Luprins are medium sized mammals endemic to tropical and temperate areas of Arofea. They can be found in many different regions within the continent, and occasionally they can be seen in Gallea as travelers.
They are most well known by their facial features which resembles a human, as well as their skull size. They have human intelligence, being able to speak, read and write. They have their own cultures, which varies greatly across region.
Luprins are sometimes known as Tayugo, which is the Nomoysian word for person. Luprin is what the nearby human settlements would call the species. The word Luprin came from an ancient dialect of the Trevaria region, and it meant "small man." Humans commonly perceive luprins as being shorter, even though they can be just as tall as most humans when standing on two legs.
Luprins' most striking feature is their resemblance to humans. They have several facial muscles in common with humans and are capable of a wide range of facial expressions. Their brain case is large, averaging 1,100 cm³ in size (compared to a human's average of 1200 cm³.) Their facial features vary greatly across different individuals, but all luprins tend to have a sloped forehead. Luprins also have longer hair on their heads compared to the rest of their bodies, being able to braid and style it in different ways. This feature evolved through sexual selection due to early luprin's proximity to humans; as females would show more interest in males with longer hair. Male luprins will also have a "beard" covering the throat; however, they cannot grow a mustache.
They are medium sized mammals, averaging 1.70m in length for males and 1.63m for females, although this number may vary depending on region. Luprins typically walk on all fours, their hands and feet are clawed and adapted to walk on land as well as climb trees. Their feet usually assume a digitigrade position, but they can stand on their hind legs with ease by supporting their weight on their heels. Their body is covered in smooth short fur, usually of brown or dark brown tone, similar to their hair color. In colder regions, luprins can show a ginger or blonde coat as well, although that is more uncommon. Both sexes lack any fur on their faces, and females lack fur on their throat. Fur is also absent on the abdomen and on the palm of the hands/sole of the feet.
Luprins have a long, prehensile tail. It is considered mostly a left-over trait from their ancestors, but modern luprins find it useful to hold objects while walking.
Their shoulder girdle is flexible, allowing them to easily lift their arms above their head and lower them down their haunches. but their arm movement is more limited than humans. They cannot place the palms of their hands flat on their backs, nor hold their hands behind their backs.
The hands and feet both posess opposable thumbs, which luprins use to climb trees with ease. Their skull is very siminal to a human's, save for a few differences on the orbital bone (the zygomatic and frontal bones are not fused.) Their canine teeth are slighly longer than human canines, the upper teeth being bigger than the bottom. They have a small gap between the bottom canine and first pre-molar, where the upper canines rest when the jaw is closed.
Luprins have different rituals for sex and courtship, depending on their culture. Because of their heightened senses of smell, a luprin can typically scent a female in estrus by her pheromones. As such, even if luprins commonly have sex for pleasure, they view it as a different act than sex for procreation, and have different rituals associated with each act. Some luprin communities are more open minded about sex than others, and they can be very open to things like polygamy and homosexuality. Luprins do not menstruate.
A male luprin's penis is protected by an external sheath, and will become exposed during arousal. The lenght of an erect penis is around 18-20 cm. Both males and females have three pair of nipples on their abdomen, although only females have working mammary glands.
Luprins are mammals, which means that they develop in their mother's womb. The gestation period is typically aroud 6-7 months. A female luprin usually gives birth to a single infant per pregnancy, and twins are born in rarer cases, much like humans. The rituals associated with pregnancy vary among cultures, but in most luprin groups, the placenta is cooked and eaten by the mother soon after she gives birth.
Luprins are blind and deaf when they are born, and they'll remain like that for their first week of life. It is nearly impossible to tell the sex of an infant before they're a month old, as the genitals do not develop until then. They have an incredible grip, and use that to hold onto their mothers. Infant luprins begin learning to walk at around the 5th month of age.
The average luprin lifespan is 100 to 120 years.
Luprins have slightly better night vision than humans due to the tapetum lucidum in their retina. Their eyes are slightly larger than a human's.
Their sense of smell is greater than humans, being able to pick up pheromones and smell food from a long distance. Their hearing is very sharp, and they have large ears they can move to help them better locate a sound. They are able to hear higher frequencies than humans.
Luprin vocalization ranges from speech to simple noises with different meanings. They can use these sounds to communicate with other luprins who may not speak the same language.
Luprins are omnivorous, and they'll feed mainly on fruits and meat. While living in groups, they are able to hunt large prey such as deer, by chasing them down and capturing them using their claws. Luprin cuisine is diverse, varying from region to region. Although most luprins are lactose intolerant, they are able to digest carbs and other human foods.
There are several luprin cultures spread across Arofea, such as Noymosian.
Luprins and humans have interacted for thousands of years, during different time periods. Some luprin and human or elf cultures have merged as the two groups coexist with each other. Many human habits have passed on to luprins, and even some traits which are considered attractive by both species (such as long hair.) Luprins have evolved the ability to digest dairy and carbs from their proximity to humans.
In the past, some luprin population were captured and brought to the Irias Empire by soldiers. They were used there mainly for amusement, but some were captured for labour as well, given that luprins tend to be faster and stronger than humans. In some regions, they were even used in the military, and their their claws and fighting style provided an advantadge against the humanoid armies. This advantadge is further exploited with gauntlets that enhanced the sharpness of luprin claws.
Some human and elf cultures treat luprins as sacred beings. Positive relationships tend to be more common in areas where luprins are native to.
Copulation between luprins and the humanoid species is possible, but no offspring will result from it due to the extreme genetic differences between humanoids and luprins.
Luprin skeleton
Luprin skull
Striped male luprin