This is a Beffel (plural Befflem). Befflem are creatures native to the Homeworld of The Race . They are squat armored omnivores that filled a niche similar to that of badgers. Unlike badgers, they're highly social. A quality which was maximized by tens of thousands of years of domestication by the Race which keeps them as pets. Like other domesticated animals, Befflem were brought to Tosev III by the Colonization Fleet when it arrived in 1962 and soon enough the native Tosevites had begun adopting them as pets alongside Dogs and Cats (which some soldiers of the Conquest Fleet had adopted as their own pets). Befflem are very friendly and playful, though they need a fair amount of attention as if they get bored they can run amok. Unfortunately some Befflem got loose and became a problematic introduced species in Tosev III's tropics.