Pronunciation
Scarfyz is pronounced "scarf-E's." Scarfyz is the singular, plural, and group term.
Age Stages
Scarfyz have different names for their growth stages and prefer not to use adult, teenager/adolescent, and child/toddler/baby. Instead, adults are referred to as Comets, teenagers are Stars, toddlers and children as embers, and babies are Spots. These terms all apply at different stages of age, however scarfyz do not age like humans, they age more like dogs! A spot typically is used to refer to newborn scarfyz so this term is used for the shortest amount of time, roughly ½ a year or 6 months. Ember is used for a longer period of time from 6 months to 2 years. Star is used to describe the period of time between 2 years and 3 years. After 3 years a scarfyz becomes a comet. Comet is the longest lasting time period for a scarfyz, lasting from 3 years to a minimum of 75 years.
PSS, PES, PStarS
PSS stands for Permanent Spot Syndrome, PES stands for Permanent Ember Syndrome, and PStarS stands for Permanent Star Syndrome. Each of these syndrome traps a scarfyz in a state of growth, never allowing them to grow past it meaning that they cannot breed due to their reproductive organs never maturing. These conditions can sometimes inhibit any kind of brain development of the scarfyz. So, in some PSS their minds mature into that of Comets while others remain as Spot brained. This can lead to some very interesting interactions between a Comet and a PSS.
Body
Scarfyz are naturally slender creatures, having a deep chest and a thin belly and waist. Scarfyz bodies are articulation and shape can be closely compared to a dog, more specifically a whipped. Scarfyz heads and ears are more resembling of rabbits, while their legs are much fatter versions of a golden retriever's. Short whiskers present on their muzzles help them detect objects on the ground like bugs and foliage. Scarfyz teeth are dull and wide but gain a slight pointed tip towards the molars. Their front teeth are the thinnest of their teeth. Scarfyz have small dull scooped claws on their front and back feet meant to aid them in digging. Scarfyz are anosmic, meaning that they are incapable of smelling or have a very limited ability to smell. This is why their evolution has compensated and given them so many other ways of detecting the world around them. The main way they compensate against this is with their sixth sense provided by their antennae. This sixth sense is the most unique and inconsistent feature of scarfyz. The sixth sense appears to be genetically passed down from parents and greatly impacts a scarfyz life. The way that these antennae detect the world around them can be sonar, a mental image, Infared sights, and so many more. Scarfyz are very intelligent and rival the brain power of humans, not that any exist in their world. Many scarfyz have the potential to become smarter than they are, however, did not grow up in a learning environment making them dull. Scarfyz have a grouping of special hairs where their tail would be placed. These hairs grow continuously longer and weave together as they grow. These threads become fabric and eventually becomes a scarf. The first scarf a scarfyz grows sheds and is worn around the neck. Another grows and does not shed, becoming a tail. These tail scarves are fully articulated and can be moved by the scarfyz. Scarfyz lose their body heat very quickly, making thicker and more protective scarves preferable to scarfyz. Scarfyz with longer fur do not have nearly as hard of a time with their body heat as shorter haired scarfyz. Scarfyz have a reproductive system that hides itself in a pocket near the groin. This pocket seals seamlessly and cannot be located by the naked eye. The nipples, however, are plainly visible. Female scarfyz have 12 nipples, grouped up into 2 groups of 4 and 2 groups of 2. This is to help reduce the possibility of runts and underfeeding. Male scarfyz lack the larger 4 grouped nipples, only having the 2 groups of 2 off to the sides.
Pictured is a scarfyz on its side, its left front and hind leg hidden to fully display the belly.
Marks
Marks is a term to describe scarfyz that aren't a subspecies but rather just a differently shaped scarfyz. This is especially true because all marks can breed between each other and even birth marks that the parents aren't. For more information about marks see the Scarfyz Encyclopedia.
Habitat
Scarfyz live in a variety of habitats based on the length of their fur and their scarf. Scarfyz with shorter or medium fur and thinner scarves live in bright sunny places. Scarfyz with heavier fur and thicker scarves can live in cold places like mountains and tundra. These Scarfyz thrive in the winter and are very active, while the scarfyz more suited for warm weather may only venture out to stockpile more food. Generally, all scarfyz prefer to live in colder environments because lizard-men are less likely to venture there. The most common place for a scarfyz to live around are beaches, forests, and fields.
Diet
Scarfyz are typically herbivores though some sport insectivore tendencies, making some scarfyz omnivores. A scarfyz diet varies greatly based on the environment that it has settled in however there are some consistent themes. The scarfyz main source of food is vegetation ranging from leaves to grass. A scarfyz enjoys a wide arrangement of berries too, naturally knowing which ones are good to eat based on color and smell. Scarfyz enjoy eating bark off of trees are well. Lighter barks are usually preferred as they taste sweet while dark barks taste salty. As mentioned before some scarfyz eat insects, their favorite being beetles. Scarfyz teeth are severely unsuited for chewing meats, making it not only unappetizing but incredibly difficult to even attempt. This, of course, is not the case for scarfyz with mutations. Even amongst scarfyz who have mutated sharper teeth it is rare for its stomach to be able to digest meat.
Size
A scarfyz, similarly to every other creature in existence, is not an exact set height. That is to say that they range in height. Spots, embers, stars, and comets all have a recorded height range with sexual dimorphism present. Spots are the smallest ranging from 5 inches to 10 inches. Embers have the largest variation allowance due to covering a larger age range of scarfyz. Embers can range from 8 inches to 2 feet. Stars can range from 1 foot to 5 feet. Finally, comets can range from 1 foot 5 inches to 7 feet. While a scarfyz height varies widely so too does their scarf length, otherwise some very wild proportions would make a scarfyz life very difficult. Roughly speaking, for every 3 inches a scarfyz has in height its scarf has 6 inches for males and 4 inches for females. Generally speaking, the scarf is most likely to be 33.33% of the scarfyz total height. However, the vast number of scarves available to be grown makes this an inaccurate calculation. In fact, this can very easily be overruled by genetic mutations that make the scarf longer or shorter.
Mating
Although scarfyz can identify as many different genders and sexualities it takes a biologically female and a biologically male scarfyz to reproduce. Male scarfyz can showcase monogamy, staying with their first mate, or polygamy by going off and mating with multiple other scarfyz females. This same behavior is seen in the female scarfyz, showcasing both monogamy and polygamy. When a female scarfyz is impregnated and gives birth they can have between 1 and 7 spots. A scarfyz will be pregnant for roughly 3 months before going into labor. Female scarfyz, on average, will have 5 litters in their lifetime breeding every year or every other year.
Spots
Spots are born without scarves, only beginning to grow them after a full year. When the scarf does begin to grow it is extremely slow, even throughout the ember stage. The growth of this scarf begins to accelerate once the scarfyz reaches the star stage. When a scarfyz turns two years old their scarf has reached completion and sheds. This cycle repeats for every piece of attire the scarfyz has to grow. Typically, each piece can take ½ a year to 1 full year. Not long after this shedding the body begins work on the tail. A scarfyz reached comet-hood at year 3 however, depending on the length of the scarf tail it can still be growing well into their adulthood.
History
Thousands of years ago, near the planet's conception, scarfyz were the dominant species. In these ancient times scarfyz had magic, bestowed upon them by the gods. They used these magics to shape the land, creating caves and dens for themselves. The lizard-men soon emerged upon the surface of the world. They hunted these ancient scarfyz for their scarves to bring them warmth. With this culling some of the newer generations of scarfyz were not taught their magical potential. And thus, the magical powers amongst the scarfyz dwindled. Many magical scarfyz went into hiding along with the rest of their kin. They fled to the colder regions of the planet, hoping to escape the lizard-men. The Lizard-men in question were coldblooded creatures who lived beneath the earth. This hunting of scarfyz damaged the lizard-men's progression through the ages and they did not learn to weave, making them think that scarfyz were their only option for warmth. Few magical scarfyz survived the great purge of their species, but some still live and reproduce.