Stranga Sciuro is a flight-capable species with a curious—and sometimes destructive—nature. Opportunistic tree-dwellers, these creatures will make their home in any high-placed hollow they can find, whether a natural tree hole or an artificial vent on the outpost’s outer walls. They feed on nuts and berries. Their natural hoarding tendencies can lead to piles of nuts building up in their nest, which draws the attention of other Stranga Sciuros. Fights over food and mating opportunities are common and usually take place aerially. The bioluminescent markings on their wings and tail help prevent opponents—and predators—from accurately judging their movements. Because they can interfere with automated vent operations, wild Stranga Sciuros are considered low-level pests. Inside the laboratory, their behavior remains lively and adaptable, making them a relatively easy species to handle.

The creatures that dwell in this rather desolate world still display some diversity in appearance, eating habits, and social behavior. Whether they have fur or feathers, skin or scales, their unique genetic makeup allows for a variety of colors and markings within each species. Despite limitations in food sources, herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores are all present in the food chain, and each species requires specialized care within a laboratory. Although the artificial setting of housing units and breeding pods precludes most opportunities to study true interspecific behavior, the interactions within and between species has been studied extensively in the wilderness by scientists daring enough to venture beyond the outpost’s walls.

Creature Notes

• Lisi simply needed that hex nut, but once she squeezed out of a crack in her capsule to get it she saw a creature with a very large beak. She fled with her nut into the ventilation system. A fan smashed her wing, but she escaped to find real freedom.
• Once in the wild, Lisi was overwhelmed by scary sounds and smells. She wanted her capsule back, but with her wing hurt, there wad no way to get home. All she could do was hide in a big thorny bush.
• After the longest two hours of Lisi's life, a human came along. She had never seen this human before, so she was terrified. But the human offered her some tasty crumbles to nibble on, so she decided to trust it.
• The human took Lisi back to a new lab, where Lisi lives to this day, and treated her injured wing. The human suspects Lisi is not truly wild, but since she was never microchipped by her first owner, she looks as if she is a wild-caught sciuro.