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Sirysian Facial Structure \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

As many a felthian will tell you, the physique of the average Sirysian does little to calm the nerves, frightful to look at and with a proud stride it is easy to assume these giant mammals are both predatory and malicious in nature; far from the truth. To explain the subtle intricacies of this noble race we need to start with basic and the obvious, from the ears to the toes.

Sirysies are large, hulking beasts, surprisingly agile and unsurprising strong. Apex predators only a few thousand years ago and still fully equipped with their battle gear. These giant marsupials still share most of their ancient physiology, especially dominant with the occasional occurrence of recessive gene lines.

The thick domed heads of the Sirysian are heavily supported by enlarged vertebrae and complex muscle systems, particularly around the throat, jaw and ears. Unsurprising considering the weight that rests on every sirysian shoulder. Massive continuous growing horns composed of ridged Keratin, whose boned base originate from their skulls, can reach weights anywhere up to 10kg; while huge curled tusks made for gouging or hooking prey have been recorded at 2kg each.

Yet, as they say, 'the teeth aren't the mouth of the issue', it is not the giant protrusions to be most wary of, but the jaws. Sporting both large canines and wide flat molars the power of the Sirysian bite is genetically designed to crush bones and rupture hard chitinous shells with effort comparable to biting into a firm fruit. Intricate muscle groups around their incisors also allow for slight forward, backward and side-to-side mobility, and when coupled with a long prehensile barbed tongue a Sirysian can pull flesh from bones and insect husks with precision accuracy.

The Sirysian tongue is something of an oddity, even among Felthian species. An evolutionary advantage with uncertain origins. Measuring anywhere between 10-16 inches the five pronged tip of these highly dexterous muscles act more like nimble fingers capable of grasping, pulling and 'scraping' actions. It's dark mauve colour prevents sunburn and thick excessive saliva acts as a protective coating much like a thin membrane, preventing cuts & abrasions and the absorption of toxins often found in the insects they eat.

Their noses, large and flat, also consist of many delicate muscles used to open and close the nostrils or pull the entire nose flush against their muzzles, protecting the delicate interiors of their sensory organs from rough desert sands or spore plumes. Their sense of smell is impeccable, possessing up to 180 million olfactory receptors, not only this but contrary to many other races Sirysian noses are designed to split the airflow with two different flow paths, one for 'scenting' and one for respiration. As a sirysian exhales, the spent air exits through the slits in the sides of their noses, The manner of which actually helps usher new odors into their nose, it allows Sirysies to sniff more or less continuously, a remarkable threat to their ancient prey. Sirysies can also pick up on pheromone and chemical substances through special ducts in the roof of their mouths that leads to the nasal cavity, used to communicate non-verbal social, territorial and sexual information.

Sirysies have two sets of eyes, their primaries, which are larger and front set, are good at seeing detail. They have a high density of color-sensitive cones in their retinas, which produce high-quality images with just a small amount of light. Their secondaries are far more sensitive to light, it is suspected they were reserved for use among nocturnal hunters, useless in brightly lit areas these eyes are designed to let in as much light as possible in dark areas, including a spectrum of ultraviolet. Nowadays they are often called hunters eyes and most Sirysies will keep them closed under harsher lighting conditions, or only partially exposed under their second lids. They are visually lacking compared to their primaries, but could have once been a vital tool in the hunting of insects.

Sirysies have large rounded ears with a small pocket composed or cartilage, they are pretty similar to those of other mammals and share the same three structural areas: the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear, with a standard hearing range of 35hz to 50khz. They are also extremely mobile, able to swivel close to 190 degrees to catch sounds and frequencies like a radar disk. Remarkable, similar to their noses, Sirysies can compress the muscles within their ears to block water, sand and spores from entering the ear canal.