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At both the cellular and macro-biological levels, Venerian life is
identical to life throughout the rest of the Solar System. There
are literally tens of millions of species inhabiting the rich biosphere
of Venus. Analogs to terrestrial arthropods, fish, amphibians and
reptiles have all been found. However, to date no native analogs
of birds or mammals have been discovered, though transplanted species
from Mars, Earth, Mercury and even the Moon, have been found to thrive
on the second planet from the Sun.
Many writers have
likened conditions on Venus to Earth's Jurassic or even Cretaceous
periods. The abundance of plant life, the resulting high oxygen
content of the atmosphere (~30 percent), and the subsequent presence of
extremely large insect analogs would also point to a Carboniferous
equivalent. Other than insect-like creatures, the
dominant life form on Venus are the dinosaurs. Unlike terrestrial
dinosaurs, which were most likely warm-blooded, the Venerian equivalent
is most assuredly cold-blooded. Indeed, no warm-blooded animals
appear to have evolved on Venus. This is probably because of the
consistently high temperatures at all latitudes. At
least one intelligent species has evolved on the planet: the ubiquitous
lizard-men. Until the coming of terrestrial settlers these beings
lived in primitive tribal societies all across Venus. Rumors
persist of ancient ruins of advanced lizard-man civilizations deep in
the forbidding jungles of Venus, but to date none of these rumors has
proved fruitful. Tellurian Transplants:
A number of plant and animal species from Earth have made their way
to Venus. In addition to a few tropical fruits such as
plantains and breadfruit, rice is raised by the colonists as a
staple grain. A few domesticated animals have also been
imported, including water buffalo, horses, mules, and even a handful
of Indian elephants. One of the most ubiquitous terrestrial
animals on Venus, however, wasn't imported purposefully. The
Tellurian rat arrived with the first expedition to the second
planet, and has been thriving ever since. |
