Kana'ōnah

Kana'ōnah (pl./sing.)

Basic Information

Anatomy

A therapod-like species with dark feathers, short tail, long muscular legs, and large claws on each hand.

Genetics and Reproduction

Kano'ōnah are oviparous, laying a clutch of 2-4 eggs which are incubated in groound-based nests. The nests are attended to by the males, who monitor the temperature and rotate the eggs to ensure they stay at an optimal warmth.

Growth Rate & Stages

Kana'ōnah are nearly independent at hatching, instinctively able to catch and eat insects and small vertebrates, but are reliant on their parents to protect them from predators, provide food, and regulate temperature. The hatchlings grow rapidly and the parents are obliged to forage constatly to keep up with their demands for food.

Ecology and Habitats

Originally from Aeho'ai, kana'ōnah have spread to almost all islands and costal settlements between $latitude_x and $latitude_y. They are adept at river and coastal fishing and have extensively landscaped the coasts of Aeho'ai to balance a healthy marine environment with industrial shallow-water fishing.
Due to the population's reliance on seafood, the waters around Aeho'ai are some of the cleanest and most carefully managed in the world.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Obligate carnivores, kana'ōnah's native diet comprises almost entirely of seafood - fish and crustaceans, turtle eggs, marine reptiles and mammals, and kelp - but they have also domesticated small livestock such as guineapigs, rabbits, and even fowl.
Kana'ōnah are incapable of tasting sugar, and their preferred cuisine is primarily hot, sour and umami flavours.

Biological Cycle

All kana'ōnah are female at birth, naturally becoming male as they pass middle age, in a process colloquially known as 'moulting'.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Kana'ōnah have  number of adaptations geared towards shallow water fishing. The most prominent are a pair of 1-2 inch long barbels protruding from the chin. These are electrosensitive and aid in finding food in mud and shallow water.
Less obvious are a secondary pair of eyes located in front and below the main eyes. During normal activity, these are closed and hidden within the dark plumage, but open during hunting. The retina of these fishing eyes contain a filter that polarises light, efficiently removing the surface glare of water.

Civilization and Culture

Culture and Cultural Heritage

The kana'ōnan lifecycle has spawned a philosophy that maturity and civilisation is something that is not inherent, and must be taught and preserved in the face of adversity. Cultures with strong kana'ōnan influences value community, self-restraint, and education. They encourage their members not to take offence at the actions of those who do not know better, and to forgive past transgressions of both the self and others, provided the individual acknowledges and makes restitution for them.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Kana'ōnah communities tend to be offputting and opaque due to the rigid social rules, but larger population centres are more welcoming of incomers. To be fully included in kana'ōnan society requires an applicant to be tutored in the appropriate customs and manners until they understand what is expected of them. Non-kana'ōnah are given a foster family to help them make this transition.

by Kiabugboy

Male with young

by Apsaravis

Young female

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Kana'ōnah

Genetic Descendants

• Kana'ōnah
• Magen

Scientific Name

bæga franybaref

Lifespan

60 years

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Hatchling

Downy plumage. Dark green with black mottling

Juvenile

Adult plumage. Dark green-black. Some mottling still visible on head and legs.

Adult female

Iridescent black with a white belly

Adult male

Iridescent black, with neon blue feather edging and a crest.

Related Myths

• Ktú the undying
• Tci the Seer/the Quicksilver Egg