Bandersnatch (Known Space)
Encyclopedia
The Bandersnatch is a fictional alien
species
in Larry Niven
's Known Space
universe. The species is named for Lewis Carroll's Bandersnatch
.
, published in 1966. That story relates the way that they were named as follows:
Frumious Bandersnatch are described as a slug-like herd animal with completely white, slick skin. A Sauropod-like neck, with no head, extends about as high as the bandersnatch's body. The tip is thick and rounded, entirely featureless, other than two tufts of black bristles (sense organs) and a large mouth adapted to scooping a form of mutated yeast
out of shallow ocean-like yeast colonies.
Niven's works describe Bandersnatchi as one giant cell with long chromosome
s as thick as a human finger, rendering them impervious to the mutagenitive effects of radiation and therefore unable to mutate. As single cells, they reproduce asexually by budding
. Their nerves have no cell body and no nuclei
; nothing to separate them from other specialized protoplasm
. The Bandersnatchi also have 6 large hearts, each weighing about 11 pounds. The brain is large, shaped long and narrow, and is encased in a bony cage. The skull
is one end of this jointless, flexible, very strong cage that keeps them from ever shifting position.
In the Known Space universe, the Bandersnatchi were created by the Tnuctip
un during the Thrint
un empire (~1.5 billion BCE) as a food source with a nearly irresistible taste to the predatory Thrintun. As such, the Thrintun had no objection their large size. While the Thrintun believed that the Bandersnatchi possessed no intelligence, they were actually sentient
beings resistant to their telepathic mind control abilities and were used by the Tnuctipun to spy on the Thrintun until a slave rebellion. This immunity to the Thrintun psychic abilities also allowed them to survive the mass-suicide command used at the end of the Tnuctipun-Thrintun war.
Bandersnatchi are portrayed as surviving on the planet Jinx
, with isolated populations also scattered throughout the galaxy, including the planet Beanstalk and the 'Maps of Jinx' in the Great Oceans of the Ringworld
. On Jinx, Bandersnatchi allow themselves to be hunted in exchange for specialized tools and devices, such as mechanical 'arms' specifically designed for their massive bodies. Along with Grogs
and Dolphins, Bandersnatchi are described as a "Handicapped" (with a capital "H") race, in that they are sentient but do not possess any prehensile limbs.
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in Larry Niven
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
's Known Space
Known Space
Known Space is the fictional setting of some dozen science fiction novels and several collections of short stories written by author Larry Niven. It has also in part been used as a shared universe in the Man-Kzin Wars spin-off anthologies sub-series....
universe. The species is named for Lewis Carroll's Bandersnatch
Bandersnatch
A Bandersnatch is a fictional creature from Lewis Carroll's 1872 novel Through the Looking-Glass and 1874 poem "The Hunting of the Snark". Although neither poem describes the appearance of a Bandersnatch in great detail, in "The Hunting of the Snark" it has a long neck and snapping jaws, and both...
.
Characteristics
Niven's first story to discuss the Bandersnatchi was World of PtavvsWorld of Ptavvs
World of Ptavvs is a science fiction novel by Larry Niven, first published in 1966 and set in his Known Space universe. It was Niven's first published novel and is based on a 1965 short story of the same name.-Plot summary:...
, published in 1966. That story relates the way that they were named as follows:
Frumious Bandersnatch are described as a slug-like herd animal with completely white, slick skin. A Sauropod-like neck, with no head, extends about as high as the bandersnatch's body. The tip is thick and rounded, entirely featureless, other than two tufts of black bristles (sense organs) and a large mouth adapted to scooping a form of mutated yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
out of shallow ocean-like yeast colonies.
Niven's works describe Bandersnatchi as one giant cell with long chromosome
Chromosome
A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
s as thick as a human finger, rendering them impervious to the mutagenitive effects of radiation and therefore unable to mutate. As single cells, they reproduce asexually by budding
Budding
Budding is a form of asexual reproduction in which a new organism grows on another one. The new organism remains attached as it grows, separating from the parent organism only when it is mature. Since the reproduction is asexual, the newly created organism is a clone and is genetically identical...
. Their nerves have no cell body and no nuclei
Cell nucleus
In cell biology, the nucleus is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in eukaryotic cells. It contains most of the cell's genetic material, organized as multiple long linear DNA molecules in complex with a large variety of proteins, such as histones, to form chromosomes. The genes within these...
; nothing to separate them from other specialized protoplasm
Protoplasm
Protoplasm is the living contents of a cell that is surrounded by a plasma membrane. It is a general term of the Cytoplasm . Protoplasm is composed of a mixture of small molecules such as ions, amino acids, monosaccharides and water, and macromolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and...
. The Bandersnatchi also have 6 large hearts, each weighing about 11 pounds. The brain is large, shaped long and narrow, and is encased in a bony cage. The skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
is one end of this jointless, flexible, very strong cage that keeps them from ever shifting position.
In the Known Space universe, the Bandersnatchi were created by the Tnuctip
Tnuctip
The Tnuctipun are a fictional extinct alien species in Larry Niven's Known Space series.Tnuctipun were small, arboreal pack predators, averaging about 3–4 feet long. Their heads were long and lean, and their eyes opened laterally...
un during the Thrint
Thrint
The Thrintun , in Larry Niven's fictional Known Space universe, were a long-extinct species which ruled the galaxy through telepathic mind control. Humans knew them as "Slavers", since "Thrint" is unpronouncable to the human larynx...
un empire (~1.5 billion BCE) as a food source with a nearly irresistible taste to the predatory Thrintun. As such, the Thrintun had no objection their large size. While the Thrintun believed that the Bandersnatchi possessed no intelligence, they were actually sentient
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
beings resistant to their telepathic mind control abilities and were used by the Tnuctipun to spy on the Thrintun until a slave rebellion. This immunity to the Thrintun psychic abilities also allowed them to survive the mass-suicide command used at the end of the Tnuctipun-Thrintun war.
Bandersnatchi are portrayed as surviving on the planet Jinx
Jinx (Known Space)
Jinx is a fictional world in Larry Niven's Known Space stories.-Description:The world is a satellite of a gas giant named Binary in the Sirius A system, and is home to a human colony. Jinx is six times more massive than Earth, and very dense, with a surface gravity of about 1.78 times Earth gravity...
, with isolated populations also scattered throughout the galaxy, including the planet Beanstalk and the 'Maps of Jinx' in the Great Oceans of the Ringworld
Ringworld
Ringworld is a Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning 1970 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and considered a classic of science fiction literature. It is followed by three sequels, and preceded by four prequels, and ties into numerous other books set in Known Space...
. On Jinx, Bandersnatchi allow themselves to be hunted in exchange for specialized tools and devices, such as mechanical 'arms' specifically designed for their massive bodies. Along with Grogs
Grogs
For the puppets, see Grogs .For the clay caricatures, see Grogg.Grogs are a fictional extraterrestrial species in author Larry Niven's Known Space universe. They first appeared in the short story "The Handicapped"....
and Dolphins, Bandersnatchi are described as a "Handicapped" (with a capital "H") race, in that they are sentient but do not possess any prehensile limbs.
External links
- Bandersnatchi at the Encyclopedia of Known Space