Free Scuzzworms by Ella Mack

Camille was obviously aware of the opportunity to enjoy a little celebrity if any of the creatures were confirmed to be truly mammalian. 
    Of course, ‘mammaloid’ was merely a term of convenience for the exobiologists.  It remained to be proved whether the specimens they were examining harbored anything even remotely resembling mammary glands or Earth-like sexual reproductive organs. 
    In most research missions categorization was an automated process whereby information about specimens was collected into a database and indexed.  Once certain characteristics could be reliably linked to genetic sequences and catalogued by species, human interpretation was no longer necessary.  On Iago IV, with no genetic information available and no consistent identifiers for species, the program presented nearly every individual for human review.  Camille also developed the habit of muttering to herself.
    Warm -bloodedness is a major advantage in temperate and cold climates, enabling a species to survive winters and continue to seek food in hostile environments.  On Iago IV, the adaptation was of more dubious benefit since there were no winters to survive through.  Even so, the fact that the biosphere had been evolving long enough to develop such a physiology was itself a major find.  On Iago, warm-bloodedness was not limited to furred and feathered forms or even species with skeletons.  The problem Camille and her team faced was the opposite from Imelda’s.  Instead of a dearth of data, they suffered a deluge.   
    The chordates were not shy like Imelda’s subjects and there were a lot of them.  For the most part, they were found eating what passed for plant life and they came in a seemingly endless variety of shapes.  Deciding which specimens ought to be considered ‘mammaloid’ was difficult, because remarkably similar specimens would be warm -blooded in one area and cold-blooded in another.  Warm-blooded specimens would occasionally be identical in every respect except that one was furred and the other chitinous.
    While Imelda spent her time seeking heat -emitting life forms buried beneath mud, Camille was counting legs and categorizing torsos.
    The other two members of Camille’s team, Kellogg and Post, sat in matching workstations down the narrow hallway from Camille and Imelda.  Unlike most researchers, the group was not quiet.    “Postman, I don’t care what you say.  There aren’t any species here.  There’s just a bunch of beasties that sort of look like each other.  Iagans thrive on inconsistency.”
    Post, assigned the invertebrates, was trying to decide if any of the chitinous creatures that had been sighted might actually be invertebrate.
    “Don’t be ridiculous, Millie.  We haven’t had a crack at the genetics yet.  It’s unusual to see this much variation, to be sure, but the environment here is quite stable.  Natural selection hasn’t been as rigorous a process on this planet as it was on Earth.  Adaptability is less of a criterion for survival.”  Post continued to regard his monitor, musing.
    “Personally, I’m intrigued by the absence of any large species with hunting claws or canine teeth.  I can’t imagine an ecology without predators.”
    Kellogg, further away than Postman, grumbled, “Yeah, Imelda would feel pretty lonely down there.”  Kellogg had been assigned plants generically since further classification had to await a look at internal structure and reproduction, both difficult to determine from an aircraft.
    Camille shushed him, throwing a glance in Imelda’s direction. 
    Imelda pretended not to have heard.  She was having her own problems. 
    Over the past weeks she had almost convinced herself that her initial reaction to Post had been a mental aberration.   He was the team leader for the researchers she shared the wing with.  Older than his coworkers, he appeared close to her age.  His work in the past had been competent but not flashy, attracting