Auroran

Aurorans are a sapient species native to the superhabitable moon of Rumah. There are currently 91 billion Aurorans who have spread out up to 38 light years from Rumah, founding numerous colonies, forming a political organisation known as the Communion of Worlds, within which almost all Aurorans reside.
==Physiology==
Category:Articles by User:Mr.Robbo
Category:Aurorans
Category:Communion of Worlds
Category:Creatures
Category:Sapient beingsAurorans are 1.4 metres high and about 1.6 metres long when standing normally; their body posture is semi-horizontal, but not upright enough to be considered vertical. Aurorans have two strong legs designed for running, climbing and jumping in their natural habitat (forests), in front of which are two arms, which are about half the size of the legs. Each limb has three digits (though the dew claw on the inside of each leg could be considered a fourth digit); on each foot are three clawed toes and on each hand are three fingers, on which the claws have similarities to nails. Aurorans have no palms or opposable thumbs, instead relying on the flexibility of their fingers (especially the shorter third and fifth fingers) to manipulate objects.
The head is on the end of a reasonably long s-curved neck, which is quite thick to support the weight of a large cranium with a horizontal body posture; another consequence of the large cranium is the stump-like snout of the Auroran, an easily recognisable difference from their evolutionary relatives. Aurorans are bird-like in their posture and movement, and most of their bodies are covered in light down, which fades to pads and scales at the hands and feet, and grows to fully-fledged feathers around the head (used for display).
Aurorans have acute senses of sight and smell, with relatively large eyes. They are an egg-laying species with internal genitalia, laying fifteen to twenty eggs per clutch; clutch sharing is a common practice within groups.
==Psychology==
Aurorans are pack animals, and this reflects in Auroran society, in which the standard unit of society is usually the creche, or extended family. They also have a large limbic system and a high emotional intelligence, making them naturally empathic and social; this makes them excellent composers, diplomats and traders, but too trusting to deal effectively with sociopaths, which means they can be taken advantage of more easily. As such, Aurorans often perform meditative practices to make themselves more level-headed; this is considered a formal part of Auroran education.
An interesting and unique part of the Auroran brain is the large Language Acquisition Device (LAD), which makes them very good at figuring out and acquiring new languages, as well as breaking simple codes and encryptions and recognising patterns. A typical Auroran can speak many different languages, and many regions possess their own 'dialects' made up of hybridisations of several different languages.