Post by TiJiL on Jun 17, 2003 16:40:37 GMT -5
Twassecc Anatomy
Nervous System:
The nervous system of a twassecc, while not extremely noteworthy, is still, in some respects, unique. A typical twassecc uses over 98% of its brain, granting twasseccs incredible intelligence. They think fast, can remember many things, and multitask with amazing precision. Another interesting thing to consider about the twassecc brain is that special glands in the skull secrete proteins that aid in repairing and regrowing the brain. Therefore, unlike most species, twassecc brain damage is rarely permanent. A new medical company on the Flagship is trying to bottle these secretions and utilize them in other species, to aid in cranial injuries.
Respitory System:
Twassecc lungs are large, and designed to allow the twassecc to physically exert itself for extended periods of time without fear of exhaustion. The lungs are designed to breathe at different times, allowing a constant stream of air in and out of the twassecc. The cycle works thusly; First, the twassecc inhales through his nose or mouth, taking air in through the trachea and into one of the lungs. The necessary oxygen is removed from the air, and the remainder is sent back out through the twassecc’s neck-slits. While this air is being forced out, a new breath is drawn through the nostrils or mouth again, sending air to the idle lung. This keeps both lungs busy at different points of the cycle, and makes life with only one lung fully possible for a twassecc. (Though not healthy, of course)
Circulatory System:
Twasseccs have 3 hearts. The largest is in the center of the chest, just in front of the spine. This heart serves as the main propulsion for twassecc blood in the body. Just above and to either side, however, twasseccs have two smaller hearts, which serve to keep the blood moving at a healthy rate. It is important to understand how twasseccs supply their cells to understand this system. Twasseccs require oxygen like most organisms. Their blood, normally a deep, royal blue, can only successfully carry a certain amount of oxygen. When twassecc blood comes into contact with too much oxygen, the blood will revert to a bright orange color, and cease to benefit the body in any way. The main harm that this does to the twassecc is the blood cells become bloated, and will rupture capillary walls as they go through, causing massive internal bleeding. Cells cannot receive oxygen from over oxygenated blood, and a gruesome (if effective) manner of killing a twassecc is merely injecting oxygen into its torso. So, many systems in the twassecc’s body are designed to keep the blood from doing this. First of all, special carrier cells line the lungs, which take only small amounts of oxygen from the lungs, and distribute it evenly among the blood cells moving by. More importantly, however, the auxiliary hearts for a twassecc remove and store excess oxygen from the blood, albeit at a very slow rate. This stored oxygen is slowly loaded back into the blood when the oxygen level has come to a safe level. Therefore, it is very important that all of a twassecc’s blood gets sent through an auxiliary heart, to prevent damage to the system. So, newly oxygenated blood is taken by the main heart and pumped to one of the auxiliary hearts. Those hearts sift the blood as it goes through, and propel it through the body. Blood returns directly to the central heart.
Digestive System:
Twassecc digestive systems are also very precise, in order to prevent over-oxygenation. Normally, a twassecc’s stomach is completely closed off and possesses no empty space, to prevent air from becoming captured internally. When a twassecc eats, the food is sent to the stomach with a powerful muscular action, and the stomach compresses immediately, expelling all gasses from within it. (This is why twasseccs are biologically required to belch after eating). The stomach will, as quickly as possible, do preliminary digestion and destroy any pathogens on the food, and then the nutrients will be pumped into a round digestion chamber (essentially a widened intestine.) There, the blood will absorb the nutrition it can find, and any waste (although there is little) is expelled.
Endocrine and Immune Systems
Originally a forest species, twasseccs do have a rather effective immune system, that works like that in most mammals. However, with their amazing leaps in technology, their immune systems are becoming vestigial, and a comparison between a Minthropian twassecc and a space twassecc would find that the Minthropian has approximately four times the phagocytes of a space faring twassecc of similar size.
Reproductive System
Twasseccs become sexually mature at approximately 15 twassecc years (about 60 human years.) Typically, twassecc females would select the males by how vibrant their plumage is, and how healthy they appear. Now, while nearly ever twassecc is very healthy, the maintenance of their protofeathers has become a tremendous cultural priority for twasseccs. Especially for the males, twasseccs are ever careful to keep their protofeathers as straight and vibrant as possible, and regard brightly colored ‘hair’ as extremely attractive. Fertilization occurs internally, like most reptiles, and after a series long gestation period, the female will lay an indefinable amount of eggs. Female twasseccs possess great power over their unborn offspring, and can choose (within reason) how many they have, and what genders they will be. Some even claim that they were able to select their unborn child’s personality and other such features while the eggs developed within them, but this has remained unresearched. Regardless, the female’s power over her offspring is not 100% effective, but does have a high success rate. A twassecc egg is amniotic, and very unique. Rather than just being a capsule for the embryo to develop within, a twassecc egg is actually the infant. When laid, the eggs are about 4 inches long, but, in the next series or two, the egg will expand to approximately a foot in height. The egg will take in air through minute holes in its shell, and will secrete a viscous liquid to digest surrounding organic matter, then draw it back in. Therefore, twassecc eggs are always kept on a bed of plant matter, and are kept warm and in a well ventilated area. After about a series, the shell will begin to dissolve, and a young twassecc will free itself from the amniotic sac that remains.
Skeletal and Muscle Systems:
Twassecc skeletons are rigid and rather unremarkable among reptiles. Their muscles, like most reptiles, possess amazing strength but only very limited endurance. Therefore, a twassecc against a comparatively sized human would always win an arm-wrestling match, but never win a marathon.
Sensory Systems:
No twassecc sense particularly shines anymore. Considering how the species has left its natural habitat and expanded its technology to such massive degrees, its sensory systems are becoming slowly atrophied. A twassecc’s eyes are stereoscopically placed, which gives them wonderful depth perception (and therefore aim), but their senses of smell, hearing, and touch are all mediocre at best.
Neck slits:
The aforementioned neck-slits not only serve the twassecc’s respiratory system, but also serve as a cooling device, akin to panting. When a twassecc becomes too warm, the slots will open wider and secrete water within themselves, cooling the twassecc as air passes through them.
Protofeathers:
Twassecc protofeathers rest upon the top of their head, and, in most cases, run down their back and onto their shoulders. Like most avians, they have great control over the position of their protofeathers, and can ‘comb’ them by merely raising them all up, correcting their position, and flattening them back down.
Anatomical Statistics:
Average height: 2 meters
Average weight: 190 lbs (male), 140 lbs (female)
Top speed: 30 mpe (About 20 mph)
Sexual Maturity: 15 twassecc years (About 60 human years)
Lifespan: 76 twassecc years (About 304 human years)
Intelligence: Approximately 400 IQ average
Nervous System:
The nervous system of a twassecc, while not extremely noteworthy, is still, in some respects, unique. A typical twassecc uses over 98% of its brain, granting twasseccs incredible intelligence. They think fast, can remember many things, and multitask with amazing precision. Another interesting thing to consider about the twassecc brain is that special glands in the skull secrete proteins that aid in repairing and regrowing the brain. Therefore, unlike most species, twassecc brain damage is rarely permanent. A new medical company on the Flagship is trying to bottle these secretions and utilize them in other species, to aid in cranial injuries.
Respitory System:
Twassecc lungs are large, and designed to allow the twassecc to physically exert itself for extended periods of time without fear of exhaustion. The lungs are designed to breathe at different times, allowing a constant stream of air in and out of the twassecc. The cycle works thusly; First, the twassecc inhales through his nose or mouth, taking air in through the trachea and into one of the lungs. The necessary oxygen is removed from the air, and the remainder is sent back out through the twassecc’s neck-slits. While this air is being forced out, a new breath is drawn through the nostrils or mouth again, sending air to the idle lung. This keeps both lungs busy at different points of the cycle, and makes life with only one lung fully possible for a twassecc. (Though not healthy, of course)
Circulatory System:
Twasseccs have 3 hearts. The largest is in the center of the chest, just in front of the spine. This heart serves as the main propulsion for twassecc blood in the body. Just above and to either side, however, twasseccs have two smaller hearts, which serve to keep the blood moving at a healthy rate. It is important to understand how twasseccs supply their cells to understand this system. Twasseccs require oxygen like most organisms. Their blood, normally a deep, royal blue, can only successfully carry a certain amount of oxygen. When twassecc blood comes into contact with too much oxygen, the blood will revert to a bright orange color, and cease to benefit the body in any way. The main harm that this does to the twassecc is the blood cells become bloated, and will rupture capillary walls as they go through, causing massive internal bleeding. Cells cannot receive oxygen from over oxygenated blood, and a gruesome (if effective) manner of killing a twassecc is merely injecting oxygen into its torso. So, many systems in the twassecc’s body are designed to keep the blood from doing this. First of all, special carrier cells line the lungs, which take only small amounts of oxygen from the lungs, and distribute it evenly among the blood cells moving by. More importantly, however, the auxiliary hearts for a twassecc remove and store excess oxygen from the blood, albeit at a very slow rate. This stored oxygen is slowly loaded back into the blood when the oxygen level has come to a safe level. Therefore, it is very important that all of a twassecc’s blood gets sent through an auxiliary heart, to prevent damage to the system. So, newly oxygenated blood is taken by the main heart and pumped to one of the auxiliary hearts. Those hearts sift the blood as it goes through, and propel it through the body. Blood returns directly to the central heart.
Digestive System:
Twassecc digestive systems are also very precise, in order to prevent over-oxygenation. Normally, a twassecc’s stomach is completely closed off and possesses no empty space, to prevent air from becoming captured internally. When a twassecc eats, the food is sent to the stomach with a powerful muscular action, and the stomach compresses immediately, expelling all gasses from within it. (This is why twasseccs are biologically required to belch after eating). The stomach will, as quickly as possible, do preliminary digestion and destroy any pathogens on the food, and then the nutrients will be pumped into a round digestion chamber (essentially a widened intestine.) There, the blood will absorb the nutrition it can find, and any waste (although there is little) is expelled.
Endocrine and Immune Systems
Originally a forest species, twasseccs do have a rather effective immune system, that works like that in most mammals. However, with their amazing leaps in technology, their immune systems are becoming vestigial, and a comparison between a Minthropian twassecc and a space twassecc would find that the Minthropian has approximately four times the phagocytes of a space faring twassecc of similar size.
Reproductive System
Twasseccs become sexually mature at approximately 15 twassecc years (about 60 human years.) Typically, twassecc females would select the males by how vibrant their plumage is, and how healthy they appear. Now, while nearly ever twassecc is very healthy, the maintenance of their protofeathers has become a tremendous cultural priority for twasseccs. Especially for the males, twasseccs are ever careful to keep their protofeathers as straight and vibrant as possible, and regard brightly colored ‘hair’ as extremely attractive. Fertilization occurs internally, like most reptiles, and after a series long gestation period, the female will lay an indefinable amount of eggs. Female twasseccs possess great power over their unborn offspring, and can choose (within reason) how many they have, and what genders they will be. Some even claim that they were able to select their unborn child’s personality and other such features while the eggs developed within them, but this has remained unresearched. Regardless, the female’s power over her offspring is not 100% effective, but does have a high success rate. A twassecc egg is amniotic, and very unique. Rather than just being a capsule for the embryo to develop within, a twassecc egg is actually the infant. When laid, the eggs are about 4 inches long, but, in the next series or two, the egg will expand to approximately a foot in height. The egg will take in air through minute holes in its shell, and will secrete a viscous liquid to digest surrounding organic matter, then draw it back in. Therefore, twassecc eggs are always kept on a bed of plant matter, and are kept warm and in a well ventilated area. After about a series, the shell will begin to dissolve, and a young twassecc will free itself from the amniotic sac that remains.
Skeletal and Muscle Systems:
Twassecc skeletons are rigid and rather unremarkable among reptiles. Their muscles, like most reptiles, possess amazing strength but only very limited endurance. Therefore, a twassecc against a comparatively sized human would always win an arm-wrestling match, but never win a marathon.
Sensory Systems:
No twassecc sense particularly shines anymore. Considering how the species has left its natural habitat and expanded its technology to such massive degrees, its sensory systems are becoming slowly atrophied. A twassecc’s eyes are stereoscopically placed, which gives them wonderful depth perception (and therefore aim), but their senses of smell, hearing, and touch are all mediocre at best.
Neck slits:
The aforementioned neck-slits not only serve the twassecc’s respiratory system, but also serve as a cooling device, akin to panting. When a twassecc becomes too warm, the slots will open wider and secrete water within themselves, cooling the twassecc as air passes through them.
Protofeathers:
Twassecc protofeathers rest upon the top of their head, and, in most cases, run down their back and onto their shoulders. Like most avians, they have great control over the position of their protofeathers, and can ‘comb’ them by merely raising them all up, correcting their position, and flattening them back down.
Anatomical Statistics:
Average height: 2 meters
Average weight: 190 lbs (male), 140 lbs (female)
Top speed: 30 mpe (About 20 mph)
Sexual Maturity: 15 twassecc years (About 60 human years)
Lifespan: 76 twassecc years (About 304 human years)
Intelligence: Approximately 400 IQ average
