Okay, I got bored one day. Geocities was being screwy and not letting me upload (no fanart!), so, I decided to play scientist! 'Play', of course, being the key word, as I am no scientist by any sense of the word!

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Verterata
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Eutheria
Order: Alienus
Family: Brevis
Genus: Coma
Species: lombax
Subspecies: rutilus (Veldin) or niveus (Frosca)

General Appearance

There are two subspecies of lombaxes: Coma rutilus rutilus, the yellow lombax of Veldin, and Coma rutilus niveus, the white lombax of Frosca. However, this researcher has yet to see either the planet Frosca or its white inhabitants, and merely heard of them in a round-a-bout way. It is said that you can identify a lombax's species by ear shape alone: those from Frosca are smaller and curl in on themselves, while those from Veldin are large and flat, to hold in or disipate heat as needed. Lombaxes range in height, though whether this is determined by gender or is simply random is unknown. Some is said to be determined by planetary gravity, and that those from Veldin are often shorter because of a larger gravitational field. Like humans, weight is dependent upon activity levels, and, due to a relaxed, laid-back lifestyle (on Veldin, at least. Frosca has a predatory species which feeds on lombaxes), it is said that many are overweight. Perhaps this is considered an asthetically-pleasing factor, however, as one of the two thin lombaxes we could find and track seemed rather bitter about his appearance (Ed's RoboShack).

They are covered in fur everywhere except their noses. This fur is beleived to be soft, but, alas, we could not pet one to be certain. The male specimen we found had golden fur of a medium-light value which faded at the extremeties and was marked by stripes in sets of three, while the female was nearly stripeless on the fur we could see, possessing stripes only on her ears and what appears to be her hair but more closely resembles a sack of meat. It is unknown about the color and markings of other members of the species, but it is beleived that they possess color modifying genes ranging from albino (pure white) to melanistic (pure black). Maltesing (abnormal amounts of blue-grey in the fur) is beleived to be non-existant in the yellow variety, while chinchilla (white with pale markings), leucistic (creamy, partially-albino fur), and erythristic (red) coat colors may or may not exist.

Their feet and hands are large, broad and flat, and covered with fur on the bottoms to shield the foot from hot, slippery sand or cold snow. The feet have three claws, two larger ones and a small one on the outside. The purpose of this last claw is unknown, as it is in the wrong place to be used for grooming and too small to be of any other use.

The male we saw had rather large green eyes, while the female's were a bit smaller and blue. It is believed that lombaxian eyes range from almost yellow to grey in addition to blue and green, with every shade and tint and mixture between. Since we couldn't persuade either of them to remove their headgear, it is unknown if they have hair in the sense of humans, especially in the males. The female had a large mass of what was probably hair hanging in back, but it really did look more like a sack of meat...

Youth

We really don't know too much about the lifestyle of a young lombax, as the only one we found is beleived to be in his late teenage years. However, it is this scientist's personal belief that young lombaxes have extra-fluffy, stripeless coats caused by an abundance of undercoat, which is shed around five years of age. They are probably as playful as human children.

Adolecence

The pre-teen years are also shrouded in mystery. However, I am for some reason persuaded to think that a female's body grows a thicker, stripeless coat in response to monthly ovulation and the thickening of the endometrium, as a thicker coat would provide more warmth for a developing fetus, should one implant. It would also act as a signal to avoid a particularly touchy PMS-ing girl.

Late Teens and Early Adulthood

A teenage lombax is much like a teenage human: moody and rebellious. They are developing their own sets of values that can change with the winds. One minute, they want to be pampered and babied, the next, they will take the fingers off a hand that is too close for comfort.

Adulthood

Past the hyperactivity of youth, adult lombaxes tend to calm down. They stop running around, and thus begin to gain weight. With this more sedate lifestyle setting in, they have much the same problems as humans and other animals: diabetes, heart trouble, and a host of other problems.

Old Age

As lombaxes age, their fur turns grey or white. It starts around the mouth, ear tips, eyebrows, or the tuft on the tail and works its way toward the center of the body. Other things associated with human aging, such as arthritis, are also common.

Behavior

Most lombaxian body language is comparable to human signals: a broadside display shows disliking, a tilted head shows interest, etc.. However, due to the mobility of their ears and that extra appendage - the tail - they have a few more signs. The ears are mostly an indication of the strength of an emotion: slightly dropped ears may indicate nervousness or embarrassment, while ears flattened against the head show open anger or sadness. Hanging ears show negativity, while upright, flag-like ears display more positive feelings. The tail is mostly useless and hangs limp, but it may move at times. Tail signals are beleived to be closely related to those of cats. They are mostly mellow and calm creatures, only becomming active in cases of boredom, anxiety, or anger.

Courtship

Our two lombaxes, although friendly with one another, did not display any open affection, there were several small signs that might indicate an interest in one another. Embarrassment, nervousness, and a general wish to impress and protect were more exhibitted by the male, but that could simply be that he is more outspoken and showing of his emotions.

Reproduction

Um...moving on...

Diet

It is hard to describe the teeth of a lombax; different pictures of the same male may or may not show him with fangs. However, it would seem the female is most definately flat-toothed, though this may simply be bad picture quality; our cameras are not perfect. It is beleived that they are omnivorous, however, and very opportunistic. Chicken is probably a favorite of many.

Habitat

Lombaxes are natives of Veldin, a desert-covered planet on the outskits of a galaxy. It is a warm, sandy place with very little plant life and many large rock formations. Homes and other buildings are generally half-burried spheres with a network of tunnels underground. The sky seems to be in a state of perpetual twighlight, and so large eyes adapted for seeing in low light are best. They seem to feel a need for privacy and freedom, prefering large territories to small ones.

Froscan lombaxes deal with the reverse of those from Veldin: cold and snow. They also must avoid a large reptilian species of preditor, but other details of their habitat are currently unknown.

As we were only able to identify one pair, we have reason to beleive that they are extremely endangered. They are not dangerous unless angered, so give them their space (::cough:fuzztakus:cough::) and help to save a beautiful species.

And there you have it, folks. Another unofficial, random thingy from me!