On The Kwama Of Morrowind: Part 1- Kwama as a Species

by Jonus Arille, Skingrad Mages Guild (15th Sun's Height 3e 432)

One the most common professions on the Isle of Vvardenfell is the 'mining' of Kwama eggs. Due to this, many native Dunmer see them as little more than creatures to produce food but the Kwama is one of Morrowind's most interesting species. My report will aim to highlight the unusual biology of this fascinating creature, starting with an overview of its characteristics.

Kwama are vaguely insectoid in nature, being invertebrates with a 3-part segmented body and a chitinous exoskeleton. However, adult forms of the species only have four legs, therefore separating them from the various species of insect commonly found throughout other parts of The Empire. In its larval form (known locally as a 'scrib') it does have six legs, which may indicate a relation to conventional insects. Furthermore, the Kwama 'Forager' (a small form of Kwama that forages for food outside of the colony) seemed to lack legs altogether upon my first observations. I managed to capture one of these Foragers and dissect it for more information on this peculiar trait. Inside the creature, I managed to find four small, vestigial legs that cannot be seen externally. The presence of legs shows its relation to the other variants in the colony, but the reason they have come to be like this remain a mystery to me. This form of Kwama moves around more often than the others, and legs would seem to be a more efficient way to move than crawling like a worm. I hypothesize that this feature may have been developed either because the Forager does not burrow into rock- therefore making legs less useful in that situation, or to retain traction with the ground during Vvardenfell's infamous ash storms.

Kwama also lack many standard insectoid sensory organs. The species lack antennae; smelling from the small nostrils below the eyes instead. Moreover, eyes in Kwama are non-compound, in contrast to the compound eyes found in flies, butterflies, bees etc. Adults of the species have between three and four eyes, depending on its form- another interesting feature.

Despite many differences, Kwama do bear other similarities to more common species of insect. Their colonies resemble that of ants, with workers burrowing into the ground with a network of tunnels. A queen also resides in these tunnels, as with ants, and it produces all the colony's offspring.