This critter is a member of one of the second oldest alien species I invented. Sometime in high school I plotted Shiptrap, a comic about a planet populated by ship wrecked alien species. I never got further than plotting it and sketching out a few pages of action. The main character was a human being. One of his best friends was this thing. I’m not sure whether I named the creature in original plot. It wouldn’t surprise me if I didn’t. I often put off naming things until the last minute. I’ve just called this species the Carpets for so long that that’s the name that’s stuck in my brain. They’re some sort of intelligent invertebrates. Their main sensory organs are on the “head” at the top of a stalk that can be raised or retracted as needed. I’m not sure how they communicate or how such a creature developed space faring technology.