereid life form reproduces through fission splitting into more copies of itself with their form domianted by the liquid medium. The creatures seem uninterested in exploration or conquest.

~Parasite Bug, designated as R25 Species by Scientists
~Insectia Parasitia
~
~BP6-3Q1
~ A terrifying creature whose world has been locked out of the dialing computer after the first encounter. The Parasite Bug is a green chitined flying insect life form present on a planet which possessed technology similar or slightly ahead of Earth back at the time. The creatures demonstrate similar insect body factors namely compound eyes, four membranous wings and six legs. A long tail is present which has a stinger on its end. They also possess a pair of mandibles which they use to aid in nutrition and can cut through exposed flesh easily making them very dangerous indeed.

The reason for the fear of the creature is its life cycle which is completely paraisitically based. The 'Parasite bug' reproduces by injecting a powerful venom into its 'prey'. Once stung, the host slowly becomes delusional and wanting to find a quiet dark corner to hide in. Reasoning is near impossible as the host fights all attempts to care for it. This is because the venom contains a virus that slowly rewrites the hosts DNA. Even the healing power of a Goa'uld symbiote is incapable of preventing this. Once the host finds a dark damp secluded location they become immobile and their body starts secreting a web like material across their body. After several days the body's mass is converted and the form breaks open revealing several new born Parasite Bugs ready to repeat the cycle. THe amount born is directly proportional the mass of the host organism resulting in larger hosts producing more of the species. It is also believed that this parasitical breeding process is capable on their own species as well which means that the life form can infect their own kind to continue their species.

A counter venom has actually been created by Earth however the worry is that once spread the organism can quickly overrun any civilisation, even ones with an antitode as the venom is fast acting and the number of offspring vary with the host produced. Its possible that the ciivlisation on the planet where the creature was found faced a similar situation as the antitode must be constantly readministered to neutralise each new venom sting.

The insects take a more 'lone hunter' approach and are not a communal species though they tend to form in swarms in some periods to overrun prey species. The Parasite bugs themselves are omnivorous allowing them to survive on many types of food sources which would explain that even with their complete dominance of their habitat that they still exist in viable numbers.

It is currently unknown whether the life form is a natural form of evolution or was articially created, to what ends is unknown. The more popular hypothesis is that the creature may have evolved naturally but the explanation of how a human civilisation was devastated then and not earlier is unknown as well. There has been some theory's that suggest that the life form is actually not native to the planet but was brought their accidently.