TIME FOR SYN FACTS THAT NOBODY ASKED FOR
• Syn is a descendant of a small, nearly-extinct subspecies of zmajmun that developed from a mutation that causes hairlessness. She is the lastling of this peculiar group. • Officially-speaking, very little is known about her biology. There are many theories about how she manages to survive without eyesight, but none have been proven. • Syn is the name given to her by Olga’s race. It’s a numerical term, identifying her as the seventeenth of her kind to be found. • Similar to zmajmuns’ bioluminescent displays, Syn’s species carries pigments in their blood, and the vividness of the color reflects their health, while the hue is dictated by their diet. Syn’s is blue because she primarily feeds on marine life. Unlike zmajmun, however, the hairless breed does not use these displays for mating, but instead to ward off predators. • Syn is armed with retractable claws that are surprisingly long. They cannot be fully sheathed, but they are too delicate to leave fully exposed. The shape is an adaptation that lets Syn pry open the shells of bivalves with less effort, and her slender tongue allows for her to fish out the meat without having to open the shell entirely. • Like her zmajmun forbears, all four of Syn’s feet have opposable thumbs. Ordinarily this would let her climb trees more easily, but her toes are further apart so that she can feel any shells shifting under the sand as she walks over it. • Another anomaly Syn’s subspecies developed is two pairs of nostrils. The nasal cavities are completely separate, with one on top of the other, and in addition to a more developed brain, this enables scavengers to identify a wider range of subtler scents in a shorter amount of time - perfect for hunting shellfish. These nostrils are rather flexible and can be completely opened or closed at will. • The only hair Syn has on her body is the most minimal body hair (like humans) in addition to a vestigial ruff around her neck. This patch serves no purpose and is actually all that remains of the zmajmun mane in her breed. • Syn’s species has more flexible tongues, capable of maneuvering more extensively in a carcass. This helps them detect and avoid any maggots or other parasites in their food that might cause health problems. Additionally, the tip of the tongue has small grooves, like a sharper version of what one would find on gecko toes, to aid in corpse cleaning. • Syn’s kind have very sensitive snouts and horns in terms of touch - their horns can pick up on wind direction and subtler air currents, while their snouts can pick up more forceful changes, particularly shifting sediment. While they greatly dislike having their horns touched, mated pairs and their offspring often bond and socialize by bumping noses and nuzzling each other’s chests and flanks. • Despite how long their ears are, their hearing is considerably less keen (most comparable to human hearing); their long ears are instead an aspect of display, just as they are for zmajmun, since their blood vessels are much more visible in their ears. • Syn’s kind has lost the bioluminescence of their arboreal cousins. • While they lack eyes, they still have (mostly vestigial) optic organs where their eyes used to be. These can’t identify colors or shapes, but they do pick up changes between light and dark. • Syn is nocturnal, just as zmajmun and the rest of the hairless breed is. • Both arboreal and grounded zmajmun are talented mimcs, able to recognize and repeat complicated sounds from memory, and to even understand some parts of speech. • The majority of hairless zmajmun live in abandoned dens left by other creatures, but some sleep aboveground. • Zmajmun are wholly nonbinary as a species; they all carry the same reproductive system and they all bear and nurse offspring. When zmajmun mate, both parties will carry and birth a pup, which the entire colony helps to raise, protect, and nurse. • Because of their reproductive capacity, zmajmun are not monogamous in any way. While generally whole colonies do not mate at the same time, typically one zmajmun may breed with as many as ten different suitors, who in turn often breed with each other. This increases the likelihood of a successful fertilization. • The lack of numbers among hairless zmajmun is attributed to their differing behavior of annual monogamy - successful pregnancies are more rare, and pups have a harder time surviving to adulthood. • Zmajmun exist only on one undeveloped planet, in one specific region, and colonies are highly territorial. • All zmajmun are obligate carnivores. This is another reason why hairless zmajmun have such a hard time surviving on their own. • Many zmajmun will salivate in excess as a pleasure response. They often do this when rubbing and nuzzling as a means of scent marking. • Their teeth are brittle. They chip and break often, but are firmly rooted. Older zmajmuns may have many broken off or worn down teeth, but they will never lose them entirely. Pups are born with rounded, nubby teeth that become sharper as they nurse and mature. Because their teeth grow via a special compound in their milk, no two zmajmun will have the same mouth, though all have six “core teeth” that do not react to the compound and stay flat for chewing. • Their skin is very elastic and not easily cut or torn. • Zmajmuns lick their claws when they are happy; this not only displays trust but also uses their saliva to keep them clean. They do not shed. • While their tails are not prehensile, they do have whip-like tips, not unlike the hypothesized behavior of diplodicus tails. • Hairless zmajmun are much smaller than their furred cousins - while they are only two feet at the shoulder, the larger species has been known to get as large as twice that size. • All zmajmun have poor stamina, instead relying on hiding, fighting back, or finding safety in numbers. On flat ground they can only sprint for about two minutes at best before fatiguing. • They have high body temperatures, despite their size. • They communicate primarily by nose-bumping and with some vocalizations: a chattering warning call (comparable to red pileated woodpeckers), a softer purr, and a loud barking alarm.
