Flora[]
Due to the distance from the local star, most plant life on Avalon is not photosynthetic in nature, but are instead symbiotic colonies of microorganisms and bacteria, similar to jellyfish, men-o'-war, slime molds or fungi found on Earth. Others are thermophiles that use the temperature gradient around hot springs to flourish.
Piru[]
Piru are small barnacle-like organisms that adhere to the rocky glacial ice on Avalon. Technically they are symbiotic colonies; the retractable frond hosts methanogenic organisms which are extended into the wind where they process the methane and other atmospheric gases to produce something akin to a sugar complex. This frond can be harvested and ground down to produce a substance similar to flour which the Avali use to create processed foods.
Nakati[]
Like most plant life on Avalon, nakati are symbiotic colonies of microorganisms. The core of the structure uses bacteria to feed off chemicals in the snow and ice, as a byproduct of this they produce a slightly sticky, resin-like bark which is extruded to protect the spherical core of the colony. This "bark" is spicy to the Avali palate and is commonly used as a seasoning. The colony also produces cyst-like, phosphorescent spores to reproduce. Their bio-luminescence leads to predators tearing the plant open, scattering the ovoid cysts, which in turn become new colonies.
Kiri[]
Closely related to terrestrial slime molds, kiri in it's normal state looks something akin to the 'pink slime' found in terrestrial school dinners. During the sporing phase, it produces spherical "fruiting bodies" which are hoisted above the colony on stalks, where they mature and release clouds of spores to produce new colonies. When picked slightly before maturation, these fruiting bodies are rich in sugars and have a starchy, glutenous, gooey interior. This "sweet goop" is used as a binding agent in Avali cookery, or as a base for sauces. It can also be prepared as a cold dessert in it's own right.
Fauna[]
Precise details about the fauna found on Avalon is relatively scarce. Due to the ammonia based biology of life there, they tend to possess slow metabolisms. Herbivores typically survive by being massive, lumbering beasts that can crush attackers, or simply weather their attacks by having biologies that allow them to survive the assault (such as having thick, fast healing hides so that predators can take a bite out and leave satisfied without killing the animal).
Conversely, most of Avalon's predators (and some herbivores) have thick furry or feathery hides, have excellent auditory senses and are warm blooded in order to give them a metabolic advantage over their prey; these adaptations are epitomized in the Avali and their immediate ancestors who are descended from small, fast moving, gliding, pack hunters. Most predators of Avalon are small in order to conserve energy. It is this glass ceiling on the size of predators that has allowed huge "dreadnought" herbivores to flourish.
Like Avalon's icy surface, the ammonia oceans also play host to life. Ocean life can grow much larger than surface life, with gigantic leviathans living under the surface.
Flare Beetles[]
Small, flying, predatory phosphorescent insects. They hunt and defend themselves by exuding a phosphorescent "spit" which they throw as a decoy, or into the face of their victim. The resulting sudden flash of light tends to disorientate or flash blind other creatures for a few seconds, giving them time to fly away, or dash in for a quick bite.
Orange-tipped Catalina[]
A flying, winged creature with a long tail superficially similar to the pterodactyls/pteranadons of Earth's history. The body is primarily white with a spot of orange on the wing tip.
Moving Reefs[]
The moving reefs are best described as giant slugs with a hard carapace that microfauna colonies live on. There are narrow long tunnels of which function as gills going into it from seemingly random positions along its carapace, and giant cilia-like fins flanking the organism. The carapace is in place as deterrence for most predators and parasites, the shape and hardness of which makes damaging the creature difficult. The aforementioned fins act as rakes absorbing energy and particulates from sunlight, microfauna, and other small items of which get caught. The cilia also give them locomotion, and after moving they take a multi-week process of deflating, moving forward, and then inflating and pushing itself forward again. Since most or all of the fins typically move at once, it creates intense currents that can often times be seen from the surface. To avoid hitting any land mass, they make use of sonar for echolocation, though the movements of the creatures are typically short. They spend most of their time sleeping or resting otherwise.