centaur

Centaurs are sentient semi-humanoid creatures combining feautures of other humanoids and horses. Typically their torsos, arms, and heads are similar to those of humans, elves, or other humanoids, while beneath their torso appears to be similar to the body, legs, and tail of a horse. This is the basic build of most hippocentaurs, the most common centaur subspecies. There is a wide variety of centaur anatomy, however, leading to what many refer to as subspecies of centaur.

Basic Information

Anatomy

As previously mentioned, hippocentaurs are half-humanoid and half-horse in appearance. The closest subspecies related to hippocentaurs are onocentaurs, being half-humanoid and half-donkey.
Rarer species on the material plane include zebracentaurs (half-humanoid, half-zebra), kamilopardalocentaurs (half-humanoid, half-giraffe), ichthyocentaurs (head, torso, and arms of a humanoid, front legs and torso of a horse, and the hind fins and tails of a fish), bucentaurs (half-humanoid, half-cow), criocentaurs (half-humanoid, half-goat), elaphocentaurs (half-humanoid, half-deer), camilcentaurs (half-humanoid, half-camel), elefantacentaurs (half-humanoid, half-elephant), potamocentaurs (half-humanoid, half-hippopotamus), and rhinocentaurs (half-humanoid, half-rhinoceros).
There are also those subspecies more connected to their Otherworld homelands, being known as unicentaurs (half-humanoid, half-unicorn), pterocentaurs (half-humanoid, half-pegasus), and alacentaurs (half-human, half-alacorn).
Centaurs of the Dreaming tend to look like hippocentaurs, but are always black in color, have fiery red eyes, red-hot hooves, and have manes, head hair, and tails formed of fire.
There is one known centaur species only present on the divine plane, known as the sleipnicentaur. These centaurs appear like hippocentaurs, but have eight horse legs instead of the usual four, arranged similarly to those of a spider.

Growth Rate & Stages

Due to their hybrid physiology, the individual portions of the centaur may age at different rates. For instance, most humanoids take 1-3 months to hold up their own heads as infants, while horses can run as early as two hours after birth. Therefore growth stages as moreso tied to the age of the humanoid portion rather than the equine portion, unlike many other hybrid species.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Most centaurs are omnivores, but many cultures and subcultures have their own particular dietary habits. Because of their unique combinatory physiology, individuals may require between 17,000 and 38,000 calories per day in order to maintain bodily functions.

Behaviour

Endocrinologically, androgens and estrogens are spread more thin, resulting in generally lower libido, relative to other species. With this in mind, fertility rituals and the like are observed infrequently and sex work is not often engaged in.
While many humanoid species engage in dyadic romantic and sexual relationships; centaurs engage in dyadic relationships of a comparatively more platonic manner (known as pair-bonds) and form generally more complex herd-type relationships often known as clans.
Clans are usually neutral toward one another, but have formed complex series of alliances, as well as engaged in brutal violence toward one another, as almost all humanoids are known to do. Due to the relative rarity of centaurs on the material plane, few centaurs towns, cities, tribes, or other structures or super-structures have ever been reported.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Because all centaurs have humanoid heads, most of their perception and sensory capabilities are derived from that organism.

Civilization and Culture

History

Generally speaking, it is well accepted that centaurs are the result of Fae alchemical meddling blending species from the material plane who were trapped in the Otherworld together over the course of thousands of years.
It is not known exactly how centaurs descended from Otherworld back into the material plane, but the event of first contact is well recorded by humans and elves as happening about one thousand years ago.

Conservation Status

Due to their select descent from Otherworld, centaurs tend to be extremely rare, and tend to exist within other communities, rather than being able to form their own.