How certain are we these things aren't hostile? People say Hippos are cute, after all.

[Nobody with half a brain thinks hippos are safe. Hippos only look safe if you think they have fat under that bulk. He glared at the little thing before it lit onto one of the generators for the hard light shield, he shooed it away and grunted.]

I guess it might be like ... what do they call them? Plankton? Only bigger. More a food source than the active eater. Which begs the question what eats them.