6.4 - Cereijan

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Males and females have very similar height and weight and it is often difficult to see the difference. Females tend to have softer features than their make counterparts but that is not always the case. The average height for a Cereijan is 1.7 metres and average weight is 70kg.

Nervous and Execratory System

The nervous system of the Cereijan consists of a Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System. Unlike humans, all the Cereijan’s nerves are mixed nerves and function both as efferent and afferent nerves.

Respiratory system

One lung occupying the thoracic cavity. A diaphragm is present.

The lung is protected not by a number of ribs, but by four bone structures that are fused. This does not allow the same expansion that humans have and their chest does not rise and fall with the breaths.

Digestive system

The Cereijan’s digestive system shares some similarities with humans. Like humans, they have teeth which helps blending the saliva with the food for it to be ingested. Their stomach contains lower amounts of stomach acid, so there are several foods that they can’t digest and most will consume their food in liquid form. It has been speculated that their digestive system was closer to the avian digestive system as there are evidence on Cereijan anatomy of the remnants of a crop, proventriculus and gizzard. Their saliva also has a higher enzyme count than a human..

Visual system

The Cereijan have two forward facing eyes, but with a tapetum lucidum, which is a reflective layer behind the retina that sends light passing through the retina back to the eye. It has given them improved night vision but detracts when the aria is brighter. In bright light, the pupils contract to a round point. It has been theorised that their ancestors were hunters as their eyes face forward allowing depth perception rather than a larger field of view.

Circulatory system

Their blood uses Haemocyanin, a copper-rich protein thay cares oxygen from the lung to the bloodstream and then to the cells. It’s appearance is a pale blue, sometimes green-tinted. It is pumped using the primary and/or secondary heart around the body in a bilaterial symmentry. A Cereijan can survive with just one heart, which is at times a birth defect.

Skeletal and muscular system

The Cereijan have a skeleton similar to humans with the exception of their ribcage.

Skin

Cereijan skin is covered by small scales which create a protective barrier around the softer and less resilient tissue underneath. The scales are pale, almost always white. Each scale has a thin layer of tissue over it which peels off during various times in puberty and older age. The tissue can also peel off during extreme stress or temperature changes..

The Cereijan scales are extremely sensitive to tactile stimulation, as they contain a bundle of nerves. While sensitive ranges from person to person, females tend to be more sensitive than males.

Lips and eyelids, as well as genitals, do not have the scales, but instead the exposed darker layer is shown.

Reproductive system

Most Cereijan are sterile due to generations of genetic experimentations.

Males have bilateral testes and external phallus.

Females posses a vagina, cervix and uterus similar to humans, however only a small percentage will have ovaries that can produce viable eggs.

Most Cereijan are bred in tanks or vats, as the species have mostly been left infertile. As such, many share their DNA. While cloning is outlawed, many Cereijan will be biologically related as the fertile males and females are used for breeding.

Endocrine System

The endocrine system of the Cereijan is similar to humans. However there is a reduced production of hormones connected to sexual urges and reproduction.

Metabolism

Endothermic.

Average life span approximately 100 to 120 earth years.