There's no mistaking it. That was a giant, armored mole rat. Thankfully it wasn't aggressive, so I was able to get a good look at it.
Its appearance made me realize something that I'd taken for granted. Every creature I've encountered has some basis on either a known species, or human legend. Golems and wyverns never existed on Earth, but humans did write stories about them. Even the FSBMMs (still cross with them) appear to be a pastiche of known fauna.
What does that mean? Are the curators of these stations human, do they merely possess extensive knowledge of humans or am I grasping at straws? I can't say, but it's worth pondering.