Exosapien

Humans who have evolved a protective layer of natural armor that grows on top of their skin. Due to this, their visage appear arthropodal in the general shape of a humanoid figure.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Exosapiens generally have a humanoid morphology with the exception of the aforementioned natural armor covering their body. Due to added weight, their muscular structure have also adapted, making them look much bulkier than a baseline human. Segments and plates of thick keratin shells cover almost the entirety of their bodies. The skin under their hands and finger however are exposed. Their mouth consists of three layers. An external hard shelled "beak" used for biting down harder material, the human lips, used for pulling in food and speaking, and finally the inner teeth. They do not grow hair or facial hair. Instead, horn like structures protrude from various parts of their head with males growing more horns beneath their lower jaw.

Biological Traits

Their skin grows segments of keratin shells all over their bodies. It reforms when damaged and regrows if removed. Several horns protrude through out their heads with the most concentration of them located on top of their heads. Due to their increased weight, their muscles have adapted to compensate, making them more muscular. Their shells also feature various textures, colors, patterns and markings, depending on their ethnicity, biome of origin and lineage. Their digestive system have evolved to digest tougher material.

Genetics and Reproduction

Exosapiens reproduce the same way as humans do. Babies gestate in the mother's womb for 9 months and gives birth to live young.

Growth Rate & Stages

Baby exosapien are born without their shells. They look just like any human baby would apart from the fact they are devoid of hair. Not even the top of their head and eyebrows have hair. During their childhood days, their cranial shell will start to develop, growing where a baseline human's hair and eyebrows would be. The major change starts during later childhood to early adolescence. At this point, their skin gradually becomes leathery which eventually culminates into plate segments of keratin shells. At late teens, they would gradually molt their youngling shells away, giving way to their adult shells.

Ecology and Habitats

Exosapiens are often found on dry climates or heavily forested areas though they are quite capable of living in other places like humans do.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Although still omnivorous, exosapiens have evolved to consume and digest harder foods more efficiently than a baseline human can.

Biological Cycle

Exosapien horns continually grow in size and length throughout their lives. As such horn grooming is a common practice among their kind, similar to how humans regularly clip and their nails and hair before they become too long. Should an exosapien ever damage their shells or, in severe cases, had a plate of their shell removed, a new one will eventually grow to replace it. Usually after several months depending on which plate was damaged or removed. During this period the exposed inner skin is light sensitive and prone to sunburns. Due to this, exosapiens would often cover the exposed area to avoid this discomfort.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Exosapien shells and horns have been known to be used as material components for various decorative objects and apparels as well as building materials used for housing and walls. Weapons and armor made from this material have also been documented. Particularly among primitive settlements. Exosapiens are among the most frequent sources of material used in making chitin armor.

Facial characteristics

Exosapien faces are smooth and "mask-like" with their face shell separated from upper to lower jaw.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Though generally as versatile as baseline humans, exosapiens tend to settle near dry areas and dense forest areas.

Average Intelligence

Exosapiens are just as intelligent as humans.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They possess almost all the sensory organs that their parent species have with some having been replaced with another due to their altered forms. Their sense of touch have now become dulled apart from some of their exposed portions of their soft flesh like their lips, tongue and the skin under their hands. Instead their bodies have evolved a series of microscopic vibration sensitive follicles protruding from their shells and joints to detect nearby movement and wind direction.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Unhealthy exosapiens are known to carry keratin eating parasites. They can usually be identified by their hole filled shells.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Though similar to most human naming traditions, exosapiens have access to unique sounds only they could make due to their external beaks. Due to this, some exosapien names are hard to pronounce.

Beauty Ideals

Apart from general human standards of beauty; Well kempt horns and a full set of untarnished shells are what exosapiens generally consider beautiful. Color pattern, shell texture and marking is subjective as different ethnicities vary in preference from one another. Horn styling is a popular practice among exosapiens, similar to how human would style their hair. This is usually done by guiding the growth development of their horn using hardened tubes, files and bone saws. Sawing horns to their stumps is what they consider as "bald" in human comparison.

Courtship Ideals

Exosapiens can't kiss like humans can due to their facial shell. Instead they'll use their tongues to "feel each other". Hand holding for long periods of time and caressing your partner with your palm is also considered an intimate act due to the fact that an exosapien's palms and fingers are one of their few spots in the body that can feel more.

Common Etiquette Rules

Bowing to make contact with another's cranial horns is a form of greeting and also a sign of respect. Shaking the hands of an exosapien is seen among their kind as a bit inappropriate. Among exosapien youth, bumping each other's forearm or shin shells is a popular greeting.

Common Dress Code

Exosapiens don't generally wear soft clothes such as fabric, especially loose fitted ones, due to the fact that the fabrics tend to get caught in between their shell segments. Instead they opt for stiffer or thicker materials like leather, fur or latex. Mainly to cover their private parts.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Humans have often called exosapiens as the "bug people", "insectfolk" or "crabmen" due to their visual similarities with arthropods, even though they are still essentially a mammalian species. Regardless of name calling, they are still generally welcomed in human settlements though discrimination still happens in some human colonies.
Despite their visual similarities, exosapiens have found it a bit of a challenge to integrate with insectoid or reptilian colonies. Mainly because their hearts and minds are still essentially human; They find it hard to relate in their strange ways. On the other end, insectoid and reptilian races perceive the exosapiens with a bit of confusion; They look like them yet they do not act like them.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human

Conservation Status

Exosapiens are relatively common in the galaxy though not the most populous human descendant species out there.

Average Physique

Bulky

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Exosapiens come in a variety of colors, shell textures and markings. Spots, patches,stripes and even patternless are common. Usually their ethnicity and lineage influences what their overall appearance. Beneath their shells are pinkish to pale skin due to the lack of melanin.