Onoh
| Onoh | |
|---|---|
| |
| Fullbody sketch of an onoh. Art by Camille. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | TBD
|
| Kingdom: | Clannadozoa
|
| Phylum: | Clannadochordata
|
| Class: | Dolichoglossia
|
| Order: | Chromocephali
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| Family: | Onohformes
|
| Genus: | |
| Species: | O. formosus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Onoh formosus | |
Onoh (singular and plural; Onoh formosus) are the native sophonts of Clannad, second planet and only life harbourer around star Euterpe. They are chromocephalians, and like the rest of their clade, possess a large protuberance on their heads, the rostrum, that contains chromatophores. These are their main mode of communication, their languages consisting of sequential rostral colour changes to convey semantic meaning. Onoh are also the only sophonts known to have a diet of mostly plantlife.
Appearance
Body
The body of an onoh is superficially similar to that of an ungulate, such as a deer or gazelle. They possess eight limbs, two pedipalps located on either side of the mouth, two arms, and four legs. Additionally, they also possess a short tapering tail. Fur colour tends to be very flat, mostly constrained to solid light blues, grays and whites.
Head
Onoh possess pedipalps on either side of their three-lipped mouth, used in precise manipulation of their environment, usually supplemented by the arms and tongue. On their bulbous rostrum, the ears are located on the snout's ridge, and under them sit the incurrent nostrils. The eyes are large and horizontal, unable to move independently, and located on either side of the neck, while the excurrent nostrils are located behind them, at the base of the nape.
Limbs
Onoh possess, in addition to pedipalps, two long arms. These are able to manipulate heavier and larger objects, but their hands, consisting of one finger each, with a hook-shaped hoof at the tip and a smaller bony hook at the base of the first phalanx, aren't very dextrous. For more precise manipulation, the tongue and pedipalps are usually preferred. Onoh also possess four legs, with feet similar to those of horses, also possessing one finger with a large hoof.
Biology
Blood and respiration
The core circulatory system of an onoh consists of a large heart located in the lower abdomen, which pumps blue copper-based blood. Their lungs are two-chambered, with the first chamber located in their lower chest and the second located closer to the head.
Diet
Onoh are primarily herbivorous, with a diet of mostly leafy vegetables, grasses and tubers, occasionally supplemented with animal products such as eggs. They possess a two-chambered stomach for efficient digestion.
Reproduction and ageing
Onoh are unisex, their gonads producing gametes that combine together to form a zygote. Their external genitalia consists of a slightly protruding, triangular pore (the cloaca), located under the tail. Intercourse consists of rubbing derrieres until one partner inserts a ball-shaped seminal sac into the cloaca of the other. The eggs form inside the receptive partner, which are laid a couple days later. These eggs are sun-shaped, flat with a diameter of around 25 to 30 cm, with sunray-like triangular protrusions on their rims, and their centre is translucent. Onoh eggs hatch after about 82 Clannadian days, and the emerging larvae immediately begin huddling together. During their larval stage, they are fed crop milk by their parent. Larvae grow to infants after about 40 days, at which point they begin walking. Onoh are considered infants from their 40th day of life up to 4 years, children from 4 to 8, adolescents from 8 to 16, adults from 16 to 40, and elderly onwards. The average life expectancy of an onoh is 60 Clannadian years on average (~42 Earth years).