Ladino
Ladinos are non-sapient pests that have infested the Verplaatsen spaceship and made their home there.
Appearance
Size
Ladinos can be from one metre to a metre and a half long, and are normally about half of that high. They weigh about fifty kilograms.
Head
The head of a Ladino is its strangest feature. It has no eyes or nose, and instead the entire head is the mouth, which appears to be a circular, toothed hole. Some long, tentacle-like projections extend from around the mouth, and these are used for picking up objects, as well as feeling its surroundings. There are also small, sensitive pads on the tentacles that can taste the air, and build up a mental picture of the area. This is how Ladinos find their way around without sight.
Body, Limbs and Tail
The body of a Ladino is long and streamlined, and is normally coloured roughly the same colour as its surroundings. Some tall spines protrude from the back of the Ladino, but these serve no apparent purpose.
The Ladino has three pairs of limbs. All three are used for standing on. The first pair are right behind the head, and the second and third pairs are next to each other, just in front of the tail. The front feet end in four, clawed toes, and the back feet end in two. The purpose of this is unknown.
The tail of a Ladino is about as long as the body. There are a few small spines near the base, but for most of the tail, there are none.
Diet
Ladinos are scavengers, feeding of the Verplaatsen’s leftovers. They are not fussy over what they eat or the quality of it, and on the spaceship, this has given them the same niche rats and foxes occupy on earth.
Behaviour
Ladinos hide from Verplaatsen in the forests, or in places within the city that they would not expect to be found. When there are no Verplaatsen about, they will scamper over to a dustbin or some leftovers, to something and scurry back into hiding, where they will eat it. Squabbles over food are not uncommon, and the noise often gives them away to the Verplaatsen.
Mating between Ladinos is simple. After the mating, the male will leave to find another female. About a month later, the female will lay a clutch of ten to twenty eggs in a secluded area. The eggs are then abandoned.
When they hatch, it is a race to find other Ladinos for support before they are caught by the Verplaatsen. Those that survive and find company are reared to adulthood, before being abandoned again.
Habitat
Ladinos live on the planet-sized ship built by the Verplaatsen, where they are regarded as pests.
