Hammerharks

Basic Information

Anatomy

Tall and long-limbed, with two arms, two legs, two eyes and a tail. Hammerharks have dense, wiry muscle, built for sprinting. The head is typically wedge-shaped with no external ear to speak of and the mouth is lipless with exposed teeth which can replace themselves throughout the hammerhark's life. The hands and feet have three digits each, with claws on both sets, and sharp ridges on the undersides of the forearms. The upper torso is slender with a rounded stomach and pelvic region.

Genetics and Reproduction

Hammerharks essentially bear live young; they "lay" a two-chambered egg sac with two young inside, but once outside of the body the sac begins to break down and the young inside can easily tear it; this usually happens within an hour or so of birth. Offspring will eat regurgitated meat provided by the parent(s), or in time periods where it was available, commercially-prepared alternatives.
Most hammerhark reproduction is the result of intercourse between a male and a female of the species. However, around 15% or so of the egg-bearing population are parthenogenetic and can spontaneously become pregnant with genetically identical offspring. They are identified as parmales, and the resulting offspring will also always be parmale.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Hammerharks are obligate carnivores, which sets them apart from the other, more omnivorous sapient species. They can and do regularly eat small amounts of other foods, including fruits, vegetables and grains, but meat still makes up 80% of their diet.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Hammerhark communities are almost universally built on social hierarchies and family bonds. They are a highly social species who prefer to live in groups comprising of extended and distant family members and frequently adopt non-blood relatives into their family units. Members of families fall into a hierarchy; the deciding factors for placement in hierarchies vary by culture but can be decided by age, wisdom, life experience and sometimes skill in certain tasks.
When hierarchies cannot be agreed on verbally, or any other issue arises that cannot be resolved through discussion, hammerharks hold spats: physical fights to determine the outcome. Spats will be observed by a mediator and governed by predetermined rules and win conditions. The degree of harm involved usually depends on the issue at hand, with more severe issues warranting more lenience regarding violence. Fights to the death, however, are reserved for only the most grave of crimes (and were illegal in most modern pre-Collapse countries, being considered murder in the eyes of the law due to the influence of other species). The murder of a foe in a non-death fight can result in the killer being banished, executed, or enduring a punishment decided by the family of the victim.

Civilization and Culture

Gender Ideals

Historically, in many hammerhark cultures, there were at least three genders, with male, female and parmale each being recognised as separate identities. Before the concepts of science and biology were brought into the world, parmales were often considered to be (or have elements of) both male and female, or to be otherwise anatomically and/or spiritually separate from males and females.
In the modern day, scientific study has debunked the myths and folklore surrounding parmales, and especially in multi-species nations, they are legally recognised as female. In practice, however, there are still cultural pockets that uphold the full range of traditional beliefs surrounding parmales, and even in pre-Collapse modern, popular culture, there was still a degree of misinformation and misunderstanding regarding parmales, and some of the most prevalent customs stood the test of time. It is not uncommon, for example, for parmales to be referred to as a neutral gender, either exclusively or alongside being referred to as female.

Lifespan

55-65 years

Average Height

2-2.5m

Average Weight

80-100kg

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Greyish browns, greens and purples; generally lightly mottled skin without clear markings. Red eyes.