To survive, the Vegetable Men drain liquids from other living organisms—usually from those that are not plant-like and are instead warm-bodied—through their long fingertips, or “suckers”; suction is generated by the body pumping (which can be seen by a swirling hole in the being’s chest that repeatedly opens and closes during feeding), drawing liquids from the host. Which nutrients are gained depends on what the Vegetable Man is feeding upon and where its suckers dig in. Liquids drawn from the host can be seen traversing up the creature's arm and around the body; the alien seems to hydrate itself through the process, thickening, and darkening in color. Though unsettling, those preyed upon by the creatures do not die, unless they are small, sickly, or have an organ punctured; the process of feeding is not entirely uncomfortable for prey, as the suckers release a numbing agent and its gaze hypnotizes, calms the individual. Several minutes afterward, the puncture wounds itch, burn, and produce a tingling sensation that lasts several days. Most of these…