Read Pertinax vita :: XV-12

Our cruise now stops at the exo planet of XV-12. According to many scientists, life should not be possible on such planets however the story which awaits us on XV-12 says otherwise. Due to the relatively low gravity of XV-12, it's dense atmosphere, rocky surface and frequently strong air currents, an unlikely survivor has made this planet it's home. Meet the Cloud Surfers, a bizzare species of long necked flying creatures who spend their lives catching smaller insect like creatures called Whisps. Cloud Surfers have a bizzare biology and are a living testemony showing that life can really call anywhere home.

The Cloud Surfers biology is just as bizarre as the world they inhabit. Resembeling a mixture between the giraffe's and dolphin's of earth, with long necks and a light bluish-grey skin which features unique markings to identify the role which that partifcular Cloud Surfer plays in their colony. There are two large fins on the middle of the body which act as wings in a way to guide the Cloud Surfer through the air. The body of a Cloud surfer is a large rounded bulk which contains the largest organ of the Cloud Surfer, it's lungs. The Cloud surfer had three lungs, one which holds helium, another which holds oxygen and a third for gas disposal. The helium lung acts as a sort of internal balloon which helps to keep the Cloud Surfer in the air for longer periods of time and less effort. The second lung helps keep the blood oxygenated and the Cloud Surfer consious. The final lung is meant to store carbon dioxide and other waste gases for disposal with a set of blow holes located just underneath the wings. There are in fact three blow holes on a Cloud Surfer, the first acting as an intake valve for the first two lungs and the pair acting as a two one way outlet valves. As the intake valve takes in air, the outlet valves on the side of the body let out stored gases in the third lung in order to create lift and to propell the Cloud Surfer forwards. This biological characteristic has allowed cloud surfers to domiante their skys.

Cloud surfers have three eyes, two on the side of their head to maximize their field of view and one in the rear-center of their head which acts as a light level sensor. Cloud Surfers are colour blind, and need to rely on this third eye to sense the time of day. This adaptation paired with their understanding of the movement patterns of their main food source, Whisps (See section below for more information), makes them expert hunters. Cloud Surfers have very small ears, due to the high density of their atmosphere and the high speeds at which they travel having large ears is not necessary. The high density of their atmosphere means that sound is much louder than in lower density atmosphere's.

The food source of Cloud Surfers is two fold. In order to gain their needed water they will fly over clouds, containing high amounts of water, before dipping their mouths into the upper layers to "scoop" up cloud water. This is often done when warm air currents are made available. As for food and nutrition, the three stomachs of a Cloud Surfer are another testamant to the amazing biological engineering of nature. The first two stomachs are for regurgitation in times of scarcity and digestion when food is eaten. The third stomach is used for waste processing. The main food of Cloud Surfers is the small insect-like Whisp. These small creatures often inhabit the middle levels of the atmosphere, where Cloud Surfers often congregate. Whisps in turn feed on the algae which grows on rocky outcrops and cliff faces.

An interesting note to make about Cloud Surfers is their lack of sentience. Unlike humans, and Cosmo-dogs, Cloud Surfers are insentient. They do however possess some level of intelligence and understanding as they have been shown to use tools to open up Whisp nests. They have been found sleeping in caves for shelter at night. Cloud Surfers have shown a deep understanding of predicting the wind and how to use it best. Truely these are amazing creatures who show that even in the least likely of places, life can begin.