Species study: Jaffean
Species study: Jaffean* Home planet- Jaffea* Average height- 181 cm (male), 159 cm (female)* Average weight- 79 kg (male), 69 kg (female)* Modern life expectancy- 120 Jaffean years (200 Earth years)* Earth analogue- Felidae, Homo Sapiens* Percent population of UAS (as of 2160 galactic population census)- 60.07%Jaffeans are a bipedal, humanoid sentient species originating from the frigid world known as Jaffea. The derivative name for their species comes from their primary language system. "Jaffea" translates into "homeland"; "Jaffean," therefore, translates into "inhabitant of the homeland," thus leading to their rather uninventive self-appointed species designation.The species is known for exhibiting a blend of humanoid and feline features in their physiology. The species exhibits bipedalism and an exceptionally well-developed cranium in keeping with the species' intelligence. However, key departures from the human form are evident in the bone structure as well as some genetic aspects. Jaffeans have a unique bone structure which allows them to walk in a digitigrade gait without injuring their joints as it would in humans; this equates to them having paw pads on the front of the sole and under the toes. Their bilaterally symmetric bodies have two legs and two arms in resemblance to the human form. Both the arms and the legs have four extremities, each one equipped with a voluntarily retractable internal claw, the length of each said claw approximately three centimetres (at adult age). The presence of the claw renders external fingernails obsolete; consequently, Jaffean fingers and toes are completely smooth externally. The species has a thick fur coat to keep them warm on their frigid world which can assume a tremendous variety of colours and patterns. Jaffean genetics creates a vast array of possible colour spectra for both their fur coats and the hair which grows on their scalps. The fur may range in colour and pattern from a deep jet black and spotted to neon pink and splotched with a random assortment of rainbow colours. The hair may also possess unusual colours and patterns: Fhajv Wellinst, for example, the Jaffean representative in the Interstellar Parliament, has short brown hair punctuated with bright rings of cyan, though it is completely natural and not dyed in any way. Jaffeans are most closely associated with the Earth family Felidae as well as Homo Sapiens. Key anatomical details, however, distinguish them from both of these families. Jaffean reproductive structures, for example, are more in keeping with canines than felines. Their feet and hands are also different than that of humans. The feet are essentially identical to that of cats in all but size, being symmetrical (i.e. the left foot and right foot are identical) and having soft paw pads on the front of the
sole and toes; they are also tetradactyl. The hands are tetradactyl, as well, resembling a blend of the cat paw and the human hand, having soft paw pads on the palm and on the fingertips.Physically, the species is more muscular and physically adept than humans. The muscle density of Jaffeans outpaces humans by a small but noticeable amount, leading to a noticeably (but not significantly) higher body mass per metre squared. They are more adept at physical challenges, but they suffer a notable disadvantage when compared to humans: Overheating. Most Jaffeans, as aforementioned, have very thick coats of fur which prevent loss of heat on their frigid planet (which grosses an average temperature of -16° Celsius). Consequently, due to a lack of heat, sweat glands would be redundant and rather useless; the species, therefore, lacks them. As such, their only methods of heat expulsion are their large feline ears (which contain voluntarily-controllable cooling vents, somewhat similar to desert foxes) and dog-like panting. Jaffeans who live in the equatorial region of Jaffea- which in some regions form dry deserts- typically lack fur coats, making their overheating problems easier to deal with; their lack of sweat glands, however, is still problematic when reaching levels of high heat.Jaffeans also vary in their anatomies slightly depending on their place of origin. Those from the equatorial deserts, for example, tend to lack tails and fur coats, instead resembling hairless and tailless felines. Those from the northern hemisphere tend to resemble a snow leopard-esque anatomy with long, bushy tails of length approximately 2/3 body height. Those from the southern hemisphere tend to resemble bob-tailed felines with light fur coats, having a stronger resemblance to lynxes than leopards as is common in the north. Culturally, Jaffeans are as diverse as humans are. The culture of the United Ascendancy of Stars is somewhat reminiscent of the culture of the French, a human ethnic group from Earth. The UAS has extraordinarily strict gender roles, making behaviours such as transgenderism and homosexuality highly frowned upon to the point of being a taboo. The UAS is also somewhat of an imperialistic society, manipulating colonists and being economically and socially self-centred. In 2121, upon discovering Kenda (a human colony world, twelve light years from Earth and eighty-four light years from Jaffea), humanity's refusal to submit to the Ascendancy's rule led to a horrible war during which humanity was almost pushed to the edge of extinction. There has been a truce since 2142, however, but hostilities between both humans and outraged alien colonists- who are mostly peaceful- is still a plague in the central government of the UAS.