Archive:Fals
| Fals | |
|---|---|
| |
| Fals, Haridus Caeruleus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Genus: | Sinosaurus |
| Species: | Caeruleus |
| Binomial name | |
| Haridus Caeruleus | |
The Fals (Haridus Caeruleus) are a reptilian humanoid species and the only extant members of the Sinosaurus genus; characterized by standing upright and bipedal locomotion, capability of higher thinking, speech, the construction of tools, and the formation of complex societies. Fals inhabit the humid, temperate region around the Gulan Sea on Boroso. Practically all Fals live in this area, and it is very uncommon to find one living in a distant region, as the amount of nomadic Fals can be counted on one hand. Typically, the only Fals living outside their native habitat are colonists and foreign officials such as ambassadors, consuls, and other diplomats. Fals are capable of living continuously and safely in temperatures down to 8 degrees Celsius, but prefer to live in a warmer climate where this does not occur. For this reason, there are small amounts of Fals that have started settling to the south. Fals resemble humans in their posture, though they are a dinosaurian species, with its most commonly known ancestor being the Sinosaurus.
Etymology and definition
Fals, meaning blue in Faljüdax, refers to the species' dull-blue skin colour during mating season, from the Old Faljüdax word fyauls. This term is not often used by the general population, and only when trying to emphasize something specific to the species. Instead, most Fals refer to themselves by their ethnicity, place of residence, or uye, meaning "one, guy, gal, fellow".
The species' binomial is Haridus Caeruleus. The generic name Haridus refers to a group of species in this clade, of which the Fals is the only extant species. Caeruleus stands for "blue".
Habitat and population
Fals can live and breed in most terrestrial habitats and on all of the continents, though currently they live in one large area around the Gulan Sea, where their highest concentration occurs. Originally, the Fals only lived around the coast in Farresset province, but with the advent of large-scale trade and transport infrastructure, and more developed agricultural practices, the population has spread further land inward and across most of the Gulan Sea's northern coast.
Technology has allowed Fals to colonize areas across the Gulan Sea and explore all of the continents and adapt to virtually all non-tropic climates. Within the last 600 years, Fals have primarily colonized two areas across the Gulan Sea, most notably the western Katar Basin and the southern regions such as the Mei Basin and the Kirmired. Most of the Fals that live in within the Fals Empire (95%) live around the northern coast of the Gulan Sea (71%). The remainder (29%) lives in the western lands (23%) and in the south (6%). The total amount of Fals on Sahar is estimated to be slightly above 150 million, making it the second most numerous sentient species.
Since 1800, the Fals population has increased from 35 million to 105 million.
Biology
Anatomy and physiology
Most aspects of Fals physiology are closely similar to corresponding aspects of human physiology. The Fals body consists of the legs, the torso, the arms, the neck, and the head. Fals are plantigrade bipeds.
Unlike humans, Fals have a thick external tail, are more sexually dimorphic, and are oviparous. Fals lack hair and feathers, and have thick, leathery skin resembling that of a crocodile's. They also lack sweat glands, and thus rely on shade, wind, water, or their respiratory system for the removal of excess heat.
Apart from bipedalism, Fals differ from Sinosauri mostly in smelling, hearing, brain size, and the ability of language. Fals brains are about four times bigger than those of Sinosauri. More importantly, the brain to body ratio is much higher in Fals than in Sinosauri, and Fals have a significantly more developed cerebral cortex. A remarkable ability of Fals is their ability of speech, which is unique among reptiles. Fals, like humans, are able to create new and complex ideas, and to develop technology.
It is estimated that the average height for an adult Fals male is about 189 cm, while the average height for adult Fals female is about 174 cm. Through history, the Fals have universally become taller, probably as a consequence of genetic selection, increased nutrition, living conditions, and existential stability. The average mass of an adult Fals is 63-68 kg for females and 80–85 kg for males. Like many other conditions, body weight and body type are influenced by both genetic susceptibility and environment and varies greatly among individuals.
Fals have a dull grey colouration all-around, with differing but usually negligible amounts of flecks on the back. During the species' mating season, the skin colour becomes dull-blue. For females, the discolouration will affect every part except the stomach and chest; while for males the entire body is affected. A noteworthy fact is that the higher the level of testosterone there is in the body, the darker the skin will be, and the amount of grey will be more prominently outbalanced in favour of blue. Furthermore, there is some variation relative to environment; Fals from higher elevations tend to be slightly more flecked in colour than those dwelling in the lowland. The Fals have surprisingly small and sharp-looking eyes and have rather sharp vision. Their colours are blue (57,1%), green (24,4%), grey(18,1%), and yellow(0,3%) by order of appearance. This mostly depends on their region of origin.
Fals have tough, leathery hide with two rows of horns running down the back of its neck, its back, and tail. They have nictitating membranes to protect the eyes. The nostrils, eyes, and ears are situated on the top of the head, so the rest of the body can remain concealed if necessary. Fals have highly accentuated brow and nasal ridges and eyes that are slightly smaller than those of a human. They have edgy teeth for tearing meat; and rather powerful jaws, but molars have also developed at the back of their mouths for their relatively recent herbivorous dietary addition. Being an originally carnivorous species, Fals have claws on their fingers and toes. They are short and rather thick, but are customarily sharpened nonetheless.
Life cycle
During the mating season, males attract females by showing off their body and face, exhaling deeply, making deep grunts, and a variety of other noises. A large range of courting customs is also implemented to maximise success. The larger, and bluer males of a population tend to be more successful at this. Once a female has been attracted, the pair seclude themselves and perform copulation. After mating, the couple often remains together until the death of one, but exceptions do occur. Females lay their eggs about two months after mating. Traditionally, the female puts the usually one or two eggs in a heap of rotting vegetation. The hatchlings start to make a high-pitched chirping noise before hatching, which is the signal for the mother to rip open the nest. The parents may pick up the eggs to help crack the shell and release their offspring. Hatchlings are about 40 cm long at birth, and grow somewhat faster than human babies do. The new mother will usually protect her offspring for up to twenty years. Sick, weak, and mentally or physically disordered hatchlings are often left to die, in accordance with all of the Fals cultures.
Compared with humans for which childbirth is dangerous, the laying of eggs for Fals is practically riskless. In contrast, hatchlings and very young Fals have a higher death rate because of their extremely curious and energetic nature at these ages, causing infant mortality rates to be 20/1000. Typically, infants are around 5 kg in weight and 40 cm in height when they hatch. As humans, Fals are helpless at birth, though this passes quickly when their primitive instincts kick in.
For males, the onset of sexual maturity occurs when they are about 20 years old, while for females, it occurs roughly when they reach the age of 17, under normal conditions. Females continue to develop physically until around the age of 21, whereas male development continues until around age 24. The Fals life span can be split into a number of stages: infancy, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood and old age. The lengths of these stages, however, have varied across cultures and time periods. Healthy Fals are fertile until the end of their lives. On average, women live about two years shorter than men. The life expectancy at birth of a girl is estimated at 76,2 years compared to 78,8 for a boy. The median age of the population Fals is estimated to be between 20 and 25 years, making it so that estimates show a spike in population growth for the next generations. Some Fals experience freak longevity. In the last century, at least three persons were known to have reached the age of 120, of which the eldest died at 132.