Argolyte
Fiora Pendragon, Argolyte Royalty | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Warm-Blooded Reptilian |
| Homeworld | Calagon |
Argolytes were a tall, reptilian species native to Calagon and the innate species of the Kingdom of Calagon. Physically, argolytes were the largest and strongest species within Galaxy One.
Argolytes were a mostly isolationist species, interacting with the other galactic governments little and for the most part keeping to themselves on their homeworld. Already one of the lowest populations among Galaxy One's species, very few left Calagon for other parts of the galaxy, making them a rare sight.
Argolytes' rarity, isolationist attitudes, and odd customs of bonding adopted siblings at birth led them being seen as strange, backwards, and incestual.
Physical Properties[edit | edit source]
Argolytes live on an oxygen rich planet, which has affected their evolution (as well as that of most life forms on the planet) by making them much larger than most species. They have hints of once being an aquatic species, such as the dorsal fins on their heads, that today serve no purpose. Argolytes were originally two separate strains of the same species, divided by the locale in which they evolved as well as their daily cycle. One strain was dominant on the surface, active mostly during the day and in the broad deserts and barrens of the planet. The other strain was active mostly and night and lived in the shady canyons and cliff sides, mostly residing in tunnels, caves and caverns. Argos-Dies, the surface Argolytes, was attributed to mostly bland scale colors in various shades of brown, tan, bronze and in some cases olive. It served as a camouflage in the desert environment and deflected, rather than absorbed heat. Argo-Noctes, the Argolytes living in the shade developed a much more varied pallete to allow them to mingle with the various corals and algaes still present in the canyons and caverns , from bright red to deep blue, purple, green, of all shades and hues. Once sufficient technological level was achieved, the two species, once seperated by natural barriers united into one.
Both strains of Argolytes had been forced to rapidly evolve as the planet dried up, with fresh water being very rare and few plants to gather, Argolytes were mostly hunters and even then, food was scarce. For an adult Argolyte, water retention was a natural feature. But due to the susceptibility of their young, female argolytes had developed a method of liquid retention through mammary in order to water and feed their young. Female Argolytes would consume water, some of which would be absorbed through the esophagus into the mammary and be retained there, while at the same time, a special gland would secrete nutritious milky substance rich with protein and potassium, necessary for growth, into the same sac. The resulting liquid becoming a milk-like substance which the females would produce and feed to their young. Thinner milk in Argolyte females is a high indicator of malnutrition or an endocrinal problem. Argolyte milk is not true milk as one would find in mammals, but a combination of retained water mixed in with a nutrient compound, they are not activated by sex steroids as in mammals and Argolyte female "lactate" from adulthood permanently.
Argolytes reproduce by egg laying, a healthy female Argolytes lays eggs once a cycle, if at any point during the eggs are fertilized by a male, the eggs laid will incubate a young.
Possibly due to the rapid evolution and the death of many strains of parent species, both of the Argolyte strains have suffered from very low genetic diversity while evolving, leading to many infant deaths as result of mutations, genetic problems and weaknesses. This has caused Argolytes to become strictly monogamous very early in their evolution to ensure healthy young. This problem, among other factors was one of the main reasons the Argolyte unification went so smoothly, as both species were happy to integrate the additional genetic diversity found in the other strain. This problem has also caused monogamy to become absolutely necessary to avoid an abundance of a single genetic line that might lead to the extinction of the species.
The evolutionary solution became a powerful bonding mechanism related to the secretion of certain pheromones with Oxytocin. This bonding occurs as an Argolyte couple selects their "partners" and spend time in cohabitation, creating a co-dependent relationship. Once such a bond has been formed, no other bonds can be made and an Argolyte completely loses sexual and romantic interests in other females. Only in rare cases one has been able to alter or surpass the bonding mechanism. It was found that longer bonding periods lead to increased fertility and healthier eggs and offspring therefore Argolytes are pre-selected and paired pre-hatching, to ensure an optimal bonding period prior to breeding age. These have resulted in the creation of the egg swapping custom, where two sets of parents, given satisfactory genetic distance, swap eggs with each other to ensure their children will have a genetically diverse partner to bond with immediately upon hatching.
Unfortunately, due to misunderstanding in the wide galaxy mostly out of ignorance, this has led to rumors of Argolytes being incestuous.
An average argolyte would stand at 9'10" and weigh 144 kg. The strongest and largest of argolytes could grow to 11'11" and weigh 435 kg.