Dervish

The dervish was a type of animal of which there were at least two varities.


 * The red dervish was indigenous to Aleph III.
 * The blue dervish was a genetically modified variant of the red dervish.

Both of these animals produced a hormone that served as a potent natural stimulant, prompting interest both from the Federation and the Klingon Empire. 

=Red dervish= The red dervish was a medium-sized mammal with reddish fur. Its body somewhat resembles a downward-pointing cone, with its eyes near the apex. Near the top it has three tendrils, each about a foot long and with a mouth at the end.

A highly aggressive predator, it attacks by spinning around at great speed - rather like a spinning top - and ripping at its target with its three sets of sharp teeth. 

=Blue dervish= This genetically engineered creature was created at Federation Genetic Research Station 17 (GRS17) as a means of mass-producing the dervish hormone. As such, the blue dervish produces more of this hormone, and as a result it is more agile than the red dervish.

Apart from its blue fur, the blue dervish differs from the red in that is is significantly smaller. It is also a lot more timid; where the red dervish will attack anything that moves, the blue dervish will attempt to flee from anything that approaches it.

As of 2269, most blue dervishes were confined to GRS17, but a few had been released into the wild on an experimental basis.