Bimmiel/Legends

Bimmiel is a planet in an elliptical orbit around its primary star. As the planet nears the sun, its ice caps melt, triggering an increase in moisture and plant growth. The heat brings the native shwpi out of hibernation to multiply. Since the carnivorous slashrats cannot adapt to the heat, they retreat to the polar regions of the planet.

When the planet gets farther from the sun, its ice caps refreeze, and the shwpi come into the food chain of the slashrats, returning to the equatorial regions. The slashrats bring the number of shwpi back to a managable number.