Bug ferrets (or just ferrets) are from an iceball planet where most lifeforms live underground in the tropical band of the otherwise glacial planet. After millions of years of subterranean life, the tropics are now riddled with vast networks of biologically formed tunnels, caves, and seas. Ferrets rose from a strain of endothermic and highly social omnivores. They have both an endoskeleton (mostly for muscle support) and an exoskeleton covered by a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, skin, and dense, highly sensitive hairs and whiskers. Ferrets wear minimal clothing, if any, because it irritates their delicate hairs. Their central nervous system goes down the length of their body, and they are wicked fast at picking up sensory signals and reacting to them.

Ferrets also have an incredible propensity for language, and pick up other ferret languages and alien languages with ease. Generally, all ferret cultures have at least one vocal language, one visual sign language, and one tactile sign language. Tactile sign is unique to ferrets, and is spoken by touching the arms, chin, and chest of the conversational partner. Humans have described it as “like the most intense and complicated game of pattycake you could imagine.”

Ferrets are hermaphroditic and usually live in family units of 15-45 individuals. A given family will usually all be in single profession, operating almost like an individual– for instance, in public offices, a family will be nominated rather than an individual ferret. Having ferret ambassadors over on other planets is a nightmare, because you can’t just invite one ferret, or two, or eight, you have to have the entire family of 30 or so ambassadors (and their kids, and their picnic baskets and etc). It’s for good reason, as ferrets are so socially co-dependent that leaving one alone with no company will severely stress them. Spending over a day alone without social contact is enough to put them into a state of shock.

They are a spacefaring race, and have been for the longest of any of the races. The first aliens the ferret race met were the avians, then later the humans and centaurs.