Tarsican polar worm

A Tarsican polar worm utilizing its eight legs walking.

The largest indigenous species on Tarsica, the Polar Worm is an insect-like creature the size of a horse that exists in large numbers across the lunar surface. They are grazing creatures and prowl the wastes eating the sparse grass and smaller insects. Some scientists have suggested domesticating the worms as beasts of burden, though this has yet to be done. They are not aggressive and interactions have proven them to be a docile species.

The worms begin their life cycle underground in caves, where they remain around 0.5m in size and have bat-like wings to fly around and catch insects (their primary diet). When they reach ten years of age they emerge from the caves and shed their skin, whereupon they begin growing exponentially to their full size. Their wings shrink and become vestigial as the worms shift from flying to grazing for food. Worms live an average of fifty years, although some have been reported to live even longer.