“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about the mindwipes,” the solider eyed the local population with something akin to pity. “These guys are hopeless.” The natives studiously ignored him, just as they’d been doing since the party had landed. Once the humans had been classified as neither food nor threat, the furry what-ever-they-were’s (WETWs) apparently lost all interest.

“Some of these behaviors are learned skills.” The anthropologist objected, nodding towards one of the larger groups of mammals. The tan and orange quadrupeds were gathered about one of the massive reptile burrows, digging in a constantly rotating pattern of alternating three member teams. “See the little one?”

The larger WETWs did indeed look like they were instructing the teenage WETW in the ways of dirt removal, but the rest of the landing team was about as impressed as the solider with the intelligence of the planet’s dominant species.