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General Facts about Skunktaurs.











General Facts.

The height of a fully grown adult is about 1.5 to 1.7 metres (5 to 5' 7" approx.) Life expectancy is well over a century. Their name is derived from what they look like: Skunks.

As skunks are Plantigrade creatures, so are skunktaurs.

Despite the fact that the titles Mr. or Ms, can be appropriate because they have only one sex at a time, it can be very confusing to be addressing the same Skunktaur two people have met when in a different sexual mode. They are therefore addressed by their personal name, followed by their house. They get a name some time after birth which reflects their characteristics, physical or personality, which, due to the emotional link is "right" and does not change. They are very fond of descriptive names and rarely use human-type names. They only ever use one personal name (not counting nicknames) and they regard themselves as one great family. Lineage is denoted as being the child of two others. For example, my character would be formally addressed as Zwokkie of House Bluepaw, child of Softpaw and Jester. The mother is always named first, then the sire.

They are not into the slightest form of self-mutilation and so you will never see tattoos, shaved fur or even an ear-ring (clip-ons excepted). They will also avoid surgery whenever possible but are not foolishly blind to the need.

When raising the first Skunktaurs, the Chakats taught them all that was taught to them, teaching them to care for people of all kind, and giving them the facts necessary for fitting into a civilised society. They do not have any class distinctions amongst themselves, but they do have a certain pride in their particular talents and strive to achieve a high as possible skill in their chosen vocation. As said, they pride themselves in their handiwork and take it very seriously. They cannot have any sexual bias and they completely ignore it in humans and other single sex morphs. They have no nudity taboo and they have no need for clothes except for protection in harsh environments, but they are well aware of the allure of well-designed decorative clothing, the most common of which are halter-tops and a kind of vest which serve many functions. They can be provocative, ornamental or functional. Often, they just want some pockets! They are also sometimes a concession to some more prudish humans, although, as with the Chakats, they can't be forced into wearing anything if they don't feel like it.

While Chakats are not atheists, they didn't teach any religion to the Skunktaurs either. But, being very intelligent, they find themselves in awe of the splendours of the universe and they sometimes... wonder?

Technologically, they share the highest level available to the general community (equivalent to Star Trek level) but being very intelligent, many are in the forefront of research programs whilst others put their adaptability to use to set up living arrangements on inhospitable planets. They are regarded as a vital addition to any starship team as their combination of mental powers and strength are a definite advantage in hazardous situations. In the general community however, humans being humans, some love them and some hate them. But mostly they are held in the same sort of curious and careful regard that humans have for their non-morphic skunk relatives.

If all this seems to good to be true, remember that they were designed to be ideal adaptable beings. However, nobody's perfect. They weigh a lot more than a human, require more food and plenty of sleep. They hate confined spaces, although a very flexible spine partially compensates for this liability. They enjoy water and swimming, and having semi-webbed digits makes it easier for them, but drying the fur can be a long and tedious job if they are not prepared to drip dry naturally. They must spend a lot of time grooming, although they tend to use this time for socialising with others, be it Skunktaur, Chakat or any other species.

Little things we take for granted make life difficult, such as revolving doors and turnstiles. Special furniture and facilities must be produced for their needs. A rug on the floor is fine for a lounge room but their bathroom facilities are more complex. Automobiles need to be specially modified both for access and driving. Their relatively small population means that there is a shortage of mass-produced goods suitable to their needs. But they are presently in the process of building a workshop that can provide for these specially adapted goods to suit all taur-configured races.

The social consequences of a species that is neither wholly male nor female is a bit more of a grey area. The Chakats, as mentioned, started to generally refer to them as their "Brothers" and adapted to that, even if they are female at the time, just as the Chakats are generally referred to as females. They do not mind being referred to as girls or ladies either, this description being also appropriate. The rest has to be left up to the enlightened social values of the times.


click The Skunktaur Archipelago.