G'Fondo'Nah
The G'Fondo'Nah, sometimes simply referred to as Fondos, are an avianoid species that appear, to the human eye. to be a cross between an Ostrich and a Duck, and stand approximately five feet tall from the top of their head to their talons on their feet. They were first discovered by the Gayik'Von many millennia ago, and are the ones who ultimately gave them their name. It was also the Gayik'Von who first introduced them to much of the technology that they now love and enjoy. This was initially done in an effort to communicate with them, but later became the foundation on which all modern Fondo technology is based. The Fondos are also lovers of all things colorful, bright and shinny, and love to decorate and adorn themselves with as much of it as they possibly can.
So it's not unusual to see a Fondo walking or flying around dressed like a walking jewelry store. However, when Fondos adorn themselves with bright and shiny things, they don't go for quantity so much as quality, although quantity is still an important element in their adornment exercises. The Fondos are a very intelligent, noble and thoughtful race, never seeking their own, and always being considerate of others, as best they can. Fondos also have a unique language, which is nearly impossible for most races to speak or understand, and is based heavily on chirps, whistles, clicks, and other assorted bird like noises. This is why, almost without exception, every Fondo who interacts with an individual from another race, is given a nickname by them, in lieu of their real name, in order to overcome this shortcoming. Fondos also have the ability to learn and speak a wide range of non-avian languages, including English, Galactic Standard, Gayik'Von and many others.
Notable Facts about Fondos
- A typical Fondo will live, on average, about 60 years, with the oldest being no more than 90. A Fondo is considered an adult by the time they are 5 years old. Inversely, a hatchling is any Fondo that is less than 1 year old. From the age of 1 year to 5 years they are classified as Juveniles. At 5 years old they become adults and are then allowed to seek a mate and have children.
- Fondos tend to molt once every 2-3 years, and are unable to fly during this time. During their molting period they isolate themselves in their homes until their new feathers grow out so as to avoid social embarrassment.
- A typical Fondo has four talons on their feet: Two that face forward, and two that spread to the side. Some Fondos have webbing on their talons, but most do not. In some rare cases Fondos have been known to have six talons on their feet. Fondo society is accepting enough of those who have these rare abnormalities that they're generally accepted by others without hesitation.
- Unlike ducks, of which they partially resemble, Fondos can't swim. Their body feathers are too downy, and not oily enough, to allow that. As such they will generally avoid entering water unless they have no other choice, save only perhaps to take a bath.
- Fondos are skilled and powerful fliers. Even though they look fat, and overweight, that appearance is deceptive due to the thick, downy nature of their body feathers. Underneath the downy feathers of their chest they posses very large, powerful flight muscles that give them great strength, speed, and endurance when flying.
- Unlike would be typical for most bird species, Fondos posses hands, consisting of 3 fingers and a thumb, that exist at the ends of their wings, just behind the flight feathers found at the wingtips. These can be used to hold, manipulate, or otherwise operate complex devices and controls. Thus their wings also serve as triple jointed arms that are surprisingly dexterous.
- The eyes of a typical Fondo are round, and sit on the front of their heads (unlike on the sides, as with most other birds). However, theirs are offset from center to allow them a wider field of view. Their eyes can also be operated independently from each other. So to see one eye going one way, and another looking in a different direction, is not uncommon, even if it's a bit disorienting for some people. The Fondo brain is also able to process both images as the same time to create a much larger image of the immediate area around them.
- Fondo eyesight is just slightly better than human eyesight, although it tends to be more attuned to long distances rather than close up. Fondos can still see close up. However, like cats, once something is less than a foot from their face, they lose the ability to see it. So it is not uncommon to see them reading documents, or viewing objects up close, by holding them out in front of themselves at arm's length.
- Fondo brains contain three lobes, or hemispheres, rather than two. However, the third, and smaller hemisphere, is basically a dedicated flight computer, used to create the biological equivalent of aircraft instrumentation and avionics. With this Fondos are capable of flying in even the most challenging of situations, and navigate anywhere with pinpoint accuracy.
