Mirrubani

Mirrubani
Biological classifications
Designation	Marsupials
Subspecies	4
Physical characteristics
Height	0.7m-2.6m
Mass	12kg-160kg
Distinctive traits	Always including: Nursing pouch Full-body fur Omnivore's teeth Sometimes including: Scaly tails
Lifespan	30-90 cycles
Socio‑cultural characteristics
Homeworld	Mirruban
Habitat	Extreme
Diet	Mostly omnivorous
Language	Largely dominated by whoops and chitters

Physical Description

The Mirrubani are a species-complex of six related but widely varying species. All of them feature a nursing pouch of greater or lesser size, as well as a metabolism that features an autonomic toggle between modes of growth and of quasi-hibernation; Mirrubani in conditions of nutritional excess will continue to grow in height throughout their adult lives, albeit usually at a slow rate. While height therefore is not always a sign of age, it is however a sign of plenty and age together. This also means that obesity is a very rare condition for any Mirrubani species.

Mirruban is not precisely dry in climate but has no major oceans, with water being more commonly distributed in a network of lakes and rivers. Because it has a dramatic axial tilt, its seasons are wild climactic extremes. The Mirrubani are social symbionts with one another, and nearly every disparate Mirrubani community in their recent evolutionary history has been composed of more than one of the planet's native sophonts; since each is best adapted for its own season, this was practically a prerequisite for the development of civilization. These communities were traditionally semi-nomadic, and moved from one biome to another in time with the seasons. This is less the case today with modern climate control, but is still sometimes practiced.

Heritages

Valli: The Valli most closely resemble Terran kangaroos. They naturally grow to be the largest of the Mirrubani species; an average young-adult Valli easily reaches 2m tall, and by middle age is usually closer to 2.5m. The Valli are best adapted for the long and hot summers on Mirruban's central plains, with short, heat-reflective fur and a ruminant ability that allows them to digest grasses and weeds just as well as meat, although traditionally they would spend their summers subsisting purely on plant matter as meat was being preserved.
The Valli are traditionally the hierarchs and historians of the species, stereotyped as even-tempered but authoritative. Although the species became only semi-nomadic over the course of its recent evolutionary history, the Valli have the largest natural range of all Mirrubani, and typically if they feel they aren't sufficiently respected, they tend to isolate themselves either literally or in some personal pursuit until their presence is missed.

Durri: The Durri most closely resemble Terran opossums and gliders. True omnivores with a love of fruits, their height can vary wildly but is the closest to the galactic average at around 160-180 at the age of majority. The Durri are best adapted for Mirruban's spring, and traditionally were most active when a given community of Mirrubani would move into its forests, where in ancient times they would use the abundance of new growth to craft garments from soft new-growth fibers. Prolific as either climbers or diggers, Durri generally still prefer either high places (in the case of glider-like members) or something reminiscent of dens or warrens (in the case of opossum-like members) as their dwellings today.

Durri are traditionally scavengers and craftspeople, and are frequently stereotyped as having short attention spans and a love of novelty or acquisition. They are also seen as notorious gossips.

Rasshi: Most closely resembling Terran Tasmanian devils, the Rasshi are on the larger side of the Mirrubani spectrum but tend to grow stockier and shorter than the Valli. Average height at the age of majority is also around 2m tall, but their height grows more slowly than their breadth and by middle age they're often no taller than 2.2m. While the Rasshi are omnivorous, they're adapted to prefer meat, and with their extremely robust gut biome it doesn't necessarily have to be fresh. They also tend to have a very strong bite force for a sophont. The Rasshi are best adapted for Mirruban's autumns, when its strong seasonal storms and earthquakes give the planet a harsh mortality rate requiring expeditious corpse "removal" and the other species are busy with the harvest. Autumn was the season for them to depart for raids and other forms of warfare, when the Rasshi could operate best as self-sufficient packs in the scrublands between different communities.

Gulthi: Most closely resembling Terran mustelids, the Gulthi are smaller on average than the other Mirrubani species, typically 1.2-1.6m at the age of majority and still often only 2m at best by middle-age. Gulthi have insulated and tightly-growing, oily fur that affords them great resistance to cold and wet. While they traditionally hibernated during the hot summers, in the long and harsh winters of Mirruban they alone could supplement dwindling food supplies by cracking lake or river ice and diving for fish.