When is a "dolphin" not a Dolphin

On Thu, 1 May 2003 10:17:08 +1000  Beth.Fulton@csiro.au writes:
>G'day,
>
<snip>
>> And the amount of dolphin-ness is till hazy for this native 
>> life form. This is very much an exploratory item in my mind right 
>now, 
>> very open to mutation.
>
>What characteristics were you after in particular I may be able to dig
>something up that requires less mutations and still gets you where you 
>want.
>
>Cheers
>
>Beth
>

Okay, this  wa-a-a-a-y down the line but eventually I want to field the
aliens (Nektons and Klackons) into the setting I have with the
PHR/NPC/LLP/etc.for additional options.  I thought it might be nice to
add to the human submersibles and the two alien groups above a 'native'
group.	

Since the Nektons are amphibian-ish (the above ground stuff right now is
very clandestine and on parts of the planets not visited often, if at
all
so far.)  There are some above ground (intermittently) habitation areas
in isolated islets.

Klackons are Crustacean like creatures the size of horses and tend to
spend more time in the water and shallows than the Nektons (who in
uncontested space would like along the seashore but since their presence
in the planets is still relatively small and clandestine they spend (to
a
Nekton) an unnaturally large amount of time in the water.  The klackons
are more attuned to spend time in shallows (well, shallow to them)
waters
with frequent forays unto land.

The idea for the 'dolphin-like' natives would be more 'open sea' and/or
deeper water oriented than the Nektons or the Klackons (much less the
humans, hence the lack of knowledge of the natives to the colonizing
humans.)  "Dolphin" was a first cut at what these creatures are like. 
The big difference is that the 'dolphins' can (although very seldom do)
spend time on land for short periods.  Usually they spend time in
environments like swamps, marshes, or areas of goodly amounts of
moisture
(Like the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state here in the USA) when
they do go ashore.  And usually it's for a very specific and necessary
reason (TBD.)  Only a few of the very young and most adventurous spend
more than part of a day on land (due to extreme conditions - well,
extreme for them - and a history of having some of such adventurous
sub-adults dying on such excursions.)

So, by "Dolphin" I mean a marine mammal superficially like certain
aspects of terran Dolphins.  But I am progressing slowly because 1) I
still have to get the Nektons and Klackons introduced in the setting and
2) Well, I'm a Regional Analyst and not a marine biologist...

Suggest away, Beth.

Gracias,
Glenn

________________________________________________________________
The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!
Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!