Intro To: Vostrakka
Vostrakka (plural: Vostrakka) are one of the main original species in Starboard Forward!
Biology
Vostrakka are a humanoid arthropod species. They are hexapods, with two sturdy hind legs they stand on and two pairs of arms, the larger pair attached at the shoulders and the secondary smaller pair attached lower and closer to the back.
They have three digits on each hand; two fingers and a thumb.
They have thick protective chitin plates covering their bodies except for the segmented neck and tail which tend to be fleshy under the "fur".
The neck and tail are covered with long setae, giving them a fluffy appearance
Their hind feet have three toes, two in front and one at the heel
At the end of their tail is a pair of pinchers.
They have chewing type mouthparts similar to weevils located on the underside of the snout near the end. On their head is two large compound eyes with pupil-like eyespots. These are often stylized in official art to be more expressive but they do not possess eyelids.
They possess a pair of antennae on the top of their head.
Vostrakka are single sexed and all individuals with decent fertility are capable of siring or laying eggs.
Respiration is done through four large spiracle nostrils located beneath the arms. Air is drawn in through these and into a pair of proto-lungs within the chest cavity. The chest chitin has a split down the center and between it and the thorax with soft tissues inbetween to allow the chest to expand and contract
Their chitin is covered in miniscule setae, similar to human peachfuzz. This setae is how they sense touch
They can be in pretty much any color, though typically the soft tissue between their chitin plates are lighter than the surrounding chitin and their fur tends to be the more vibrant color on their bodies.Their eyes, pedipalps and antennae tend to be the same color or similar colors. They can have a white spotting gene although this is less common. Melanism and albinism also occurs rarely.
Their life cycle begins with an egg, which hatches into a larvae. They pupate at about 3 years of age, now resembling the adult form with a paler exoskeleton.
Vostrakka live around the same lifespan as humans, on average living to 80-90 years with a known maximum of 135.
Genetics
There are two main forms of Vostrakka body type, stout and long.
Long Vostrakka stand around 6'5"-11' tall on average with necks and tails around the same length. Stout Vostrakka have a more compact frame, standing at an average height of 4'-5'5". Their tails are noticeably shorter at around 2'6"-3'6" in length.
Vostrakka are extremely genetically diverse with a large variation in antennae and pincher shapes, color, and eyespot shape(typically a plus, four pointed star, rounded rectangle, rounded square, oval, or circle)
Their neck consists of a single segment and is extremely short. (edited)
Stout and long genes are not mutually exclusive however and there are plenty of Vostrakka who inherit traits from both, such as a tall Vostrakka with a short neck or a short Vostrakka like Goose(orange Vostrakka pictured above) with a long neck and tail.
Society
Vostrakka are a communal species much like humans and live in villages or cities depending on which one suits the individual. children are raised somewhat communally, often carried in the neck fur of trusted adults.
Gender is not a concept in Vostrakkan culture and most will use They/Them or other neutral pronouns. Those living with humans or other gendered species will often choose a different set of pronouns as self expression, although it is usually considered an aspect of style to them. The main exception to this is Vostrakka raised by/alongside a gendered culture. These individuals typically do grow to have their own sense of gender identity from the culture they were raised in.
Communication
Vostrakkan vocalizations are limited to clicks and shrill grinding of the mouthparts. These vocalizations are typically emotional and used to express stress, anger, joy, and fear. Vocalizatons are typically subconscious.
The main method of communication for Vostrakka is four-armed sign.
The upper two arms are the “main” arms of the vostrakka. The hands on these arms are used to sign nouns and verbs.
The smaller, lower set of arms are the “secondary” arms. These hands are used to modify the nouns and verbs signed by the upper arms by simultaneous signing to indicate verb tense, adjectives, and pronouns.
Signing is a rhythmic action due to the clicking of the finger chitin and when accompanying music it acts as both the lyrics and percussion.