Species Spotlight: Chelosian
A breakdown and reference for my Chelosian original species.
Chelosians are a reptilian bipedal sapient species that loosely resemble ceratopsian dinosaurs or turtles. They have short-beaked faces with versatile teeth in the rear of the mouth. Male age-morphs develop short tusks, combat claws on thumbs and hallux (big toe), spines on upper limbs and nape, and loose wattles on the neck; these traits are holdovers from ancestor species where males competed in intraspecific combat during breeding seasons. Female age-morphs are larger overall and develop ornamental frills and noticeable fat deposits in their torso and tail. Their legs are plantigrade, their hands and feet have 5 digits with claws and minor webbing. Their hallux is slightly opposable. Their tails reach to the knees or further but do not touch ground. They are used for communication and calorie storage but are not prehensile. Scales on the back are thickly keratinized and form a flexible shell-like surface in adults. For male-morphs, this shell is studded with spines. Scale colours range from reds through to brown into greens. Distinct patterning is rare but mottled colouring is common, scale colours will sometimes shift as an individual transitions between sex morphs.
Chelosians are sequential hermaphrodites. Chelosians are “male-morph” upon reaching sexual maturity and remain so for ~50 cycles before transitioning to “female-morph” stage and undergoing development of different secondary sexual characteristics, shedding tusks and growing cartilaginous frills. They remain fecund for another 40-60 cycles before entering a geriatric maturity stage. They have no cultural basis for sex-assigned or gender identities, instead a Chelosian’s social identity is closer to an age-related prescribed role. They prefer neutral or neo-pronouns when speaking in Galactic Standard, and have age- and relation-determined pronouns/honourifics in their native Cheloan.
Chelosians are omnivorous and semi-warm-blooded, allowing them to survive most in climates in the known habitable range, though they tend to favour temperate or warmer habitats. Chelosians have an unusual ability to ‘throttle’ their metabolism, easily adapting to a lower calorie intake or colder climate without suffering starvation or torpor. Due to this quirk, they are also able to sequester and excrete most common pollutants and heavy metals, allowing them to work in environments hazardous to many other species. As a result, many Chelosians can be found in hazardous materials or maintenance work positions and are also often among the “founder” populations of new space station habitats.
