Karnasaur

Karnasaur
An artist's depiction of the Karnasaur, Etah Owar.
General information
Status	thriving
Homeworld	Karnas
Type	Reptile
Symmetry	Bilateral
Diet	Carnivore
Lifespan	140 years
Other distinctions	Black scales

Karnasaurs are a highly intelligent species saurian in appearance. They were once thought to be extinct until the Galactic Senate discovered new factions in the Scutum-Centaurus Arm such as the Sacred Federation of the Praetori.

Physiology

Karnasaurs are relatively humanoid and possess four limbs: two arms and two legs. However, their mouth is animalistic in appearance consisting of long jaws, and their skin appears black. Unlike most reptiles, their body temperature remains fairly constant, and they possess micro-scales.

Their eyes are grey with a yellow iris which are adept to vision at night. Karnasaurs evolved as a mid-tier carnivore; they were prey to some of Karnas's larger creatures for a long time, and thus evolved eyes on the sides of their head at a position to allow for practical binocular vision as well as wide peripheral vision.

As Karnasaurs cannot ingest plants, their diet consists entirely of meat.

Maturity cycle

Unusually, Karnasaurs age rather slowly which was an adaption towards their hostile environment. Hatchlings gained hunting and hiding skills early on to assist the pack as a whole from birth, since the pack needed the help during the day. Albeit, mothers kept close eye on the hatchlings and wrymlings, but every member of the pack was expected to hunt, in a pre-frontal cortex social aspect kind of way.

1. Egg for about a year

2. Hatchling for the first 3 years. Hatchlings are born with the ability to eat solids and learn to walk and talk during this time.

3. Wrymling: from 3-10. This is the time when youths learn to fly and recieve basic, formal education from age 4-5

4. Wrym: from 10-20. This is the time equivalent to upper teen years. Wryms become sexually active (ergo the cultural requirement to find a mate at this time) and diverge sexually. Males gain muscle mass and a new set of claws and teeth, along with deepened voices. Females grow more curvy as a result of the reproduction system becoming more biologically demanding, along with increased flexibility (they evolved having to care for the young and search for prey simultaneously).

5. Youngling: from 20-30. This is a young adult stage. Younglings have an adventurous mind and typically work as soldiers, explorers, traders, etc, anything that means lots of sights. Since they're mated at this point, they typically work with their mates and move as a couple.

6. Adult: from 30-79. After a century or so, a youngling pair will grow tired of adventuring and settle down in a more stable, stationary position and find a home. They will also begin raising a family of their own at this point, typically around the late 30s. By the 50s, they will see drastic biological breakdown from their younger days; Females lose their curves and become stiff, males start loosing muscle mass, and both genders see a loss of sexual potency; Equivalent to menopause or ED.

7. Elder: from 80-Death. Elders are the old people of Sauren society. They usually retire to a private location, many are rather wealthy, and a few start careers in politics to sail out their last years. Elders from all genders see biological breakdown at an accelerated scale. Though Karnasaurs don't suffer from arthritis as we know it, the past few centuries will take their toll on joint functionality. In addition, elders see a lose of muscle strength, eyesight, hearing, mobility, and learning rate. Still, as a race of hunters, elders are much more capable than most human retirees.

Primal history

During the Sauren primal age, Karnasaurs were actually far down the food chain a good while. They mainly existed in a large valley near Sauris, where it was so thickly vegetated and so protected by mountains, it was an eternal night. Karnasaurs, adapted for such darkness, thrived here, but those who left were easily spotted by predators adapted for light.

However, an asteroid that is now Karnas' moon caused a gravitational event that altered Karnas' tilt, causing night cycles to increase permanently with decreased day cycles. The Karnasaurs thrived in the new, elongated nights, and became the dominant predator across the continent as a result.

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