Pithecine

Introduction

The Pithecines are bipedal creatures with roughly humanoid shape. They have evolved from stock related to the lower primates of Terra and bear a characteristic ape-like appearance. Some Pithecine races have achieved considerable intellectual and cultural development, but none have equaled human levels.

Pithecines have the usual anthropoid appearance but are somewhat more graceful than the primitive apes and gorillas because the bone structure, hips, and legs have evolved to suit erect stance. Body hair is thick and ranges in color from buff through reddish-brown to brown and black. The thumb and forefingers development is sufficient to permit fine manipulations, comparing favorably with human hand development.

Senses

Vision: Human norms apply, although some races evidence a degree of color blindness.
Hearing: Pithecine hearing is more acute than the human sense, but is still quite poor.
Smell: Pithecine olfactory senses are very close to human levels. As in the case of humans Pithecines have a racial dependence on vision.

Overview

Pithecines are remarkably ‘human’ in their behavior, although tending to be more emotional and more easily excited. Males are significantly larger than human males, standing 160 cm to 205 cm and massing 70 kg to 135 kg. Females compare in size to human females but are heavier. Overall physical power exceeds human levels, while speed and general agility equals human norms. It is in the intellectual and technical talents that the Pithecines fall below top human standards. Pithecines are quite capable of attaining considerable technological development and expertise, but they are less capable than men.

Metabolic systems are iron-based, while diet tends to be vegetarian with some meat for variety. Pithecines have a life expectancy around 100 years in advanced races, while primitives rarely reach more than 30.