Leporia sapiens
Leporan
The original home world for Leporan is highly debated, with Aa being amongst the most widely accepted planets as the potential original home world. Leporan evolved from large leporid lagomorphs (rabbits or hares).
Physiological Characteristics
The average Leporan stands at roughly 1.8 metres (5 foot 10 inches) and weighs 75 kilograms (165 pounds). Leporans are covered in short, thick fur that is generally a brown colouration, but can come in further shades of black, white, grey, and even piebald (black with white patches or vice versa), with a lighter shade on the front (chest and abdomen), on the bottom of their large feet, and on their short tail. Some ethnic groups also have a range of other fur colourations such as shades of red, blue, green, and some are also striped; Leporan fur colourations are varied. They have long whiskers that are generally white or black. Their body structure is bipedal, with a single head attached to a torso by a neck, with two upper limbs (arms) and two bowed lower limbs (legs) attached to the torso by shoulders and hips. Limbs are composed of three components; upper limb, lower limb, and hand or foot. Each hand and foot have four digits, including an opposable thumb on the hands. Their head is lagomorphic in structure, with their two eyes on either side of their heads. They possess two ears with large visible cartilaginous pinna. Ears are normally upright, but can be ‘lop’ (hang low and floppy) due to a mutation in the cartilage formation. Eye iris colour tends to be browns or black, but blues, greens, and reds are also possible colours. Their eyes have very limited visible sclera. Their mouths contain twenty-eight teeth, and their incisors continue to grow throughout their lives. Leporan have a dentition of 2.0.3.3/1.0.2.3 (two incisors, three premolars, and three molars on each side of the upper jaw, and one incisor, two premolars, and three molars on each side of the lower jaw). They have bare skin on their nose, the inside of their ears, and on their palms and soles, and this skin ranges in complexion from pale white to pale pink, light brown to black, with many shades between.
Biological Characteristics
Leporans have an average lifespan between eighty to one hundred years. Like most mammals, their blood is iron and oxygen rich and has a red colouration. Male Leporans tend to be larger and heavier, with the average adult male (Buck) weighing eighty kilograms and the average adult female (Doe) weighing seventy kilograms.
Physical Capabilities and Limitations
Like most organisms, Leporans require gaseous oxygen to breathe. They require six hours of sleep a day to continue normal brain and body functions. They can survive three days without food, a day without water, and fifteen minutes without oxygen. The average running speed for a Leporan is fifty-two kilometres/hour, but many can reach speeds of up to seventy kilometres/hour but cannot maintain this speed for long; they are sprinters.
Diet and Nutrition
Leporans are herbivorous and consume a variety of plant matter. Their diet mostly consists of grasses, leaves, fruits, seeds, and roots. However, they do also consume a small amount of animal by-products such as milk, eggs, and honey.
Immunology
Obesity is one of the largest health threats to modern Leporans. They are susceptible to a variety of bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens, and are also susceptible to a variety of external and internal parasites. The second largest threat to Leporan health is Myxomatosis or Lepori-Pox. This viral infection is fatal within twelve days if left untreated, but treatments have wildly varying results, depending on the health and age of the individual. The most effective treatment is prevention, and vaccination is the most common and effective prevention, and is compulsory within most civilisations that have Leporan ethnic groups.
Reproduction and Development
Leporans are seasonal breeders, with Does going into oestrous between late winter to early summer. After a gestation period of four months, the Doe gives birth to a litter of Kits, generally three to five, but litter size can vary from one to fifteen. The kits are born altricial (blind, deaf, and naked), and are completely dependent on their mother for sustenance, surviving off her milk. At three months their eyes and ears have opened, they have begun to move around and consume solid foods. They are weaned from their mother’s milk by ten months, and they start to become more independent. By four years of age, they are mostly independent, walking, talking, and eating solids, and they reach full maturity at sixteen to twenty years, at which point Does will begin going through oestrous. Does will be able to reproduce their entire adult lives, however most will only have one to four litters.