A Guide to Writing Ectothermic Cardassians
First, a few disclaimers. I am not a veterinarian or a biologist, and my understanding of all of this is purely based on reading around. If I make a mistake, please correct me. Secondly, this post is written with the assumption that Cardassians are ectotherms. If thatâs not your personal head-canon, that is totally valid, but this specific post is about Cardassians as ectothermic lizards.Â
We should also talk about terminology. I will be using the word ectotherm (not âexothermâ - the first part of that word is Greek ektĂłs âoutside, externalâ, like in âectoplasmâ, not the prefix ex âfromâ, like in âexorcistâ - âexothermicâ refers to a process that is accompanied by the release of heat, like an explosion). Sometimes the term âcold-bloodedâ is used, but it is fairly imprecise, so Iâm going to go with ectothermy. Â
Letâs talk thermoregulation.
There are two pairs of words we should look at: endotherm and ectotherm, and homeotherm and poikilotherm. An endotherm maintains its body internally through its metabolism. An ectotherm does not. A homeothermâs body temperature remains stable whatever the external influence. A poikilothermâs internal temperature varies. Humans and endothermic homeotherm - we have a stable internal temperature, and it does normally not fluctuate. Even if you go outside in the freezing cold, you will still have the same core temperature. Even in extreme cold, humans can be outside if theyâre well bundled up, because our bodies work to keep warm. Generally, these pair up like so: ectotherms â poikilotherms, endotherms â homeotherms. That being said, there are ectotherms who are essentially homeotherms, as they live in places with barely any temperature fluctuation, meaning that even if they canât regulate their own body temperature, itâs already regulated around them. However, for reasons I will explain later, I think we can say with some certainty that Cardassians are poikilotherms. From now on, Iâm going to take the poikilothermy for granted and just refer to them as ectotherms.Â
What does the cold and heat do to ectotherms?Â
Often when we talk about ectotherms, we imagine that they have a target core temperature, and they are constantly fighting to maintain it. Thatâs not the case. Ectotherms are a much broader spectrum of healthy core temperatures, depending on what theyâre up to. Letâs for instance compare iguanas and humans. If a humanâs core temperature drops below 35 centigrades (95.0 degrees Fahrenheit), thatâs hypothermia. If itâs over 37.5 centigrades (99.5 degrees F), youâre either hyperthermic (overheating) or youâve got a fever (theyâre different things, as hyperthermia is externally caused). By contrast, the Galapagos marine iguanaâs normal temperature ranges between 24 and 37 degrees depending on the time of day (Butler et al. 2002). Other lizards will have even broader normal ranges.Â
As a rule of thumb, lower temperatures bring ectotherms down, higher temperatures pick them up. Warmer temperatures will make Cardassians more alert, their heart will beat faster, their breathing will pick up. By contrast, colder temperatures will make them calmer, even sluggish, their heart-rate and breathing will slow down. This will often be associated with the time of day. At night, it gets colder - the ectotherm gets sleepy. Then, it will warm up in the morning, and be very active while itâs warm.Â
Long-time exposure to temperatures that are too cold or too hot are naturally not good for anyone, even Cardassians. If theyâre stuck somewhere which is always towards the top of their comfort range or even above it, the Cardassian in question might end up feeling agitated and jittery, which will take a toll. If theyâre somewhere too cold, theyâll not have much energy, and their immune system will become impaired (so when Garak complains that it is too cold on DS9, not only is it physically uncomfortable - it makes him feel slow and unfocused, and heâs probably perpetually nursing a cold). If a Cardassian gets really cold, theyâll go into what is essentially a coma. Veterinarians used to (and some may still) use hypothermia as a form of anaesthetic when operating on ectotherms, but studies have shown that even in severe hypothermia, ectotherms can still feel pain, so itâs not seen as humane anymore. This is why I imagine that Cardassian military surgeons will use hypothermia as anaesthetic, because⊠itâs the kind of thing the Cardassian military would do.
What does ectothermy mean for Cardassian physiology and behaviour?Â
The differences between ectotherms and endotherms are profound, going down to a cellular level, so itâs not a surprise that there are going to be some big differences in how Cardassians look, function and behave. Here are some of them.Â
Cardassians donât shiver. Shivering when youâre cold is a way to regulate your own body heat by generating heat through the shivering. Ectotherms are not able to generate heat on their own. There are some niche cases where ectotherms shiver, such as some gravid pythons shivering to incubate the eggs, but it is a very small minority.Â
Cardassians donât sweat. Sweating is, again, a way for your body to regulate heat. Your body secretes fluids, which then evaporates, which in turn cools you. Cardassians wonât do this, as they donât regulate their own body-heat.Â
Cardassians bask. If you canât rely on your body to fix the heat, you get it elsewhere! This is why I said that Cardassians are poikilotherms. Also, there is canon on Cardassians basking:Â
[Image description: screencap from the episode âFor the Causeâ. Garak and Tora Ziyal are lying on stone benches on either side of some hot rocks.]
Here, it is something that is done for pleasure (and considering how cold DS9 is, I canât blame them). However, itâs likely that Cardassians also heat up, whether through basking under a heat-lamp or through some other means, in the morning to wake up properly. âDonât talk to me before Iâve had my bask.âÂ
Cardassians wonât always feel the same temperature. Garakâs skin will not always feel the same. Keep in mind that our understanding of what is warm and cold, when we use our hands, depends on our own temperature. I have poor circulation, and every time I bake Iâm surprised at how warm 37 centigrades, which is the definition of lukewarm, is. Garak will not feel cold, though he might feel cool (and isnât he cool?) Also, after a night of sleeping beside a human heâll be warmer.
Cardassians will use clothing to help maintain a comfortable temperature. Cardassians love layers, and itâs not just a fashion thing. You warm up under your heat lamp, then you put on your suits and jumpers and long-johns and whatnot, and head out into the world. You will still be losing heat, but youâll lose it slower than if you went out in a summer dress. (Just like humans, Cardassians can also keep warm by moving. Leatherback sea turtles can maintain a core temperature of 22 centigrades (77 F) in water thatâs only 8 centigrades (42 F).) Just as wearing clothes will slow heat loss, it will also mean youâll heat up slower if youâre already wearing clothes. As a result, wearing layers can be used to avoid heating up too fast or too much. Basically, Cardassians are drinks in thermos flasks, and their clothes help them trap heat or keep it away from them. Â
Cardassians donât get fevers. Instead, they develop what is called âbehavioural feverâ. When the immune system notices an infection, rather than telling the body to raise the temperature, it sends a signal to the ectotherm blaring âyou need to get warmer!â Itâs not a rational thought, but an instinct â I imagine it as an urge that they canât explain. (We know this happens because weâve observed reptiles who are ill seeking out the warmest spot possible.) The aim is essentially to create the conditions of a fever like in an endotherm but by external means. Â
Cardassians need less food than endotherms. Much of the energy endotherms extract from their food is used to maintain body temperature. Ectotherms donât do that, so they need less food. This might mean that Cardassians eat fewer meals and/or that they eat less food per sitting. Â
Cardassians change colour. This might be my favourite thing about ectotherms, and Cardassians as ectotherms. Ever noticed that the colour of the Cardassian makeup varies a lot? Sometimes theyâre pink, something theyâre greyish, sometimes theyâre just plain grey.
[Image description: Four photos of Garak. In each he has a different skin-tone, ranging from pinkish to grey.]
Some ectotherms, such as iguanas, change colour to help with thermoregulation. As any goth whoâs endured summer can tell you, darker colours soak up more heat. This can be handy if youâre an ectotherm. If they want to raise their body temperature and thereâs light, they will grow darker, thus absorbing the heat faster. If theyâre feeling too warm, they will grow pale, slowing down the rate of absorption. (This, of course, is not a conscious thing, but something that happens on a physiological level.) This is not to say that these colours are uniform across all Cardassians â one individualâs skin-tone when trying to heat up might be closer to another individualâs skin-tone when theyâre comfortable â but an individualâs skin will not always look the same.Â
This is just the bare bones, of course. A lot of the good sources on ectothermy out there are either written by veterinarians or people who keep reptiles as pets, but that will only give you the physical side of things. How are these things different for an intelligent, technologically advanced society? How much of the natural rhythm of the dayâs temperature fluctuations is maintained in a society with insulation and climate control? How are instincts such as the need to get somewhere warmer when youâre ill conceptualised? In what ways is Cardassian society different, considering things like how down-time is understood, when meals are taken etc.? I think thereâs a lot of interesting world-building potential here, and Iâd love to see more of it.Â
Sources/resources (without links because Tumblr sucks)
Anapsid .org [an absolute treasure-trove on reptiles, especially the sections labelled âHealthâ and âBehaviorâ]
Butler, PJ. et al. (2002), âThe relationship between heart rate and rate of oxygen consumption in Galapagos marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) at two different temperaturesâ in Journal of Experimental Biology 205 (13), pp. 1917â1924 DOI 10.1242/jeb.205.13.1917
Lizard101, âDo iguanas change color like chameleons?â
Petcoach, âCauses of Iguana Color Changesâ
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