Quefts

Quefts include the decedents of the hexcrawler, and are indigenous to Mason. They are the primary land-based fauna.

Anatomy
Quefts posses five appendages attached to the body, although the form and function vary from lineage to lineage, from long legs used to run, to hard appendages used to obtain food. Two types of oral appendages are also found on quefts, tentacle-like ones which in most species are kept curled tightly in the mouth most of the time, and two or three specialized heat sensing organs which left quefts "see" infared radiation. The latter are covered in a thin membrane which encloses a gel-like substance. Heating in specific areas of the queft's membrane are amplified through the gel and picked up by modified flagellum, allowing them to make a map of nearby heat sources. The tentacle like appendages are used to gather and process food, and usually number five or six. The exterior of a queft is covered in thick, leather-like skin which helps protect it from harsh UV and predators.

Breathing and Blood
Quefts have four exterior breathing vents that allow it to smell and facilitate gas exchange. Two on each side generally merge toward the end of the end of the breathing tube, allowing one exterior vent. The majority of the respiratory system is contained within these breathing tubes. Air is pumped in and out of the tubes through rippling contractions along the tubes that produce wave-like motions. The interior of the tube consists of a thin mesh of tissues, kept moist by bodily fluids, that perform gas exchanges. Some tissue functions to absorb oxygen, and some to release CO2 and other waste gases, with the oxygen absorbing one being clustered near the front, and the latter near the back. Running around the breathing tubes are a cluster of ring-shaped arteries, which transport the gases via the queft's blood. The "hearts" mentioned are just single-chambered pumps found at even intervals. Queft blood, like all decedents of the mason hexspourous, is copper based and therefore blue.

Diet & Energy
Quefts are heterotrophic, and can range widely from herbivores to carnivores.

Evolution
All quefts are decedents of the hexcrawler, which was the first completely land based decedent of the mason hexspourous.

Locomotion
Quefts generally travel using various combinations of their five body appendages, although the decedents of the leteti can "fly" using ammonia gathered from airbulbs.

Reproduction
Quefts are asexual, and lay gelatinous eggs that are hidden in holes within the ground.

Senses
Quefts have three primary senses; their ability to sense levels of infrared radiation, smell, and touch, although they can pick up ground vibrations via their touch sensors.

Types of Quefts
There are three main groups of quefts:

Flying Quefts - Decedents of the Leteti, they use ammonia from airbulbs to stay buoyant, moving with three paddles-shaped appendages.

Jawed Quefts - Decedents of the provuci and the jedec; each has primitive "jaws" formed out of hardened bodily appendages.

Quefts - "Normal" Quefts, quefts that follow the basic anatomical plan of the quefts.