SOURCE: "The Dual World" by Arthur K. Barnes  (Thrilling Wonder Stories, June 1938)

DESCRIPTION: "It was easily one of the strangest animals he had ever seen in five years expeditionary work with Gerry Carlyle. The thing had a perfectly round body some four feet high, and it ran on four legs. But amazingly, it carried eight spare legs. One set of four protruded from the left side of its back at a forty-five degree angle; the other set protruded from the right side at a similar angle. In the center of its head was a mouth surrounded by three eyes forming the points of a triangle. The thing was triplets! No matter how it rolled, or which side was undermost, it would always be upright!...It was very brief, over in a few seconds, this contest between the twelve-legged monster and another of the deadly sling-shot trees. As the animal trotted slowly along a dimly marked game trail, there sounded a swish and crack as the tree attacked. But the dodecaped simply allowed himself to be knocked rolling off to one side, came up on another set of legs, and trotted serenely on just beyond the baffled grasp of the tree." ("The Dual World" by Arthur K. Barnes)

NOTES: Most of the creatures on the Lost Continent of Venus are twins but the Triplet is actually three animals that live together in a triangular arrangement. Capturing the beast is difficult because each third must be tranquilized separately. if one third is injured or incapacitated the Triplet simply rolls over onto a different third and flees.

HISTORY: Barnes has a lot of fun with this creature. Since the idea of capturing alien creatures can get samey he has to come up with new gimmicks to keep his hunters on their toes. This was a good one.