A Guide for World Builders

Chapter 1: The Fubarnii Species

Evolution

Fubarnii, like humans, evolved from dextrous, omnivorous ancestors and became intelligent, self-aware, societal beings with language and culture and sophisticated pattens of thought. The environment in which their development took place is however quite different from that of humans. Fubarnii evolved in swamps from creatures that may be thought to occupy a niche similar to pigs in our world. There were no tall trees and Fubarnii ancestors were ground-dwelling. They were also twilight-dwelling; adapted to low light levels, but versatile so that modern Fubarnii can essentially choose to live nocturnally or diurnally.

To give you an idea of their place among the other creatures of Anyaral, let us examine the taxonomic tree (note that these are Latinate names, given by humans – the Fubarnii themselves do not use this taxonomic system).

Fubarnii belong to the phylum Trivitaetasa, which covers all creatures with the three life stage system of Jenta, Sempa and Kopa. Compare with the human phylum Chordata, which includes everything with a backbone, i.e. the three life stage system is widespread and does not necessarily denote close kinship with the Fubarnii species, any more than a human is closely related to a fish.

The Fubarnii are classed as Molliovus (compare with human class Mammalia). This class includes all creatures who reproduce externally through expulsion of egg matter which is then fertilized. Other members of this class are the intelligent Devanu, as well as many of the non-intelligent species used as working beasts by the Fubarnii such as Baruk and Enuk.

Order Megalopodia (compare with human order Primates) includes Fubarnii and many of their working beasts, but not Devanu. Megalopodia are characterized by their large hooves, limb structures, and a generally vegetarion or omnivorous diet.

Family is Omnivoria, which also contains modern descendants of the Fubarnii swamp-dwelling ancestor such as the Swamp Pig and Swamp Monkey. Genus and Species is Megalocephalus Fubarnii.

It is unknown at present whether the Fubarnii have any understanding of evolution and how they explain their origins (scientifically as opposed to mythologically – see later chapters for Fubarnii creation myths). It is likely however that the concept would be less shocking to them than it was to Darwin's contemporaries – after all, they share the world with other intelligent species.