SS Xenodemographic Report:
The Hyrax Races
The Hyrax are native to the planet of the same name charted at N-505 Sukaris subsector. They are among the smaller of the sophont races that have traveled the stars, having carved out a jump one nation in the heart of that sector. Preferring a more agrarian environment, they exist as independent clans, towns and cities with a few rising to city state status. Their capital is Hyrax, but the main point of human contact is in the Storax system (N-504 Sukaris); a stop on the Confederate Navy's rimward route to the Terminus subsector. Hyrax space ships and crews are rare even within their own domain, usually taking flight only under population pressures or other crisis.
Not much is officially known about the Hyrax. Their location behind the Osmani Empire left them hidden for centuries and of little importance. The Aslan were much more involved in their history. When the Aslan discovered Hyrax three centuries ago, it was an overcrowded world, ridden with disease and hunger. Trinitite missionaries began an "uplift program" consisting of a two prong approach. The first part was an immediate solution: immigration to other planets. While that helped to a degree, even with the help of sympathetic clans they couldn't remove Hyrax faster than the population increased. Still, they tried.
The second, long range plan, was to help Hyrax scientists to build their own jump drives. Forgoing exploration of their own system, they placed all their efforts into getting to the stars. With the Aslan's help, they were able to avoid experimental dead-ends and completed the process in two generations. It was a blessing of astrography that placed their homeworld in a tight cluster of planets. Once the Hyrax established their first successful colony on Sungrax, the Aslan slowly withdrew their technological support, leaving the Hyrax to their own devices. So far, they do not seem to have an interest in expanding beyond the first six worlds. If they should choose to, there is a star with no planet in the habitable zone a single jump rimward. The barrier seems to be more one of psychology than of technology. They would have to travel twice as far as ever before without stopping. If they can bridge that gap, there are another 25 planets reachable by a jump one craft.
Biology
Biologically, the Hyrax are fully furred, omnivorous mammalians who are for the most part bipedal although there are times when they rest on all fours. They exists as four different races, although in the case of the Hyrax, it would be more appropriate to label them as subspecies because of the genetic similarities. Each race differentiates according to their environment although xenobiologist cannot reach a consensus of the process: did the Hyrax differentiate because of environment or did the environment favor specific traits and skills and attract the Hyrax to that location. Their fur is lighter underneath but otherwise a consistent mixed hairs of browns and black. The one exception is the plains dwellers have a coat more toward the yellow end of the spectrum.
Hyrax range from five to three feet in height and 25 to 100 lbs in weight. The largest race is the Wennax (rock Hyrax) that mine the mountains of their native world. The smallest is the Huax (tree Hyrax) that builds cities in the towering forests and rarely touch the ground except in search of food. The two intermediate sized Hyrax are the plains dwelling Tomax (yellow Hyrax) and the Nyax (fisher Hyrax) that frequents the coastlines and inland waterways. The difference between male and female Hyrax is the males average 10% larger in height and mass, although individual outliers exceed those limits. Gobax the Great, who lead one of the first expeditions off world reached a towering 5'4" tall.
Their faces terminate in a long snout reminiscent of a mouse. They have expressive faces and unless provoked, are always smiling. They have large, black, broad set eyes in the front of their faces with whiskers on either side of the nose. Their ears are rounded, capable of motion and set midway on the corner line of the skull. Ears range in size and shape and location. The larger the ear, the lower it is located on the side of the head. Tomax have the largest ears, with a rigid upper edge terminating in a flexible fan on the bottom. A Tomax ear is twice the size of Wennax and Huax ears and three times the size of a Nyax ear. Ear size is the easiest way to differentiate between the sub-species.
Hyrax females carry their young for an average of seven months, a long gestation for a being that small. However, when born, Hyrax young are well developed: fully furred with eyes open. Average birth per pregnancy is three with a maximum of six. Single births are uncommon; identical twins do not exist. Young females in Hyrax society are assigned child care duties and frequently do so in groups made up of immediate family or members of the same clan. Because of this, females of childbearing age are seldom encountered in space unless they are traveling with young to establish colonies on other planets.
One of the unique characteristics of the Hyrax are their hands and feet. All races of Hyrax have four fingered hands (three fingers and a thumb) and three toed feet. The digits are blunt on the ends and covered with a broad, dark nail rather than terminating in a claw. The palm and sole of the foot are covered with black skin and devoid of hair. The pads on their appendages are prominent, but not divided as with other mammalian species. In this respect, Hyrax are genetically closer to elephants of old earth than any of the rodentine species it might resembles externally.
Their teeth are also unusual as well. Where humans have what would be called their "eye teeth," Hyrax have small tusks that extend just over the lower lip when the mouth is closed. When agitated, they make a sidewise chewing motion that resembles chewing cud. It creates a low growling noise that should be taken as a warning that either fight or flight is imminent. Hyrax have a complex multi-chambered stomach, but do not chew cud and are incapable of throwing up. Their digestion is by means of symbiotic bacteria and their bites can be very septic. The hyrax also have a poorly developed thermal regulatory system and are always cold unless technology intervenes. Part of their social behavior involves single sex group sunbathing and bath houses.
Social Interactions
While the process of communicating with individual Hyrax of all races is much the same as any other sophont, their thought patterns are not. While reasonably sophisticated in other areas of thought, as a whole, the race does not handle cognitive dissonance well. That is one of the reasons that, baring Aslan influence, their scientific development has stagnated in the last few centuries. Most races, when faced with information that contradicts their opinions, will seek to resolve that conflict through new information and reason. If such information cannot be found, then they will either change their opinion or set aside (compartmentalize) the conflict until another time. The general belief is that the passage of time will yield some new insight which is frequently the case. It is not so with the Hyrax. They cannot abide cognitive dissonance and seek to immediately resolve it.
A case in point. A Hyrax meets a young midshipman. Through mutual experience, they form a bond and become friends (Hyrax are very social animals and befriend easily). This particular Hyrax has had a bad experience with the Confederacy and doesn't like Confeds - as a matter of fact, the Hyrax despises them. Later, the Hyrax discovers the midshipman is a member of the Confederate Scout Corps. He is now faced with a dilemma: the Hyrax likes the midshipman, but the midshipman is a member of the Confederacy that the Hyrax despises.
The typical response to this situation for most races would be to continue to like the individual, but dislike the group or consider the individual an exception to the rule. The Hyrax would approach this differently; more creatively. They would a) decide that the Confeds were not so bad after all because the Midshipman was a Confed, b) decide that the friendship was based on a deception and the Hyrax never really liked the Midshipman to begin with and the fact that he or she is a Confed is a confirmation of that opinion, c) that the Midshipman was never "really" a Confed after all, but only appears to be one by false information, accident or forces beyond the Midshipman's control.
While this solution to cognitive dissonance is paralleled by other species to some degree, the difference is the scope of time. With other races, the process might take days to years. With Hyrax, it happens in seconds. The results is they can shift allegiances and alliances very quickly both as individuals and as groups. To make things even more uncertain, when faced with the same set of circumstances, no two individual Hyrax will respond exactly the same. Even Hyrax that chose option "c" above will react differently. One might attack the source of the false news on behalf of his friend, the midshipman. Another might investigate to see how his friend could have been so badly betrayed to expose the cruelty of the hoax and try to convince the midshipman that he or she is not a "real" Confed. The third might be very empathetic to the midshipman because he or she has been a victim of circumstances and seek to intervene, spiriting the midshipman away for his or her own protection.
This "character flaw" can also have its positive side as well. If a Hyrax meets another Hyrax friend and introduces the midshipman as a friend, the midshipman will be accepted by the second Hyrax without question. The midshipman will immediately become friends with all of the new Hyraxes' friends as well. So far, so good. But now the midshipman must embrace all of the Hyraxes' enemies as his or her enemies as well (It's a bit like Middle School). Depending upon the situation that can be managed, even beneficial. If some of the midshipman's new Hyax friends like the Confeds and others don't and the midshipman's identity is revealed, that can start the whole cycle all over again. For humans dealing with Hyrax, the less said the better.