Science and Memes!

To explain this animal properly, first i need to explain where they come from.

The planet they live on is freezing cold and essentially entirely ocean, with the surface of the sea separated from the open air by several kilometers of thick ice. the sea itself is warmed completely independently of the sun, relying entirely on geothermal activity (eg hydrothermal vents) to remain habitable. It is completely pitch-dark, with the only light coming from the odd bioluminescent organism of which there are few, as most animals don't even have eyes.

The Ramosapod (sometimes referred to as an "octospider" in common English) is a large aquatic alien invertebrate native here. They had initially adapted for an ambush predator lifestyle, hiding amongst rocks and clutter waiting for an opportunity to strike. However, as hydrothermal vents became more common across the planet and available energy increased, they began to orient towards a more social, intelligence-based lifestyle.

They have no ears and are basically blind, instead they mostly rely on smell and vibration to get around. Almost all of their languages are forms of tactile sign spoken with the tarsal bulbs tapped against another's body in a sequential order.

Their reproduction is similar to that of ferns seen on Earth, with a sequential alternation of generations (please look this up i can't explain it here) based on how many pairs of chromosomes are present. The sporophyte generation is the one pictured above, with the gametophyte being much smaller, almost microscopic pelagic animals.

As it stands, they have now built a reasonably sophisticated society for themselves across their freezing pitch-black ocean, with technology almost entirely derived from living organisms selectively bred or genetically engineered for specific tasks. Currently they're attempting to develop and fund the means to begin drilling through their extremely thick ice layer, to take a peek at what's up there.