Centauroan Bear
| Centauroan Bear | |
|---|---|
 Unpublished, non-canon fan design. | |
| Base Information | |
| Classification | Omnivore Hunter |
| Terrain | Forest |
| Locomotion | Walker (motile) |
| Size | 3.5m |
| Speed | 45kph |
| Strength | VStrong |
| Social Structure | Solitary |
| Weapons | Claws and Teeth |
| Armor | Dense Pelt |
| Source | |
| Homeworld | Prometheus |
| Multi-world | Yes |
| Canon | No |
| Extinct | Extant |
| Reference | Fan: Ade Alagoric Stewart |
| Animals are designed using the "Beastmaker" format, part of the T5 Core Rules. | |
The Centauroan Bear is a creature lifeform that is not a sophont.
- It is an Ursinoid species that originated within the Solomani Rim.
Description (Specifications)[edit]
The Centauroan Bear is a large, powerful hexapodal predator found throughout the rimward regions of Charted Space, though its numbers are greatest in the Solomani Rim and Alpha Crucis Sectors. They are resourceful and persistent creatures and are considered to be a serious threat if encountered in the wild.
Their name derives from the primary star of their home system, Alpha Centauri, lying two parsecs to trailing of Terra. The animal is commonly referred to as a Cento.
Image Repository[edit]
A Centauroan Bear.
Physiology & Ecology[edit]
The Centauroan Bear evolved in forested terrain but has adapted to a broad variety of environments. It is a large standard hunter. It is a bilateral walker classified HBS-T-LN-LL-V: Centauroan Bears have a rounded head containing the brain and primary sensory organs, a long ridged muzzle, large jaws, a long rounded torso with three sets of paired legs terminating in plantigrade paws, and a vestigial tail. Their primary weapons are claws and teeth. The body is characterised by a bony interior, dense musculature, and is covered by a thick pelt: the coat is most commonly a mottled tan color but can range from black to red. Interior fluids are hemolymphs. The Cento is a forest walker. Based on its Profile: typical, standard and large, it is typically 2.5 m long, approximately 0.75 cubic meters, weighs around 500 kg, and stands about 3 m tall at the shoulder – the neck and head, when held upright, add another 0.5 m to its height. Some male Centos can be substantially larger. The Centauroan Bear's speed is rated as standard: maximum speed is 45 kph (galloping). It may also trot on firm surfaces (at around 10 kph) for periods of around an hour. It has a typical Endurance of 9.
Cento vision is considered inferior to the human benchmark but their senses of hearing and smell are far superior. They roam over broad territories, hunting for food and seeing off rivals. Their primary instinct is to face down threats though they may flee if they are startled. When they fight they charge into combat, aiming to slam into a foe in order to unbalance it before biting and clawing. They have a sense of curiosity – they are instinctively foragers and will root out or pursue anything they consider edible. They will investigate anything that catches their interest, often choosing to test it through licking and biting – their mouth is their primary manipulator, though they are able to use their paws to move items or excavate.
Gender & Reproduction[edit]
There are two genders: male (boars, making up around a third of the population) and female (sows, forming around two thirds of the population). Centauroan Bears are solitary and will actively avoid other members of their species in food-rich environments or attempt to drive off competitors when resources are more scarce. They are known for their impressive threat display, rearing up, bearing their teeth and bellowing to intimidate opponents. Mating is brief, ritualized, and often violent: males provide genetic material but play no further role in raising the young. Centos share features with Terran marsupials: a single undeveloped cub is born after a gestation period of approximately 2 months and crawls into a ventral pouch, where it attaches to a nipple that secretes nutritious fluids and continues to develop. The cub leaves the pouch and is weaned after 6 months. A juvenile Cento remains with the sow and grows from a cub to an adult-sized animal over approximately 2 years, when the sow drives it away. It continues to strengthen and develop until it reaches sexual maturity at around 7 years of age. It is not uncommon for a sow to have multiple cubs, all of different ages. A Cento will typically live for 30–40 years in the wild, though captive specimens have had lifespans in excess of 60 years.
Diet & Trophics[edit]
The Centauroan Bear is an omnivore with a preference for fresh game. It has pronounced sharp teeth, a tough mouth and tongue, and is able to gape its jaws and latch onto or engulf its prey. Centos aren't fussy about what they eat and have a particularly robust digestive system; in the wild their diet consists of kills got by intimidation or theft, predated game, insects, aquatic creatures, fruits and berries, roots, carrion, and anything else they can hunt, scavenge or find. Centos require occasional fresh water.
History & Background (Dossier)[edit]
The Centauroan Bear has long been regarded as representing strength and power and for many centuries noble families kept barely-trained Centos as status symbols, allowing them to run free on their family estates. Many of these animals escaped and thrived on their adopted worlds. The species original homeworld is Prometheus, orbiting the star Alpha Centauri in the Solomani Rim. To this day many worlds of the region support populations of wild Centos.
The Cento is used as a heraldic symbol by noble families across the region.
A Centauroan Bear is recorded as one of the first large offworld animals to be put on public display on Terra in the years following that world's discovery of the jump drive and interstellar travel. The creature, named Xenos, attracted huge crowds and achieved a massive celebrity status.
Derived Products (Goods)[edit]
The Cento is barely edible by humans; its flesh has a slimy texture, a metallic taste and an unpleasant odor. At one time Cento-pelt cloaks and floor coverings were considered fashionable.
Trained Centauroan Bears[edit]
Centos are extremely difficult to train and are temperamental at best, though personality and nature varies between individual animals. Previously placid captive animals have been known to turn on their keepers.
They can only be trained to one purpose:
- Performing animal: A Centauroan Bear can be trained to perform routines and activities, typically for entertainment purposes. This might include acts of agility or balance, feats of strength, or rhythmic movements ("dancing"). While most trainers show remarkable skill and have great affection for their animals, keeping Centos in captivity is generally considered cruel and is outlawed on many worlds.
Centos cannot be trained to be pack animals, draft animals or riding beasts.
Travellers' Aid Society Advisory[edit]
The Travellers' Aid Society (TAS) classifies the Centauroan Bear as dangerous to most sophonts. It advises extreme caution regarding this creature.
Worlds & Sectors (Astrography)[edit]
This creature can primarily be found in the following areas:
Charted Space - Third Imperium - Solomani Confederation:
- Solomani Rim Sector - Alpha Crucis Sector
- Multiple Subsectors
Homeworld: 1105[edit]
The homeworld of this creature is:
World Listing: 1105[edit]
Significant communities of this creature are known to be found within the following systems and worlds:
References & Contributors (Sources)[edit]
- Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
- Concept & Contributor: Bruce Adams
- Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master Scout Emeritus Adie Alegoric Stewart of the IISS
- Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science