| Species Information | |
|---|---|
| Horta | |
| |
| Quadrant: | Alpha Quadrant |
| Star System: | Janus |
| Planet: | Janus VI |
| Species Type: | silicon-based lifeform |
| Discovered By: | USS Enterprise |
| Leader(s): | Prime Mother, Janus Parliament |
| Contact: | 2267 |
| Affiliation: | UFP |
The Horta are silicon-based lifeforms native to Janus VI. They are members of the United Federation of Planets.
Physiology
The exterior of a Horta consists of a ruddy or grey-brown rocky carapace which is highly resistant to damage; anything but the highest phaser settings feels like nothing more than a mild irritation to the Horta. Young Horta have been affectionately described as a glittering pan pizza about half a meter high, however a fully grown adult Horta more resembles a rugged, rounded, glittering shape over a meter tall and two meters broad, patched in rough amethyst, tourmaline and ruby; with dark fringes all around.
The carapace is sprayed with a teflon compound when Horta go offworld, as the oxygen environment favored by a majority of Federation species tends to be corrosive after lenghty exposure.
On their underside, Horta have numerous cilia to move about, protected by a ring of fringes growing from the edges of the carapace.
Nutrition
The Horta diet consists of minerals which they dissolve with a powerful acid secreted from glands at the underside of their bodies; this acid is also the means by which Horta tunnel through their rocky environment as easily as a humanoid might walk through air.
When a Horta is frightened, it may lose control of their acid glands in an instinctive urge to tunnel to safety. They can however learn to suppress this instinct, so as to for example not damage the deck plates of a Federation vessel and unceremoniously drop to the deck below.
