Species - Anansi

--- ALL Stellarmass species are open to character creation. You are allowed to make OCs and have a good time. Please let me know if you do so I can cry over them. Do not make adoptables of these species unless they are for charity. Thanks! ---

Anansi are arthropods from the planet Makro. Makro is a very large terrestrial planet with eleven moons and multiple continents. It takes 500 days for them to orbit the sun, Imago. The continents vary wildly with sprawling jungles surrounding arid grasslands. There are four major continents peppered with small islands, separated by a freshwater sea.

Anansi shares the planet with another sapient species, the Atagi. They are friendly towards each other and enjoy a thriving trade culture.

Anansi are patient and creative people. They tend to take their time in most matters, carefully thinking things out before they decide to take a risk. They are rather fuzzy and come in a wide range of colors, though there are sub-variants that include adaptations to the dry grassland. Grassland Anansi tend to be shades of brown and yellow, while jungle variants have bright colorful patterns. They closely resemble Earth tarantulas and lack true aggression.

Males are tiny compared to females and rarely grow higher than their knees. They may be small but they serve just as important a role in society that females do. It is speculated that before the days of society, the male needed to be small in order to escape a female he may have pestered too much. Besides size, there is no visible difference between males and females.

Anansi mate every few years, which results in an egg sack made of silk to protect the precious eggs inside. This egg sack is placed in a hidden place in their dwelling and is closely guarded. During this time, the mother will not hunt nore leave her eggs. The other community members work together to keep nesting mothers fed and healthy, bringing them food and water. Not all members of the community mate at the same time, so there are always individuals that are able to hunt and support their fellow people.

Eggs hatch in a few months, and the transparent pale young eat their way out of the nutritious egg sack and officially join the world. They are aware and fully able to run and crawl, but are too small to survive long by themselves. So, the young (called lings) pile on top of their mother and ride around on her, being protected and fed. After they learn how to communicate and are a good size, they leave their mother and are pretty much able to care for themselves. They are then given to the community, where they are instructed and taught the ways of the village and their roles within.

Anansi are considered adults once they reach around five years old. They grow and molt rapidly and are quite ready to work and contribute at this age.

Anansi live in villages that start on the ground level and go up into the trees. They build structures out of natural materials, such as stone, wood, mud, and fibers. Every Anansi has their own dwelling where they rest and store personal items, and dwellings are just added on top of each other as the village grows. It's much like a ladder, but with houses going upwards. They have very low technology and are still in their 'stone' age. They have not discovered how to smelt ores, but they can make some sophisticated tools out of wood and stone.

Anansi are carnivores, and prey on non-sapient arthropods. There are no birds, reptiles, or mammals on their world. Anansi will use their webs and silk to capture prey, and then delivers a venomous bite. The venom quickly kills the prey and liquefies their insides, which the Anansi can then slurp up with a proboscis. They cannot consume plants. Once in a while, they like the taste of fruit juice and nectar, but they get no nutrition out of it.

Anansi are talented artisans, and are mostly known for their silk. They spin silk from spinnerets, which they then dye and weave into incredibly soft and fine fabrics. Anansi silk is highly valuable in the galaxy, not only for its beauty, but for its incredible tensile strength. Both engineers and fashion designers have close relationships with the Anansi, who are more than happy to trade their silk.

Some things they like to trade for are radios and music tapes, as well as better-constructed homes. Anansi are not the best at engineering, so they appreciate the help in creating warmer, waterproof, and more comfortable dwellings. This is what they mainly trade for with the Atagi, as Atagi are natural builders and engineers. They are also fond of jewelry and books.

Anansi are very rare in the galaxy, as it is difficult for them to leave their world. Makro has a high concentration of oxygen in the air, which they need since they have book lungs. Those that leave the planet must wear an environmental suit over their abdomen. Visitors also need environmental suits to provide their own atmosphere, as too much oxygen can be deadly to some species. Anansi that leaves their planet do not do so lightly.

Their main contributions to the Galaxy are

• Silk. Either for clothing or industrial use.
• Art. Including paintings, pottery, and weaving.
• VERY patient teachers
• Venom, which they milk from themselves and sent off to be made into medicine.