Fauna of Gor

A magnificent Gorean war tarn, the greatest of the tarns, often shod in metal.

“A war between two cities was once temporarily suspended to rescue flocks of small birds, migrating hurlits, which had fallen frozen, stricken, on the plains between armies, the victims of sleet and wind. These small creatures were gathered up by mingling warriors and nursed, being warmed and fed. Later, once they had clearly recovered their strength, the flocks were released to continue their migration, and the armies reassumed their original positions.” Guardsman of Gor

Land Animals

~Anteater: more than six varieties inhabit the rainforests of Schendi. The great spined anteater grows to twenty feet in length and feeds on termites or “white ants” by  breaking apart their towering thirty-five foot nests of toughened clay with mighty claws then darting it’s four foot adhesive saliva coated tongue inside, drawing thousands into it’s narrow tubelike mouth. They are also strong enough to eviscerate a larl, and commonly makes a whistling sound

~Armored Gatch: a marsupial mammal which inhabits the rainforests inland of Schendi.

~Black Squirrel: mentioned in passing; not described.  Other squirrels are mentioned as well.

~Bosk: a huge, shambling animal, with a thick, humped neck and long, shaggy hair. It has a wide head and tiny red eyes, a fearful temper, and two long, wicked, curved and pointed horns.  The horns, from tip to tip may measure two spears in length.  It is for good reason the bosk is called ‘The Mother of the Wagon Peoples’: the flesh and milk furnish food and drink, shelter is made from it’s hides, and clothing from it’s tanned and sewn skins.  Weapons are made from the leather of it’s hump and many tools and implements from it’s bone and horns.  Even the dung is dried and used for fuel.  The bosk is reverenced and the penalties for slaughter without reason are extreme. Over fifteen varieties exist, often treated like cattle, but look more like oxen.

~Frevet: small quick mammal, an insectivore that is kept in some homes or insulae for insect control; as they cannot eat through walls, they do not harm the homes or insulae

~Giani:  tiny cat-sized panther of solitary habits which inhabits the low branches of ground level in rainforests inland of Schendi, that are not dangerous to man.

~Goat:  talked about in passing of keepers and herders; it’s unknown if the author means these are the same as Earth, or if the verr being another species of goat.

~Hurt: a domesticated marsupial raised on large fenced ranches in several of Gor’s northern cities.  It is a two legged animal and has black wool which is sheared four times a year by slaves.  It is herded by domesticated sleen.

~Kaiila: is a silken, lofty, graceful, long-necked and smooth-gaited beast. The paws of the kaiila are not hooves as that of the horse of Earth. The kaiila are claw-footed beasts, most likely for digging up roots, as well as a defense mechanism. The kaiila have two large eyes, one on each side of their head, with three eyelids, an adaptation to the environment it is conjectured, as each of these breeds lives upon the lands that are wracked by severe storms of wind and dust; the third lid is transparent, which permits the animal to move as it wishes under such extreme conditions. There are three species of kaiila which are mentioned: the southern kaiila, which serves as the mount of the Wagon Peoples; the Barrens kaiila, which serves as the mount of the red savages; and the desert, or sand, kaiila, which serves as the mount of the nomadic tribes of the desert. Extremely agile, the kaiila is one of the most dangerous creatures on Gor.

-Barrens: The earlier books stated that kaiila did not exist in the Northern hemisphere but this was later changed as the Red Savage in the Barrens have kaiila.  These are herbivores unlike their cousins in the Southern and Tahrai regions.

-Sand/Desert: this omnivorous animal is related to the Southern kaiila and similar in most aspects barring pelt color and rearing of young; pelt color is tawny or black and young are suckled for a length of time.  The men of the Tahari Desert use this mount.  Kailla milk is reddish and has a strong salty taste. Its paws are much broader, the digits being webbed with leathery fibers and heavily padded. Its hair is never sheared though it is gathered when it sheds. The most prized hair is found on its belly. Such hairs are commonly used to make cloth. The long outer hairs are coarser and used for ropes and tent cloth.

-Southern:  large carnivorous mammal with long neck and  silky fur; its eyes have three lids; is viviparous has incredible stamina and can be domesticated for riding in spite of its vicious temper. The kaiila is a mammal, but there is no suckling of the  young. The young are born vicious and can hunt as soon as they struggle to their feet. The mother’s instinct is to deliver the young near game. These are the mounts of the Wagon Peoples. They require less food than a tarn. Once a kaiila eats its fill, it won’t eat for several days. They are extremely agile and can easily outmaneuver a high tharlarion. They normally stand about twenty to twenty-two hands at the shoulder. They can cover as much as six hundred pasangs a day.

-War: both carnivorous types can be taught to be ridden into war, and become formidable enemies all on their own.

~Kailauk: a large, very dangerous, migratory ruminant beast, tawny with red and brown markings on haunches, and trident-horned. Ruminant refers to a cud-chewing hoofed mammal, such as cattle, bison, sheep, goats, antelopes, deer, chevrotains, rhinoceros, giraffes, llamas and camels. This beast is important to the red savages of the Barrens, the major source for food and life. Its meat, bones, horns, hide, and sinew provide food, shelter, clothing, tools and weapons. The kaiiliauk is hunted generally on kaiilaback, it is hunted only on foot when in deep snow, as it almost helpless then.

-Barrens: gigantic, dangerous beast that stands twenty to twenty-five hands at the shoulder and weighing as much as four thousand pounds, they migrate across the Barrens in massive herds, hunted by Red Savages and those who trade in their hides.  They have a trident horn.

-Forest: four-legged wide-headed, lumbering, stocky ruminants, described as short-trunked and tawny.  The males have three trident-like horns, with brown and reddish bars on the haunches.  The males are four to five hundred Gorean stone and are 10 hands at the shoulder.  The females are  eight hands and weigh three to four hundred Gorean stone. Their horns and tooled hides are major exports of the port of Schendi.

-Prairie: short-trunked, stocky, awkward ruminant of the plains.  Their color is tawny with haunches marked in red and brown bars.  Their wide heads bear a trident horn.  They instinctively circle when resting, their she’s and young protected within.

~Kur: a large eight to nine foot furred, mammal having four legs, which can stand upright or on all fours; each paw has six multiple-jointed digits with retractable claws and an opposing thumb. It has two rows of teeth. They are incredibly strong and ferocious, and are carnivorous, regarding humans as food.  The ones on the planet are more beasital, while the Kur of the ships are rational beings; members of an alien race called the Kurii -enemies of the Priest Kings.

~Larl: large feline predator of Gor; the mountain (common) variety being tawny, red or black in color; the snow larls are larger with pelts of white. They are absolutely carnivorous and quite the capable predator. John Norman has described the beast as being leopardlike and pantherlike, but probably the larl is more close in nature and looks as that of the prehistoric saber-toothed felines, and hunt both solitary and in packs.

These creatures are not cute kittenish pets. They are ferocious, strong, capable carnivorous predators. They cannot be tamed. They cannot be trained. Those that have attempted such have never lived very long to tell their tale -only the Pani have been able to SOMEWHAT condition them with the use of large yellow markers that the animals are psychologically conditioned to avoid; they prowl around outside these barriers as wild and deadly as their counterparts.  They can not be domesticated -only the power of the Priest Kings have come close and even then it’s said the animal will eventually revert and kill.

-Black:  predominately nocturnal larl which is sable coated and maned both male and female.

-Jungle: less dangerous than its cousins, tends to avoid men and hunt in the jungles.

-Mountain:  a large seven feet at the shoulder feline with a broad viper shaped head and cat-like slitted pupils; carnivorous; similar to a lion; the females of the species tend to be smaller than the males.

-Red: predominately day hunting larl which is tawny-red coated and has no mane in either male or female.

-White: seen in icy mountains of the Sardar they are the largest of the big cats standing eight feet; upper canines extending below their jaws very similar to saber-toothed tiger; long tails are tufted at the ends.

~Lart: a small four-legged mammal, about ten inches high, weighing between eight and twelve pounds.  The snow lart has two stomachs and hunts in summer, filling the second stomach in the fall to last the animal through winter.  It’s pelt is snowy white and thick.  It is considered valuable, selling in Ar for half a silver tarsk.  They are found in the Polar North.

~Leem: a small arctic rodent some five to ten ounces in weight which hibernates in the winter. Its furs are sold by the Red Hunters, and their summer coats are brown.


-Guernon: found in the jungle along the Ua river; recognized by their chattering sound.

-Prairie Simian: compared to a baboon.

-Jit: a nocturnal simian mammal which inhabits the rainforests inland of Schendi.

-Saru: tailless version of a monkey that is not quite a monkey but very similar in behavior, curiosity and agility; found in the jungles of the Ua basin.

-Tarsiers: listed along with jit monkeys. Assumed to be like the Earth counterparts.


-Forest: large, carnivorous feline of the northern forests of Gor.

-Jungle: considered less dangerous and more passive than it’s Forest counterpart.

-Yellow: only mentioned coloration of the beasts that may or may not be different from either of the other two.

~Quala: tiny, three-toed mammal, dun-colored with a stiff, brushy mane of black hair, found often on the plains. It travels in a scampering flock. The plural form for them is qualae

~Porcupine: mentioned in passing, not really described other than they are long-tailed and live within the jungles of the Schendi region.

~Slee:  mentioned in passing, not really described other than it is a rodent which inhabits the ground zone of  the rainforests inland of Schendi.

~Sloth: mentioned in passing, not really described,  other than it is found living in the jungles of the Schendi region. Assumed to be like the Earth counterparts.

~Sleen: ferocious mammal, almost reptilian in appearance, having six legs and two rows of teeth; nocturnal hunter.

-Aquatic/Water: said to be living near Port Kar, not noted if they are the same as other sea sleen -which we will go over later in the class.

-Domesticated/Hunting: is a hunter of men.  It is twenty feet in length and weighs eleven hundred pounds. This domesticated forest sleen is double-fanged and six-footed.  It’s tail tends to switch back and forth, getting rigid, as it hunts, it’s ears flatten against it’s head just prior to it’s final ‘charge’ attack on it’s prey.

-Forest: is long, up to twenty feet, sinuous, and black or brown in color. It resembles a lizard, except it is furred and mammalian.  In its attack frenzy it is one of the most dangerous animals on Gor.

-Grey: aid to be Gor’s finest tracker, this six legged sleen is a furred mammal with silver gray fur.  It has an agile, sinuous body, thick as a drum and is fourteen to fifteen feet long.  The gray sleen has a  broad triangular head and a huge jaw with two rows of fangs and a dark tongue.  It’s widely set eyes have slit-like pupils.  As is true for all sleens, it has six legs.  This breed is relentless and tenacious.  It can follow a scent that is weeks old for a thousand pasangs. These sleen are considered the best hunters of all sleen.

-Jungle Sleen:  more uncommon, these are a shorthaired variety found in some tropical areas. Tarl speculated that maybe most sleen are not comfortable in the great wetness and humidity of the tropical jungle region.

-Mountain Sleen: mentioned in passing with other groupings of sleen.

-Miniature: This variety is very small, about the size of a domestic Earth cat. They are sinuously graceful with a silken pelt. They appear to be relatively innocuous creatures and are kept as pets by some Goreans.

-Prairie: these are tawny in color, and are smaller than the forest sleen being about seven to nine feet long, but quite as unpredictable and vicious. Domesticated prairie sleen are used for hunting and nocturnal herd sleen are used as shepherds and sentinels. They are released from their cages with the falling of darkness, responding only to the voice of their master. The Wagon Peoples commonly domesticate prairie sleen. They will generally release the sleen at night to be both shepherds and sentinels. During the days, the sleen are often kept in cages.

-Sand Sleen: these sleen primarily inhabit the desert regions and may be domesticated by the tribesmen of the Tahari.

-Snow/White: inhabits the northern regions, and have been domesticated by the Red Hunters.

~Tabuk: there are more than twenty kinds of tabuk, though we can narrow it down to three different types -most like a gazelle, antelope, or even elk.  The females are called does.

-Common: a kind of antelope, yellow in color with a single horn found in many area’s of Gor. It travels in fleet footed herds and haunts the ka-la-na thickets of the planet occasionally venturing daintily into the meadows in search of berries and salt.   It’s meat is used as food by men (often as tabuk steak) and animals.  It is a favorite prey of Tarns.

-Northern:  massive tawny and swift is much larger than its smaller southern variety; standing ten hands at the shoulders. They have a single spiralling ivory horn, which at it’s base can be two and a half inches in diameter and over a yard in length.  The Red Hunters are irrecovably tired to the tabuk for sustenance and the devices of daily living much like the Wagon Peoples and the bosk, and the Red Savages and the kailiauk.  They keep a giant herd called the herd of Tancred.

-Prairie:  described as tawny and gazelle-like with a single horn, it responds to threat by scurrying away or lying down.  Presumably this reponse is useful because of the high grass of the Barrens as most predators depend on vision to detect and locate it’s prey.

~Tarsk: : fat, grunting, brindled, shaggy-maned, hoofed, flat-snorted, rooting, short-legged porcine quadruped, having a bristly mane which runs down its spine to the base of the tail.  In the wild, it is viciously aggressive, though certain varieties may also be domesticated. A common source of meat, and is often roasted whole. Market of Semris is famed for it’s tarsk markets.  The tarsk is a favorite meal of rence growers.   A Giant Tarsk can grow ten hands at the shoulder.

~Urt: A particularly nasty rodent of varying sizes and physical features. It is usually fat, sleek and white. It has three rows of needlelike teeth, tusks that curve from its jaw, and two horns that protrude over its eyes. It also has a long hairless tail. Most are tiny enough to hold in palm of your hand but some can grow to giant rodents of unusual size. Most urts attack in a pack and are messy and noisy when attacking.

-Brush: mentioned several times in passing, not entirely described.

-Canal: giant, vicious, rapid moving water mammal living along canals; particularly found in Port Kar.  Scavengers with webbed feet that feed off of garbage and bodies, living in dead, thrown into the canals.

-Forest: housecat-sized rodent which inhabits the northern forests, hunted by the hook-billed night crying fleer.

-Giant: fat, sleek, and white, it has three rows of needle-like white teeth and four horns.  Also called pack urts, has been known to reach heights of four feet at the shoulder.

-Gliding: inhabiting the rainforests inland of Schendi; much like a flying-squirrel.

-Ground: inhabits the floor of the rainforests inland of Schendi.

-Leaf: tiny tree-dwelling rodent, having four toes, and inhabits the rainforests inland of Schendi.

-Prairie: small scavenger rodent of the plains.

-River: mentioned a part of a perfume ingredient.

-Tree: small tree-climbing rodent found in the rainforests inland of Schendi.

~Verr: a mountain goat indigenous to the Voltai Mountains; wild, agile, ill-tempered with long hair and spiraling horns; source of a form of wool; its milk is potable as well as being used for cheese. The “wool” of the verr is actually the fur of its underbelly. The females are known as “she-verr.” The domesticated verr, too, has long hair, but with a better temperament and smaller size; its milk is potable, as well as being used for cheese

~Zeder: small, carnivorous mammal, which resembles the sleen; inhabits the rainforests inland of Schendi; this creature grows to about two  feet long and weighs a mere eight to ten pounds. A creature of the daylight, it can swim very well, and builds a stick-and-mud nest in the branches of a tree.

Air & Winged Animals

~Finch: Small songbird of the rainforests,  it is insectivorous. Likely a lot like Earth counterparts.

~Fruit Tindel: a bird which inhabits the canopy zone of the rainforests in the Schendi area.

~ Grub Borer: an insectivorous unflighted  bird which inhabits the ground level of rainforests inland of Schendi.

~Tanager: brightly colored bird of the rainforests; probably much like theirBlue Tanager Earthen cousin.

~Tibit: small, thin-legged bird which lives on tiny mollusks found on the shores of Thassa.


-Tufted Fisher: a water bird which inhabits the rivers of the rainforests inland of Schendi.

Ushindi Fisher: long-legged, wading bird near the Schendi; long, white, curling feathers used for headdresses

~Fleer: large, hook-billed bird which hunts at night, inhabitant of the emergent level of the rainforest.

-Prairie Fleer: yellow bird with long wings and a sharp bill; sometimes called the “maize bird” or “corn bird” from the belief that it is usually the first bird to find food.

~Gant: there are three varieties of this bird which sounds suspiciously like an Earth duck or goose.

Artic: migratory bird that nests on cliffs in the Hrimgar Mountains, the southern border of the polar north, providing food for the Innuit.   When frozen, their eggs are eaten like apples.

-Jungle: a bird related to the marsh gant which inhabits the river in rainforests

-Marsh:  a small long-legged horned bird; broad-billed and broad-winged; hunted by marsh girls  It’s cry is imitated by the rence people as as a surreptitious means of communication.


-Horned:  a small purplish owl-like bird with tufts over eyes, about four ounces. in weight which inhabits the forests of Northern Gor.

-Lang: an insectivorous bird which inhabits the ground level of rainforests inland of Schendi.

-Yellow: a bird related to the horned gim which inhabits the second level of rainforests inland of Schendi.

~Gull: much like their Earth counterparts.

-Black Tipped Coasting: found in Torvaldsland is this broad winged bird with black tips on its wings and tail feathers, similar to the Vosk gull.  It’s feathers are used on the war arrows of Torvladsland.

-Schendi:  inhabiting the area around Schendi on Thassa, they nest on land at night.

-Vosk: a gull of the Vosk Delta and Vosk River. Its feathers are used on sheaf arrows.  It winters on the prairies of the Wagon Peoples and flies north in the spring, when the ice breaks up.

~Herlit: this Gorean eagle of The Barrens has wingspan of six to eight feet.  It is carnivorous and has yellow feathers tipped with black.  Also called ‘Sun-Striker’ or ‘out-of-the-sun-it-strikes’ for its habit of striking with the sun above and behind it.  It has fifteen tail feathers which are the mostly highed prized of its feathers. They they are fourteen to fifteen inches long and used by the Red Savages to mark coups. The wing, or pinion, feathers are used for ceremonial and religious purposes. The breath feathers, light and delicate, from the base of the bird’s tail, are used with the tail feathers in the fashioning of bonnets and complex headdresses. Feathers from the right side of the tail are used in the right side of the headdress and the left side used in the left side. To make a headdress requires several birds. Two to five Herlits may be traded for a kaiila.

~Hermit: a yellow breasted bird of the Northern Forest, it beats with a sharp beak against trees, such as the Tur tree,  to hunt for larvae.

~Hook-Billed Gort:  a carnivorous hunting bird of the rainforests inland of Schendi; preys on ground urts.

~Hurlit: a forest bird that migrates from the Plains of Turia late in the spring

~Umbrella Bird: variety of bird found in the rainforests of the Ushindi.

~Veminium Bird: a bird with a beautiful song not otherwise described

~Jard: small, yellow-winged scavenger bird of the rainforest inland of Schendi, as well as in other parts of Gor, most notably Lydius. The bird flies in flocks, and in their feastings, can strip meat from a large, dead animal within a few minutes.

~Kite: version of the earth kite; of the hawk family; predatory, probably feeds on brush urts and known for its shrill cry, found in meadowlands

~Lit: a bird found in the second level of rainforests in the Schendi area.

-Crested: a brightly plummaged bird found in the second level of rainforests in the Schendi area.

-Needle-Tailed: a bird found in the emergent (highest level) of rainforests in the Schendi area.

~Mindar: A short-winged, yellow and red bird of the rainforests inland of Schendi; with its sharp bill, it digs in the bark of flower trees for larvae and bugs.

~Parrot: bird found in the emergent level of the rainforest some varieties are also found in the level of the canopies of the rainforest.

~Tarn: large, crested, sable-colored bird, similar-looking to that of an Earth hawk; these birds are raised and trained to be ridden; used in battle and in racing. The war tarn is the largest of the tarns, and are shod in metal. The racing tarns are smaller to enable them to fly at great speeds and maneuverability. Please refer to the Tarn page for complete information.

-Daft: large tarns bred primarily for strength and gentler dispositions for use in transporting goods. Tarn caravans, utilizing these larger tarns, often travel with hundreds of these birds, baskets hanging filled with goods.

-Jungle: rare tarn to be sure, the plumage of it exquisitely colorful, the jungle tarn can be found in the tropical reaches of the Cartius, in the region of the Ushindi. As with all tarns, it is carnivorous and fierce.

-Racing: smaller tarns bred and trained for racing competitions in the larger cities.

~Tumit: large flightless bird, having an eighteen inch long hooked beak; very carnivorous. This game bird is a delight to the palates of the Wagon Peoples.

~Vart: blind, bat-like flying rodent, some of which are the size of a small dog. These creatures are often trained and used as weapons. They can strip a carcass in minutes. Some are rabid and they hang upside down like bats. There are jungle varts in the rainforests. Varts on Tyros are trained as weapons. There is a jungle version that inhabits the rainforests inland of Schendi.

~Vulo: a tawny-colored or white poultry bird similar to a pigeon which also exists in the wild; used for meat and eggs

~Wader: two varieties of this waterbird which inhabits the rivers of the rainforests inland of Schendi. These are the ring-necked and the yellow-legged.

~Warbler: one of the Fan Tail Warbler many small, brightly colored songbirds of the rainforests.  Probably similar to it’s Earth counterparts.

~Woodpecker: ivory-billed resident of the rainforests.  Probably similar to its Earth counterparts.

~Zad: large, broad-winged, black-and-white bird with a long, narrow, yellowish, hooked beak; they scavenge on carrion. The Jungle Zad is the somewhat less-aggressive cousin of the Desert Zad and found in the rainforest inland of Schendi. Both species has the ugly habit of tearing out the eyes of weakened victims. This guarantees that the victim will die.

~Zadit: small, tawny-feathered, sharp-billed bird of the Tahari; insectivorous, feeding on sand flies and other similar insects; they often land on kaiila and spend long periods hunting the sand flies that infest the host animals.

Sea & River Animals

~Carp: a fish native to the Vosk. Probably a lot like its Earth counterparts.

~Clam: this is a Clam clam common in the Vosk river; the shells are polished and used for things such as cheap jewelry, though certain shells can be quite valuable.  Also called a Tamber clam.

~Crayfish: blind & white, probably most like their Earth counterparts.

~Cuttlefish: mollusks which are the basic food of the whales.

~Cosian Wingfish: also known as songfish due to its whistling mating song; a tiny blue salt-water fish with four poisonous spines on its dorsal fin; found in the waters off Port Kar; its liver is considered a delicacy in Turia. Native to Thassa, this tiny blue fish, with poisonous spines on its dorsal fins, is capable of projecting itself from the water, hurling it for short distances, thus giving the appearance of wings. The blue four-spined variety of this fish is found in the waters off of the island of Cos, while larger versions may be found farther out to sea.

~Eel:  a voracious animal which can maim or kill a slave in moments.  Some varieties are edible and considered a Gorean delicacy.  Varieties include: river eel, black eel, and spotted eel.

-Banded Eel: four foot eight pound eels attracted to blood.

-Dock Eel:  a black freshwater fish four feet long, weighing eight to ten pounds; carnivorous and aggressive, they inhabit the shallow waters around the dock and wharves of river ports.

-Bint: a fanged, carnivorous, freshwater marsh eel which inhabits the rivers of the rainforests inland of Schendi. A large school of Bints can strip a carcass in minutes.

~Grunt: There are four varieties of this fish. One is the large, carnivorous, salt-water fish which inhabits Thassa; is often attracted by the blood of a wounded creature; similar to the shark of Earth.  The blue variety, which is a small, voracious, carnivorous freshwater fish that begins to travel in schools, found in the Schendi rainforests, and like its larger cousin, is attracted by blood.  White-bellied grunt is a large game fish which haunts the plankton beds in the Polar North to feed on parsit fish -their eggs are considered a rare delicacy. A speckled, four-gilled grunt is also mentioned.

~Lelt: a small five to seven inch blind fish with fernlike filaments at either side of the head which are its sensory organs; white with long fins it swims slowly so as to detect tiny vibrations of its prey, which predominantly are isopods. and is the main food of the salt shark; inhabits the brine pits such as those at Klima in the Tahari.

~Oysters: A shellfish of the Vosk delta. Just like Earth counterparts.

~Pike: small river fish, carnivorous and piranha-like. Much smaller and different than the Earth pike.

~Parsit Fish: migratory, silvery fish having brown stripes; principal prey of sea sleen.   In Torvaldsland, it is smoked and dried, stored in barrels, and used in trade to the south.

~Salamander: in the brine pits of the Tahari, salamanders are tiny, white and blind. They are long bodied with long, stemlike legs. They have fernlike filaments at the sides of their heads that are feather gills, an external gill system. They have a slow metabolism and are capable of long periods of dormancy.

~Sea Sleen: long sleek mammal with flippers and six legs and double fanged jaws can weigh as much as a thousand pounds, and as much as twenty feet in length. Hunted by the Red Hunters for food and pelt, their main food source is the parsit fish. There are four main types: black sleen, brown sleen, tusked sleen, flat-nosed sleen. Some remain under the ice year round, mostly dormant but rising every quarter of an Ahn or so to breathe through cracks in the ice.  There is also a white spotted version, and broader head version called a Rogue Sea Sleen.


-Marsh: long bodied, nine-gilled inhabitant of the rence island areas of the marsh of the Vosk Delta, they are almost eel-like.

-Northern: inhabits the arctic North.

-River: narrow, black, vicious, carnivorous fish with a triangular dorsal fin, which inhabits the rivers of Gor.

-Salt: a long-bodied, twelve of more inches, carnivorous nine-gilled shark, however its gills are situated below and at the sides the jaw; inhabits the brine pits of the Tahari and is white and has several rows of triangular teeth a sickle-like tail and a sail-like dorsal fin. It is blind as is usual amongst creatures who live totally without sunlight.

–White: commonly found in the colder, Northern waters.

~Sorp: a giant oyster, common in the Vosk river; the pearls that the sorp produces are used to make headbands and other jewelry, and the giant shell used by Rencers as a throne.


-Baleen: bluish white spotted whale with a blunt fin, hunted by the Red Hunters.

-Hunjer:  toothed whale hunted by the Red Hunters.

-Karl:  four-fluked baleen whale hunted by the Red Hunter

~Toos: a crab-like organism with overlapping plating; inhabits the Nest of the Priest Kings in the Sardar, and scavenges on discarded fungus spores.

~Gurdo: this is not a creature, but rather it is the layered, ventral membrane which is shielded by porous plating, which is common amongst many of the marine predators of Gor

Reptiles & Amphibians

~Gint: small six inch freshwater fish which inhabits the rivers of the rainforests inland of Schendi; it has bulbous eyes and flipper-like fins; is amphibious, having both lungs and gills; is capable of walking on its pectoral fins; is often found in the company of tharlarion, feeding off the scraps of their kills. Also known as “Lung Fish.”

-Giant Gint: is a large cousin of the small fish, and is found in western Gor, similar in appearance, but with a four-spined dorsal fin; is also amphibious and capable of walking on its pectoral fins.

~Mamba: large, predatory river tharlarion which inhabits the rivers of the rainforests inland of Schendi; they have long, log-like bodies, with short, powerful legs and a long snout and tail.  It is believed the cannibalistic Mamba People take their name from this flesh eating animal.

~Marine Saurian: reptilian-like scavengers found in Thassa, more than twenty feet in length, it has a long neck and small head with rows of small teeth.  Its appendages are like broad paddles. They have long, toothed snouts that are silent and aggressive; sailors fear them as they do the long-bodied sharks.


-Adder: poisonous snake mentioned in  Marauders of Gor.


      -Banded: a Gorean python; Gor’s most feared serpentine constrictor.

-Golden: a rare color of the Gorean python, so large, it would be difficult for a man to encircle it’s body with his arms.

-Marsh Moccasin:   narrow dark, poisonous snake about five feet long with a small triangular head.  It inhabits the waters of the Vosk Delta, but isn’t very common.

-Ost:  tiny snake about twelve inches long bright orange in color; its venom causes extremely painful death within seconds.  It is the most venomous snake on Gor.

-Banded Ost: yellow-orange with black rings.

-Ushindi Ost: red with black rings.

~Tharlarion: several types of large reptiles, most varieties being carnivorous, though a few varieties are herbivorous, some of which are domesticated; some varities live on land, while others live in water. The fat of the tharlarion is rendered to provide lamp oil. They do not make cute, The Tharlarion playful pets, although there are species that have been domesticated.

-Broad/Draft:  a quadrupedal, lizard, used to haul wagons on land, as well as help clear the land to make canals, as evidenced in the Ushindi region. Less aggressive of the breed, the broad tharlarions are herbivores. The size of these great beasts can sometimes reach that of a city bus on Earth. The broad tharlarion can be used to haul barges across the rivers, however, they are not as efficient at such as their water-dwelling cousins. The driver of these beasts are known as strap masters and often these beasts are utilitized by cavalrymen. Known for their sluggish nervous system and their near-imperviousness to pain, the handling of such a beast is spent dealing a great deal of beating about the head and neck. Most larger breeds of tharlarion have two brains, or perhaps better explained, a brain, located in the head, and a smaller brain-like organ, which is located near the base of the spine.

-High: a bipedal lizard and is commonly used as a mount, generally by Gorean warriors belonging to great armies. It’s two forelegs are useless appendages which dangle. This particular species of tharlarion is absolutely carnivorous and aggressive. The high tharlarion, or riding tharlarion as it is sometimes referred to, seems to come in two distinct sizes; one, which is the mount of the great armies, is, by descriptions of its gait (great bounding strides) is without a doubt most closely related to the Allosaurus of Earth. The smaller riding tharlarion, is most likely the size of a velociraptor, and is known for its swiftness. Such beasts are popularly raced in competitions. Beasts such as these were quite valuable, and said to be worth their weight in gold. As with their cousins, the broad tharlarion, they are known for their sluggish nervous system and their near-imperviousness to pain, the handling of such a beast is spent dealing a great deal of beating about the head and neck. Most larger breeds of tharlarion have two brains, or perhaps better explained, a brain, located in the head, and a smaller brain-like organ, which is located near the base of the spine.

-Horned: quadrupedal tharlarion, no doubt it is a smaller version of the broad tharlarion. These beasts were used to draw small carts.

-Marsh: a web-footed, highly aggressive and carnivorous beast, and is indigenous to the swamplands, such as the Vosk delta. From the descriptions of the beast, it sounds much like a large crocodile; Tarl Cabot thought that it was possible these may have originally descended from the crocodiles of Earth, but were genetically altered by the Priest-Kings.

-Racing: these are used for racing; Venna is famous for their Tharlarion races.

-River: large, web-footed lizards that are utilized as their land-dwelling cousins, the broad tharlarion, pulling barges and ferries across rivers. Tarl Cabot thought that it was possible these may have originally descended from the crocodiles of Earth, but were genetically altered by the Priest-Kings. However, unlike the marsh tharlarion, the river tharlarion is a herbivore, thought one quote says one was diving for a fish. Bargement use a whipping stick to help serve in their commands of these great beasts.

-Rock:  most likely, a type of small monitor lizard. Has six-toes.

-Sea/Water: yellowish in color and are tiny, about six inches in length. They are swift water lizard and voraciously carnivorous. The water tharlarion are the piranha of Gor in lizard form.  Sea Tharlarion feed on the songfish, immune to its poisonous spines.

~Turtle: any of a number Marine Turtle of shelled reptiles found in the waters of Gor; some varieties are small, while others are large and carnivorous.

-Hook-Beak: large, carnivorous turtle found in the Vosk river.

-Marsh:  a turtle which lives in the marshes of Gor.

-Vosk: one of several varieties of turtle native to the Vosk, some of which are very large and carnivorous.

~Ul: gigantic toothed hissing winged lizard, carnivorous. A pterodactyl of prehistoric Earth.

~Water Lizards: tiny lizards that live in the Vosk; they live on carrion.


~Ant: just like its Earth counterparts.

-Marcher: army ants of the rainforests inland of Schendi. These jungle ants literally “march” at various periods in search of food, devouring everything in its path, including humans. Army Ants ” Probably akin to the army ants of Earth.

-Termites: known as white ants; they eat wood like their Earth counterparts.

~Bee: these make honey, like their Earth counterparts.

~Beetle:  several varieties of insects having hard wings.

~Centipede: any-legged insect loves the temperatures of the rainforests.


-Needle/Sting: their habitat is of those such as in the delta and other similar geographical areas. It’s sting is extremely painful, but it is usually not dangerous, unless inflicted in great numbers.

-Sand: tiny black flies found in the Tahari, which infest water holes; a vicious nuisance inflicting painful bites in both people and animals.

-Zarlit: very large, about two feet long, with four large, translucent wings, with a span of about a yard. It has large, pad-like feet on which, when it alights, it can rest on the water, or pick its way delicately across the surface. Most of them are purple. Their appearance is rather formidable and can give one a nasty turn in the delta, but happily, one soon learns they are harmless, at least to humans.

~Golden Beetle: a very large insect, roughly the size of a rhinoceros, with luminous eyes, two mulipli-hooked, tubular, hollow, pincer-like extensions that meet at the tips, approximately one yard beyond their body, and short antennae. They live in the caverns below the Nest of the Priest-Kings in the Sardar Mountains; they emit a narcotic odor which hypnotizes the Priest Kings, allowing the beetle to kill and devour them.

~Gitch: insect often found in insulae; their bite is painful.

Grasshopper: Hopping pests; the variety mentioned in this instance, is red in color.

~Hinti: small, flea-like insects; considered to be non-parasitic.

~Leech: blood sucking flat worm usually found in fresh water. Also mentioned in the books is the Salt Leach which thrives in the marshes and shallow parts of rivers.

~Lice: smaller variety infests the holds of ships, as well as birds and animals. There are lice the size of marbles, which infest the wild tarns.

~Priest King: extremely rational beings; advanced technological race thought to be the Gods of the planet.

~Rennel: poisonous, crab-like desert insects.

~Roach: obnoxious scavenger insect.

~Scorpion: stinging arachnids found in desert regions.

~Snails: slimy gastropod, useful for food as well as fish bait.

~Spider: familiar eight-legged creature; one variety mentioned is the “Cell Spider” which are tiny and inhabit the prison cells.

-Rock: The Rock Spider is found in the rainforests inland of Schendi, these Orb Weaver spiders get their name as they tuck their legs beneath them, thus resembling a rock. These insects are brown and black in color, globular and approximately eight feet in thickness. Even humans have accidentally fallen into their large webs becoming a tasty meal for the insect.

-Swamp: rational being, also known as the Spider People.   They are very intelligent and non-aggressive beings. They communicate with humans using a translator box since their ‘vocalization’ is not in a range that is audible to humans.  They are spiders in the truest sense of the word, eight legs, mandibles, covered by short hairs that also serve to sense touch and four eyes.

~Silk Worms: mentioned as brought from Earth.

~Slime Worm: known as a Matok, it is a long, slow, blind worm which inhabits the caverns below the Nest in the Sardar; scavenges the remains of the Golden Beetles kills.

~Vint: sand colored insects of the Tahari.


“At that moment to my horror a large, perhaps eight feet long and a yard high, multi-legged, segmented arthropod scuttled near, its eyes weaving on stalks.” Priest-Kings of Gor

“What I thought was a petaled flower underneath the swift, cold surface of the brook suddenly broke apart, becoming a school of tiny yellow fish.” Captive of Gor

“I stepped aside as a flat, slug-like creature, clinging with several legs to a small transportation disk, swept by.” Priest-Kings of Gor

“I saw one humanoid creature, small with a receding forehead and excessively hairy face and body, bounding about in one case… ” Priest Kings of Gor

Yellow Pool of Turia: housed in a magnificent chamber in the House of Saphrar is a marble basin filled with a brilliant, yellow fluid.  Beneath it’s oddly shifting surface is a collection of threads and granules in a transparent bag of intertwined, writhing filaments and spheres, imbedded in a darkish, yellow jelly and walled in by a translucent membrane. The pool is a living, breathing monster that slowly digests it’s victims. The Yellow Pool was destroyed by Kamchak after he conquered Turia. ~Nomads of Gor