Centaur

Centaurs are mutated hybrid creatures created from experimentation with the Forced Evolutionary Virus,Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets p.26: "The Centaur, so named for its many malformed legs, is tough and strong, but quite stupid. Keep your distance from this creature while you shoot it to death." named for their malformed legs.
==Background==
===West Coast===
Centaurs encountered in New California and the Mojave Wasteland were created by the Master. The creation process involved tossing a varied mix of different animals, including humans, dogs, and cats, into a Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) vat to be infected by the virus,Fallout Bible 0 and Fallout Bible 1Fallout Bible 9; FEV and vegetation: Specifically, carrots and then seeing what mutant chimera emerged as the virus produced rapid and unpredictable mutations. The resulting centaurs can differ quite radically in physical appearance from one another. However, all known centaurs are somewhat humanoid in appearance. Despite this consuming them is not an uncommon practice; such as with Mom's Diner of the Den.The Chosen One: "{411}{}{What do you have to eat here?}"Mom: "{357}{}{Centaur chops, my specialty.}"(Mom's dialogue) 
Used by the Master as a sort of guard dog, these mutant chimeras weren't tamed in the traditional sense.Fallout Bible 8; ...and the horse you rode in on.
===Capital Wasteland===
Like their western counterparts, the Capital Wasteland centaurs were created by infection with the FEV along with the super mutants. Their birthplace, like the super mutants, is Vault 87. They often accompany the super mutants, serving as watchdogs and alert their masters to danger.
==Biology==
===Two-headed centaur===
Centaurs are large, fleshy creatures consisting of human and canine components, named after its three pairs of leg-like arms. Centaurs walk along the ground on their massive gash-covered torsos, with movement similar to that of giant ants. The rear pair of arms serve as the creature's legs, connected to the pelvis and driving movement. The front pair of arms assist in walking, but are connected to the shoulder blades and considered arms when targeted with an Aimed Shot. The middle pair of arms may serve as legs, but are connected neither to the pelvis nor the shoulder blades. Each pair of arms has a bone structure similar to that of humanoids, although the hands only have three to four fingers.
Two-headed centaurs have two heads, one being canine and the other humanoid. Each head is mounted on a thick, lengthy neck, converging into the main body and spine at the base of the torso. The canine head struts when walking and is used in attacking, suggesting some level of control over the body. Likewise, it is the only head labeled as such during an Aimed Shot. The canine head can also be seen biting at the human head, at which point the human head evades, suggesting some level of individual thought.
A large number of red tentacles spill from the creature's swollen groin and writhe around on the ground. They extend under the centaur's torso and may lash out from under the base of the neck. Centaurs also have a large rib cage and drooping spine along the back of the torso.
===One-headed centaur===
One-headed centaurs encountered in the Capital and the Mojave Wastelands are somewhat different from the two-headed creatures seen along the West Coast. A muscular humanoid torso sits upright upon a sloped, insect-like abdomen. When walking, the front two pairs of arms drive the creature forward, with the rear pair dragging along the ground next to the abdomen. The centaur's torso sways when the body moves, with the limbs moving in slow yet abrupt motions.
Jagged bones sprout from the creature's spine and along the rear abdomen. Similarly, numerous teeth-like bones surround the torso's abdominal muscles. A single human head sits upon the torso, connected with a thick, brawny neck. A pained expression is worn on the face, with three tongue-like tentacles sprouting from the creature's mouth and reaching the length of the torso. The centaur is covered in thick purple veins and its shoulders end in bony stumps.
Larger versions of centaurs, ironically monikered as "evolved" centaurs,Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.361: "[3.10] The Devil's ThroatA dangerous and radioactive maw inhabited by Centaurs an their ironically monikered "Evolved" cousins. It is better to drop them from a distance before inspecting a container truck and its dumped contents; barrels that offer nothing but sickness. However, inside the truck is a Prospector (who looks to have overdosed with Jet) and a considerable array of loot, including Reinforced Combat Armor, and a Party Hat! But the big prize is his weapon."(Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition Tour of the Mojave Wasteland) also exist in the Capital and Mojave Wastelands. While having generally the same body shape, evolved centaurs have tight, deeper toned skin and have grown a large number of tumors along the back. The creature's purple veins and protruding bone fragments are less prominent than the standard centaur. Evolved centaurs can also grow to be much larger and have darker-colored tongues.
==Variants==
Centaurs of all known varieties are not harmed by radiation but seem drawn to it, as they are often found in heavily irradiated environments.
===Two-headed centaur===
Physically, these centaurs are around the size of a bear, with a large, misshapen torso and six humanoid arms that serve as legs. A cluster of wriggling fleshy tentacles bloom out from their underside, scrabbling at the ground around them. Branching from their front halves are a pair of long, thick necks, with a canine head on the right and a humanoid one on the left. The canine head has a thick metal collar around its neck, adorned with spikes, not unlike an ordinary dog collar. The two heads are seemingly aware that they are not separate creatures, as the dog head can be seen trying to gnaw on the humanoid head.
So far, the two-headed centaurs have only been encountered on the West Coast, in New California.
===One-headed centaur===
This type of centaur retains the hands, arms, and only the human-like head of its two-headed "cousins." Unlike the two-headed version, however, it has three long, tentacle-like tongues coming out of its mouth instead of feelers on its back, and uses a ranged attack: a high-arcing, slow-moving saliva projectile that can carry lethal doses of radiation and is fairly accurate, even at long range. It is capable of igniting lingering gas vapors as well. In close quarters, it utilizes a long, three-pronged tongue to whip and slash at any intruders.
This kind of centaur can be encountered both in the West and the East of the former United States.
===Evolved centaur===
These centaurs are a bigger and stronger variant of a centaur. Having been exposed to much more radiation than regular centaurs, they have significantly more muscle mass as well as thick clusters of tumors growing from their backs.
===Giant evolved centaur===
An even bigger variety of the evolved centaur, the giant evolved centaur is the largest and most dangerous variation of a centaur to be discovered to date. One is located in The Devil's Throat.
===Many-headed centaur===
These centaurs have multiple heads, stretching mouths and extra pairs of limbs growing on their back. 
While ultimately cut from Fallout 4, this centaur variant appears in Fallout: Wasteland Warfare and on the Magic: The Gathering card "Branching Evolution".
==Behind the scenes==
* In Greek mythology, centaurs were creatures that were typically half-human, half-horse. The human part would end at the waist, where the hindquarters of a horse would begin.
* The floaters and centaurs within the PMV Valdez made their way into the vessel before the tanker vagrants arrived.Fallout Bible 6; Questions galore
* Centaurs would have been appeared in the canceled Van Buren, within the Hoover Dam sub level 1, where the player would find pre-War history on centaurs and floaters.Hoover Dam design document/4 The centaurs at the dam survive on mutated leeches and fish from beneath the compromised and partially flooded floor.Hoover Dam design document/1
* The two-headed centaur (the version from Fallout and Fallout 2) resembles one of the shapes taken by the alien creature in John Carpenter's 1982 sci-fi horror film The Thing, in which the eponymous alien entity consumes genetic material from various dogs and humans, eventually producing such a misshapen chimeric appearance. Whether the similarity was intentional or merely a coincidence, the two-headed centaur remains almost identical, right down to the writhing mass of tentacles and tendrils. The names of the sound files that are given to the creature would seem to confirm this.MATHNGBK, MATHNGAO and other files.
==Gallery==
527_centaur_concept_normal.jpg|Fallout 3 centaur concept art
CentaurCA.jpg|Fallout 3 centaur concept art
FO1 Centaur target.png ‎|Centaur Aimed Shot
Fo4 centaur concept art.png|The Art of Fallout 4 concept art
FOWW,CentaursSet.webp|Fallout: Wasteland Warfare
FOWW,CentaurOverview.webp
FOWW,CentaurScenicShot.webp
FOWW,CentaurA.webp
FOWW,CentaurB.webp
FOWW,CentaurUnitCard.jpg|Unit card
Fallout magic Branching Evolution.png|Magic: The Gathering card
Fallout magic Branching Evolution Extended Art.png|Extended Art
==References==
;Non-game
 
de:Zentaur
es:Centauro
fr:Centaure
hu:Kentaur
it:Centauro (Fallout)
pl:Centaur
pt:Centaur
ru:Кентавр
sv:Centaur (Fallout)
uk:Кентавр
zh:多脚兽