The Peridot Ape

Quote from: Yurie Yileen on 02 September 2008, 17:45:01

Overview

The Peridot Ape is a small, brightly coloured mammal that lives in the tree canopy of tropical forests. Its extraordinary songs and calls have led to its being nicknamed, ‘Singing Man of the Trees’.

Appearance

A small body and head combined with very long limbs make this ape ideally suited to swinging through the forest canopy at great speed. It is covered in a short coat of green fur. Infants have lighter coloured fur which is almost white. ... I hadn't read this when making my Llaioo, honestly!

As they mature the fur darkens, and this process continues throughout the ape’s life. In this way it is able to age an ape by the shade of its coat. Do they ever get so old that their fur looks almost black?

The face and paws are furless; both are blue in colour. The intensity of the blue on the face changes according to the ape’s mood. When calm and relaxed it is relatively pale. When angry or afraid the colour rapidly changes to a bright, shockingly vivid hue.

Eyes are always yellow and forward facing. The nose is flat and the ears small. It has been noted that this ape’s ears are very similar in appearance to a human’s. The mouth contains small, very sharp teeth that are ideally suited to slicing through fruit. It has a strong jaw that helps it to crush shells. The throat has a large sac that the ape uses to fill with air to project its voice over great distances. This sac is also blue in colour.

The hands and feet each have five long digits. This ape has opposable thumbs which allow it to use simple tools. The digits curl inwards slightly and have short nails rather than claws. This enables the ape to have a more secure grip on tree branches.

Males are slightly larger than females. The longest a male can grow to is just under one ped. They are very light, averaging about one heb.

Special Abilities

This ape is exceedingly fast when moving through the forest canopy. This ability is used to escape from predators and to find new feeding grounds quickly. It is also capable of walking upright for short periods on its two rear legs. This is rarely seen as the ape spends most of its life in the tree canopy.

Perhaps the most well known special ability of this ape is its unique range of vocalisations. Its beautiful songs have led to its nickname, ‘Singing Man of the Trees’. However, it is also capable of using a variety of calls to give warnings to the rest of the troop. It would appear that this ape has developed unique calls to warn of specific threats. The call given when a snake is spotted is distinctively different to that given when a large cat or bird of prey is seen. Interestingly, the other apes will respond in different ways according to the warning given, and it has therefore been concluded that they have developed a basic form of language.

This ape’s voice is also used for self defence. It has the ability to mimic other animals. It will sometimes roar like a large cat or shriek like a hunting bird. These sounds can be very loud and disturbing, scaring away potential predators and rival simian groups.

The opposable thumbs and lack of claws on the Peridot Ape mean that it is able to manipulate simple tools. It has been known to use rocks to break open hard nuts and sticks to scrape insects out of holes.

Territory

This ape is found in the tropical forests of Nyblemar Nybelmar and the Scattersand Shoals. It has never been spotted in temperate regions. Nybelmar is pretty big, perhaps you could explain a bit more in detail in which part of the continent it lives? Even if it lives all over the continent (as long as it has jungles) this might be worth mentioning)

Behaviour

These apes live in large troops and share everything. Males and females both take care of the babies. This could be a result of their mating behaviour, (see mating). Apparently the males have no way of knowing which babies are theirs and as such are happy to take over the care of an infant from any mother. The mother makes a distinctive call when she wants a male to help her in this way.

Unusually there doesn’t appear to be any kind of a social hierarchy in the troop. All of the apes freely interact with each other and will mate with every other member of the troop.

Diet

This ape loves to eat a variety of different fruit, and this makes up the larger part of its diet. It also feeds on nuts, vines, tree bark, certain kinds of fungus and insects. Due to its active lifestyle it needs to keep eating throughout the day. Perhaps we already have some Nybelmar fruits developed that you might mention here, as a matter of cross-referencing?

It also has a fondness for the sap of the Parpalm. The sap from this tree seems to have an intoxicating effect on the Peridot Ape. The apes gnaw into the bark of the palm and suck the sap directly.

Mating

Mates are chosen by singing displays. When ready to mate, females sing elaborate and hauntingly beautiful melodies. The males respond in kind, using their bass voices to complement the females’ higher notes.

It would appear that this ape loves to mate. They copulate prolifically throughout the year. As a result of this, their mating calls are heard on a daily basis in the forests where they are to be found. An interesting point to note is that despite the daily mating, the females only seem to enter a fertile period several times a year. As such, the birth rate is controlled.

Usages

The sexual organ of the male ape is considered a great aphrodisiac by many people. This is a result of the ape’s prolific mating. It would seem that men believe that they can attain the ape’s sexual stamina by consuming the penis. Hmm, maybe it's good that I didn't take Judith's suggestions for the Llaioo... We wouldn't want them to be *too* similar, would we

Usually the penis is dried and ground into a powder. This can then be easily transported and taken with a drink or light food. Apparently it has an earthy taste, much like some species of mushroom. It is sold under a variety of names, one of the most common being ‘Night Power Powder’.

For those that live close to the natural habitat of the Peridot Apes, the penis does not have to be dried. It can be cooked from fresh much like any other meat. Some example dishes that feature this unusual ingredient are listed below:

-   Bulging Mushroom Chowder
-   Peridot Passion Cake
-   Night Bloom Broth
-   Forest Fire Fingers
-   And the ever popular, Vibrant Treasure Buns

Field Notes:

On the third morning of our journey into the forests of Aiden, we encountered a large troop of Peridot apes.

It was their beautiful singing voices that attracted our attention. To begin with, I thought that this sublime music was being produced by some kind of a bird, but my guide told me that it was the “Singing Man of the Trees”. He explained that every morning, with the rising sun, these apes would sing in unison as a part of their daily mating ritual.

All around us there was a web of sound. The high pitched voices of the females rose up, soaring on invisible wings to the hidden heavens above us. Each seemed to be producing different notes which harmonised with the rest. Even the melodies were different, yet intertwined perfectly.

Almost undetectable at first, the bass notes of the males quivered and vibrated in the steamy forest air. Their pieces were much lower in tone than the females’, but they were just as complex.

As I stood there listening, I felt myself being beatified. I felt beatific? The music was both soothing and exhilarating at the same time. Undoubtedly it was hypnotic, for I found my mind idly following the different strands of melody with no concern for the passage of time.

When the symphony finally died down, I found myself standing in silent awe at the ethereally beautiful music of the Peridot Apes.

Well, not too many comments from me... I think this should be just about ready for a blarrow ^.^ Very nice little ape!