ZHHANUN

SEPTEMBER 18, 2025

Zhhanun (singular: thanun) are a species of sapient and mostly anthropomorphic aliens. Their body is hairy and they are usually fatter than other species. Their face is rectangular with two eyes, two pointed ears, and antennae; two on their nose and two on their chin. They've got claws and paws on their hands and feet, which are digitigrade. Most zhhanun nowadays spend their lives standing upright, but they are perfectly capable of walking on their hands and feet.

Name

The word "zhhanun" is from the Raaz language (of the Mmun culture) and directly translates to "human". This is a common trait among most alien species in the New Bestiary. When civilizations start giving names to creatures, they are probably going to be the only sapient species on their planet. And so their most defining trait is going to be sapience.

Characteristics

Zhhanun are biped for most of their lives, but they can also stand and walk comfortably on all fours. As with all animals in their phylum, zhhanun have four limbs-- two arms and two legs. Their legs are digitigrade, and to stay balanced, they lean slightly forward. Their hands and feet both have paws, with their digits, palms, and the upper parts of their soles padded. Their digits all also have claws.

Zhhanun also have tails. They started out as an arboreal species, and their tails are built to keep their balance while high up. Because of that, they're usually just long enough to touch the ground. A longer tail would be harder to hold up, making it a less reliable counter-weight. That being said, a lot of fat goes into the tail, and as a result they're as wide as the thigh in most zhhanun.

The zhhanun's faces are their most distinguishing features (among other species in the New Bestiary). They resemble mammals and reptiles the closest. Their heads are vaguely shaped like wedges, and they're attached to the body by a thick neck. At the tips of their nose and chin are antennae; these are used to feel around their environment, like how cats use their whiskers. Behind their eyes are their ears, which are pointed and are also pretty much the same as cat ears. Both their ears and antennae can move, and along with their facial muscles and eyebrows, are used to show emotion.

Their eyes are built mostly like human eyes, with sclera, irises, and pupils. But behind their retinae, they've got an organ that bounces light back out (like the tapetum lucidum in cats and other animals), and this makes their eyes shine under the right lighting.

Biology

The zhhanun were adapted Ðaov, a cold planet where life at the poles experiences only a couple months of sunlight. They specifically evolved in that part of the planet, and to cope with the cold they've evolved a few features.

Hibernation

Firstly, zhhanun hibernate. Their bodies have an internal clock for hibernation that's based on the temperature outside. If it gets cold consistently, their day-to-day energy starts to wane. They don't literally go to sleep for an entire month (or they would die), but they do spend more of their time sleeping.

For most zhhanun, the fatigue of hibernation becomes so severe that they have difficulty doing anything productive. I'd compare this to a siesta; they are too tired to do anything except sleep. On the other hand, the Zhhanun lose most of their hunger during hibernation. Because of this, they lose their weight throughout the winter. Once spring hits and hibernation ends, their hunger comes back in a wave and they gain back their weight for next winter.

Hibernation causes issues for zhhanun society. Entire industries shut down as workers rest. Colonies stop buying things from other colonies and become isolated during winter. Most soldiers cope with the winter by taking specialized stimulants. These stimulants make them stay awake but cause stress and motor issues, among other things.

Fat

You might have noticed the zhhanun are fat! Again, this is to keep them alive through the winter. They stop eating and their bodies feed off the fat. Outside the winter, their bodies handle fat better than other creatures. Their circulatory system is stronger and their bodies are better at regulating blood pressure. They're stronger than most species at the same weight, and as an indicator of success and survival, they've also evolved to become attracted to weight. All of this combined means that the average zhannun is fatter.

This is not universal, mind you. The Yùya, a culture of the Zhhanun, are thinner and don't find fat attractive. The Dzhhunn, the majority of the Zhhanun, do however, and they even impart this onto other species. This becomes a problem for species that don't have the biology of the zhhanun and don't handle weight as well. In (the very few) prospering regions of ZHOZH, it ends up being a kind of crisis where zhhanun and other species alike have to manage their weight. Regardless, fat is a common trait among Dzhhunn and especially among zhhanun.

Height

Bigger animals insulate themselves better than smaller animals, and so despite them being on a planet with more gravity than Earth, they are taller than humans and many other species (see the aside at the top of the page). They're practically giants compared to the animals of their home planet.

(Crop) Milk

Onto things that aren't related to them being chilly, zhhanun do not have breasts of any kind. Instead they use their crop (in their neck) to make a milk-like substance that's fed to babies. Pidgeons do the same thing here on earth and it's mostly the same for zhhanun. Both males and females can make crop milk.

Nocturnality

Zhhanun live in the night. They wake at sunset and are asleep by the time the sun rises. Their eyes are built to see in the dark, and they're extremely sensitive to light.

There aren't many other species in the New Bestiary that live like this, and it makes their culture distinct. Mmun infrastructure is built around their nocturnality. Screens are dark. Lights are kept at a minimum. Their cities are faintly light. They battle during the night, because other species aren't as effective as they are during then.

Their world is not made for other species. Their colonies erase the lifestyle of natives to fulfill the zhhanun's. It's one of the many ways ZHOZH fails the species they bring under their banner.