Species Reproduction

## Interspecies Reproduction

Reproduction between all families, genuses, and species is, fundamentally, the same as it is between two Homo Sapiens; that is to say that almost everyone procreates via sexual reproduction, with a few exceptions. Sexually, everyone is compatible with everyone else but genetically not all genuses are compatible (largely due to the way in which they reproduce).

If all families procreate the same way and are, fundamentally, biologically compatible you may ask whether or not procreation is possible between different species. The short answer to this is 'yes' and then 'no'. While it is possible for many Venandi, Superus, Arukan, and Sapiens to procreate with each other, it is not possible for all Venandi to procreate with other families.

When it comes to reproduction, there are three important rules that must be abided by:

* Unless procreating with people of your same species, reproduction chances are reduced.
* At least one parent must be the same genus as the child in order to produce a child of that genus.
* All creatures must be in Human form when procreating with Humans (with some exceptions).

*All points are detailed a little more under Parentage and Species.*

## Parentage and Species

When it comes to reproduction, a character's family (e.g. Venandi) is irrelevant however their genus (e.g. Vampire) is incredibly important. The genus of the parents are completely indicative of the genus

A character's parentage is important in determining their genus. In order for a child to be born of a specific genus (e.g. Vampire), at least one of their parents must be of that same genus. Unless there is a Vampire parent, a Vampire cannot be born. For the purposes of determining genus, no-one further back than the parents matters.

   *There is a rare exception to this rule, however. It is possible for a Himitsu to be born to two Meiji parents if there is already a Meiji in their generation. However, Meiji bloodlines are not often merged.*

When it comes to determining a child's species, however, their parentage is completely irrelevant. It is quite possible that a Sun Phoenix be born from a Twilight Phoenix and a Moon Phoenix. Provided that the rules of procreation are followed, a character's species need not match their parents'

*The table to the right displays the family, genus, and species pairings on site (matched with their British or Atarashi equivalents). This will help make the above information make sense.*

## Hybridisation

All Sapiens, Superus, and Arukan along with Lycanthropes, Vampires, Faeries, and Giants are capable of reproducing with each other in any combination provided they are in Human form at the time of conception. Whilst in their alternative form (e.g. insect size for Faeries or animal form for Lycanthropes) they can only procreate with members of their own species. This includes if a creature is capable of taking Hybrid form.

*When in animal form, Lycanthropes may only procreate with members of their own genus (e.g. Tigrine Lycanthropes with other Tigrine Lycanthropes).*

There is no such thing as a Hybrid, even amongst the Venandi who are, essentially, creatures. Regardless of the family, genus, or species, a child has a 50% chance of taking after either of their parents in genus (a child with a Vampire parent and a Lycanthrope parent has a 50% chance of being either Vampire or Lycanthrope).

*Faeries and Lycanthropes who are pregnant to another species must remain in their Human form for the duration of their pregnancy. If they transform throughout the pregnancy for whatever reason, it results in a miscarriage.*

Dragons and Phoenixes (who have Firebird) are incapable of procreating with anything else due to the fact that they lay eggs rather than giving birth to live young. Phoenixes will lay eggs in their bird form and the egg will be fertilised externally while Dragon eggs are fertilised internally (through intercourse) and laid in Dragon form. A Phoenix will sit upon her egg until it hatches, warming it with her body and fire, while a Dragon will incubate her egg internally and lay it shortly before it hatches.

*Phoenixes who do not have Firebird procreate as if they were Human and cannot procreate with Phoenixes who do have Firebird. Their offspring will never have the Firebird power.*

## Reproductive Ages

   The image on the left displays the fertile (or reproductive ages) of the various species. Sapiens share the same reproductive ages as Superus. There are a few important things to note when it comes to reproduction, however:

* Phoenixes reproduce only once per any given life cycle and seldom have more than one child; multiple offspring at the same time have been heard of before, however.
* Dragons have very few offspring throughout their lifetime and tend to have larger gaps between children. It's not uncommon for a Dragon to have twenty or even twenty-five years between the births of their children.
* Lycanthropes procreate often, usually have two or three children in the same year due to their short gestational periods. Multiple births are common amongst Lycanthropes who typically have 1-4 children in a litter.
* Giants don't reproduce often as their gestation period is long and their reproductive period long as well. They tend to have a child every fifteen or twenty years throughout their entire reproductive period, though multiple births are possible.

## Gestation Periods

   The image on the right displays the gestation periods for the various families and genuses on site. The smaller number is the minimum gestation period; any child born close to this date is considered premature and has a low chance of survival. The larger number indicates the maximum gestation period; any woman who goes beyond this period will likely use powers, potions, or mundane methods in an attempt to induce labour.

*Chances of complications are incredibly high beyond this timeframe.*

Whenever interspecies procreation occurs, the gestation period mimics that of the child's species. For example, a Lycanthrope father and a Faerie mother with a Faerie child will result in the child being born 150 to 170 days from conception. For Venandi this is an easy way to determine what the child will be.

**Important Note:** A Lycanthrope's gestation period changes depending on the type of animal they share DNA with.

* A Tigrine Lycanthrope's gestation is 93 to 112 Days.
* A Leonine Lycanthrope's gestation is 110 Days.
* A Lupine Lycanthrope's gestation is 62 to 75 Days.
* An Ursine Lycanthrope's gestation is 95 to 270 Days.