Appendix G: Experiment 1 Planet Cyrus Website

This is the full text of the planet Cyrus website. However, as noted in the manuscript, the website was not structured this way.

Instructions

Figure A 11. Example of the web browser with the instructions for the web browsing task in Experiment 1

Homepage:

In 1993 NASA scientists began communicating with the intelligent life forms on the planet Cyrus. The Cyrans are a friendly race of beings and have agreed to participate in a scientist exchange program so that we may each learn about life on the others’ planet. Unfortunately, there is a 10-year lag between communications due to the distance the signal must travel.

The second communication from Cyrus was just received. This 2003 communication with the Cyrans provides more detailed information than was sent to us in 1993. In addition, this information gives us and update us on the current state of these animals (population, migrations, etc.)

The biology group at NASA has put concerted effort into learning more about the wildlife on the planet. This computer system was designed to present information collected about some of planet Cyrus’ representative life forms. The information presented here has been divided into three main categories: Extinct, Endangered, and Populous wildlife.

1.         Extinct Wildlife

Cyrans classify a species of animals as extinct if they cannot locate a single specimen. Please select a class of animals from above.

1.1.      Herding Animals

Many of the herding animals on Cyrus resemble closely the herds of goats, sheep, deer, and bovine on Earth. However, grazing behavior is not the most characteristic trait of this group of species on Cyrus. Rather, all Cyrus herding animals are marsupials. That is, the females give birth to very young embryos which continue their development in their mothers’ permanent pouch. The pouch is equipped with milk ducts that nourish the embryo until they have reached maturity. Once a young individual leaves the pouch, it is completely independent of the mother. It is capable of eating adult food and manages quite well on its own. For some species, in fact, it is not unusual for a young individual to leave its herd and join a new one soon after birth. It is generally a year or two, however, before the individual is capable of producing its own offspring.

1.1.1.   Desert Rabbuck

The desert rabbuck is about the size of an Earth sheep. It has developed several characteristic features which allow it to cope with the hot, dry environment in which it lives. It’s ears are filled with many blood vessels. Their long, broad shape provides a large amount of surface area so that heat may escape from the animal’s body. The small hump spanning from the base of the desert rabbuck’s neck down through it’s front limbs appears to be long striations of muscle. However, these are actually sacs of body fat which are used to store much needed moisture in the desert rabbuck’s arid climate. These sacs are important to the desert rabbuck even during the rainy season, for it is during that time when the rabbucks mate. Because they do not stop their week-long mating ritual to eat or drink, the rabbuck survive solely on their stored moisture and nutrients during that time.

1.1.2.   Helmet Horn

The helmet horn is a small variety of herding animal found on grassy, mountain slopes. They prefer to remain higher up on the mountains where there are fewer predators. But when the grasses grow thin at the higher elevations, they descend into the more dangerous, lower elevations in search of food. The animal is named for its most striking feature. The females’ pointed, pyramidal horns are used for defense against predators, while the males’ horns are more like flat, bony plates. The male normally stands on watch for signs of danger. When it sees an intruder, the male signals by erecting its long flag-like tail and the herd makes for the shelter of a nearby crag or cave. Should the herd find itself cornered or pursued by a predator; the dominant female will charge and attempt to run the animal through with her pointed horn.

1.2.      Birds

The variety of bird species on Cyrus is as diverse as that on Earth. An interesting difference between the Earth and Cyrus species, however, stems from a basic difference in the planets’ atmospheres. The air on Cyrus is slightly lighter than that on Earth. The result of this slight variance in composition is that Cyrus’ aviaries are able to fly even though their bone structure tends to be somewhat heavier than that of Earth birds, who generally have extremely light bones. Many of Cyrus’ bird species benefit from their heavier build. Hunting birds, for example, are able to support a much larger musculature than their Earth counterparts. This characteristic provides meat eating birds with the ability to hunt and capture larger prey, which comparably sized Earth birds would be unable to take advantage of.

1.2.1.   Flower-Faced Patoo

The flower-face patoo is indeed an odd looking mountain dweller. The interior of its beak is colored and patterned like the petals of a flower, so that when its mouth is open it looks exactly like an open alpine bloom. This elaborate mimicry deceives insects and provides the patoo with a meal by merely opening its mouth. The alpine wildflowers appear at the higher altitudes only during the spring and summer months. So to ensure successful hunting all year long, the patoo spends the winter months further toward the base of the base of the mountainside, where the flowers may still grow.

1.2.2.   Needle-Nose Whistler

The insect eater sports a long, sharp bill. This feature allows the needle-nose to penetrate bark and forage for insects. The needle-nose has another feature which provides the bird with a valuable food-gathering tool. The whiskers on top of the whistler’s head are extremely sensitive to motion. By lowering its head and resting these whiskers against a tree, the needle-nose is capable of feeling even the slightest movement of insects beneath the bark. This, of course, makes the needle-nose an excellent hunter. The male needle-nose whistler takes only a single mate each season. The female never leaves the unhatched eggs but feeds herself from the nest on passing insects. She does leave the nest once the eggs are hatched to bring back the quantity of food necessary to feed two to four hungry chicks.

1.3.      Meat Eaters

The intelligent life forms of the planet, the Cyrans, are strict vegetarians. Because Cyrans do not kill animals for food or other products, the planet’s natural predators serve to control the population of many plant-eating species. Meat eaters on planet Cyrus, then, are vitally important to the balance of the planet’s ecosystems and, consequently, to the Cyrans. For if the vegetarian wildlife of Cyrus was to grow too large, the Cyrans would be in danger of losing their own valuable food supply. In fact, several hundred years ago, a plague swept the meat eating population of the planet. With scarce natural predators, the population of vegetarian wildlife grew very large. As a consequence, their natural food supply was insufficient to sustain them and they spread to the farms in search of food. Overrun by large numbers of starving plant-eaters that descended from the mountains and emerged from the forests, the farms of Cyrus were unable to harvest enough food and the Cyrans themselves suffered mass starvation. A vaccine was eventually discovered to prevent the illness plaguing the meat eaters and the planet’s natural balance was restored after a few years.

1.3.1.   Shurrack

One of the deadliest predators found in the middle and lower mountain regions is the shurrack. Sure-footed over the difficult terrain and well camouflaged by its mottled gray fur, it is a deadly enemy. The shurrack have four rows of teeth—two on top and two on bottom. Their front teeth are very sharp and their molars are flat, like that of humans. They also have exaggerated incisors which they use to grab their prey as they attempt to flee. The shurrack are extremely social animals. They hunt in packs, using very sophisticated strategies. A single shurrack will often drive its prey toward a ravine or behind a boulder where other shurrack lie in wait. They have also been known to hide in snug crevices on the cliff side and pounce in unison on prey unfortunate enough to be passing below. Once an animal is taken by surprise, the pack converges on the individual and shares the kill.

1.3.2.   Rubber Belly Snake

The rubber belly snake hibernates all year. It awakens only for about a month at the start of the desert rainy season. During the first few days, the female will lay her eggs, which hatch within a few hours. The newborn snakes spend the rest of the month feeding on small rodents and birds before hibernating along with the adults. The adults also spend their month feeding. At the end of that time, they mate and then return to their hibernation dens where they will spend the rest of the year digesting. It takes an entire year to digest the food a fat belly eats during its wakeful month because a typical adult can unhinge its jaw and eat an animal as large as an Earth cow. The rubbery stomach of the snake can expand to an enormous size in order to accommodate such a huge meal.

2.         Endangered Wildlife

Cyrans classify a species of animals as endangered if they can only locate between 1 and 200 specimens. Please select a class of animals from above.

2.1.      Herding Animals

See section 1.1.

2.1.1.   Fat Tail

The fat-tail is one of the largest reptiles ever studied. The male may reach sizes of up to eight feet from nose to tail. The tail is the most unusual feature of this creature. It is here that all its subcutaneous fat is stored. The fat is a store of both water and food that enables the lizard to go for long periods of time without eating or drinking. This is important for the survival of the fat-tail because it only mates above tree line in the mountains where no food is available for the vegetarian. When the fat store is full, the reptile’s body is well balanced and it can leap with agility between boulders and cliffs. It has broad, horny pads on the toes of its hind feet which give it good grip on the naked rock.

2.1.2.   Snow Rabbuck

The snow rabbuck has a starkly different appearance from that of the other rabbucks. Their long coats serve more than one purpose for the snow rabbuck. Wooly and course in texture, their coats help to keep the animals warm. The wool, however, also acts as good camouflage. The coat is dark tan in color during the summer, which helps the rabbuck blend in with the summer grasses. But the coat turns white in the wintertime so that the animal may also hide in the snow from its principal enemy, the sabre bear. Under the coat are layers of thick fat which also help to insulate the snow rabbuck from the cold.

2.2.      Birds

See section 1.2.

2.2.1.   Hawk Whistler

The hawk whistler is a meat eater. Subsisting primarily on rodents, it circles the forest until it spots its prey, swoops down, and carries it off. Each year, the males take three or four mates. The mating ritual takes place during the week of the Summer Solstice, during which time the birds fast. Once the ritual is over, each female builds a separate nest in the same vicinity and relies on her mate to provide her with food while she tends to the eggs. The aggressive male also provides protection from predators, as well as defending his family against rivals. This social order creates great competition between males who wage mock battles in the air prior to the breeding season. There are other species of whistlers, such as the heavy-billed whistler and the needle-nose whistler. These species have evolved from the hawk whistler and co-exist with it in the forest.

2.2.2.   Long-Plumed Quail

The long-plumed quail survives on insects, as well as the rare seeds and plant matter found in the desert. The characteristic feathers sported by the male of the species are used to attract females during the courting rituals. Once the male has chosen a female, he bows his head to her and shakes his head with a long, sweeping motion, thus fanning the female with his long head feathers. The female lays her eggs in sandy, sheltered spots beneath bushes or overhanging rocks. The sole caretaker of the eggs, the female will sit on her nest, watching for predators, and protecting her unborn young from the extremes of heat and cold that are typical of the desert climate’s daily temperature range until they hatch. The breeding cycle of this and many other desert birds is dependent on the rainy season. The birds nest as soon as the first spring rains appear and continue as long as the wet season lasts. In unusually dry years, no breeding takes place so the females lay no eggs.

2.3.      Meat Eaters

See section 1.3.

2.3.1.   Night Stalker

One of the most fearsome creatures in the forest is the night stalker. One and a half meters tall, the mammal roams screeching and screaming through the Batavian forest at night in packs. They prey indiscriminately on mammals and reptiles, attacking them with their ferocious teeth and claws. A pack of three or four night stalkers may kill as many as three rabbucks in a single evening. The night stalker is blind and uses sonar to find food and navigate through the forest. Their large outer ears are extremely fine receptors for the sonar waves which the night stalker emits. The night stalker is extremely sensitive to light. In fact, it’s outer ears burn easily and must remain covered during the daylight hours. The stalker uses leaves and mud to build thick burrows and remains there, under cover, until sundown each night.

2.3.2.   Sabre Bear

The sabre bears are large creatures that are well adapted to life in the harsh Arctic. Measuring a meter or more across the shoulders, they are covered by thick, shaggy coats that allow the animals to remain on the tundra even in winter. Sabre bears exhibit sexual dimorphism in that only the female, shown here, are equipped with the large “sabre” teeth. It is the female of the species, then, that hunts for the small, social groups in which they live. Sabre bears do not have claws or other offensive weaponry, so the females hunt by chasing down their prey, biting it, and waiting for the animal to die or fall from lack of blood. A favorite prey of the sabre bear is the snow rabbuck. However, because rabbuck are scarce on the tundra during winter, the sabre bear preys on any arctic animal unlucky enough to find itself in the hungry bear’s path.

3.         Populous Wildlife

Cyrans classify a species of animals as populous if they can locate 201 or more specimens. Please select a class of animals from above

3.1.      Herding Animals

See section 1.1.

3.1.1.   Common Rabbuck

The rabbucks are a type of hoofed mammal. They are lightly built running animals, able to escape quickly from predators like the night stalker and with teeth particularly suited to cropping leaves and grasses. There are several species of rabbucks, and each has adapted features which allow it to thrive in it’s particular environment. This is the common rabbuck, from which the other rabbuck species have evolved. The common rabbuck lives in the forest. Note its long neck which allows it to reach the lower leaves of trees. Its spotted coat provides some camouflage against the forest floor. The rabbuck was so named by the NASA explorers because of it’s resemblance to the Earth rabbit. In fact, the Earth scientists have learned that, like many rodents, rabbucks are evolved from a now extinct species which does resemble the rabbit.

3.1.2.   Mountain Rabbuck

The mountain rabbuck looks much like the common rabbuck. It has retained the moderate coat density and sleek neck of its woodland cousin. However, it is much smaller than the other rabbuck species. Its diminished size allows it to maneuver easily over its rocky environment. One may also note that the mountain rabbuck has adapted itself to its rough mountain terrain by developing a spiny spur at the back of each hoof. This added “digit” gives the animal some traction on the rocky (and often unstable) mountainside as it hunts for the alpine wildflowers that grow there.

3.2.      Birds

See section 1.2.

3.2.1.   Heavy Billed Whistler

The heavy-billed whistler subsists on a diet much like that of the North American squirrel on Earth. It is capable of cracking large nuts with its thick bill. It is also capable of storing large quantities of nuts, seeds, and berries in its bill. Like the hawk whistler, the male heavy-billed whistler takes several mates each season, and its large storage compartment helps it to supply each one with food as she tends to her unhatched eggs. The female, in turn, makes use of her bill by transporting an abundance of food to her chicks once they are hatched. The large storage capacity, then, allows the male and female whistler to spend less time coming to and from the nest while performing the arduous task of tending to a nest of chicks.

3.2.2.   Flightless Kyo

The most populous creature on the Arctic is the flightless kyo, an aquatic creature with paddle-like wings. In this respect they resemble penguins, which are so successful on Earth. The flightless kyos rarely come ashore, where they are quite defenseless against their land-dwelling predators. Some time during autumn, however, the kyo cover the shoreline for a period of three days as they conduct their courtship rituals. The kyos retain their eggs until they are almost ready to hatch and lay them in the open water. As the flightless birds evolved, they spread both east and west, forming a chain of subspecies in a ring around the Polar Ocean. Throughout most of the ring, each subspecies is able to breed with the neighboring ones, but where the ends of the chain overlap the differences are so great that no interbreeding is possible and these populations must be regarded as separate species.

3.3.      Meat Eaters

See section 1.3.

3.3.1.   Bird Snake

The bird snake is a deadly hunter who uses its sonar to locate and track its prey. As its name implies, the bird snake subsists mainly upon birds. Rather than stalking its prey while in the nest, the bird snake grabs its meal from the air. To undertake such a feat, the snake relies heavily on both its sonar and camouflage. Looking like another branch in the heavily wooded forest, the brown snake climbs high in a tree and hides among the branches. It then tracks birds as they navigate through the branches, themselves looking for food. With information about the birds’ speed and direction, the bird snake is able to time his attack precisely, rear his head back and strike at an unsuspecting bird as it passes. The bird snake is so feared by its prey that the terror tail mouse protects itself by masquerading as the deadly hunter.

3.3.2.   Desert Shark

The desert shark is a very unique predator. Descended from insectivore stock, the young individuals subsist on larvae and other insects found in the cool sand below the surface. The much larger adults, however, feed on larger prey like rodents and reptiles. The desert shark is sausage-shaped with a blunt, strong head and powerful shovel-like feet. It “swims” through the desert sand rather than burrowing, bursting into the underground nesting chambers of its prey, which it locates using sensory pits at the end of its nose. It can also sense prey on the on the surface of the desert floor and stalk it underground. The desert shark is almost completely hairless and avoids the extremes of temperature by remaining underground for most of the time. When at rest it lies just below the surface with only its eyes and nose protruding.

Document Last Updated December 31 1969 19:00:00.