A brief overview of the sya'rid species from my science fiction setting! In lovely .pdf format for your reading pleasure. It's a little rough and light on details, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Let me know what you think of it and what you'd like to see from these in the future! I'm looking for an artist to do a reference of these guys still (as you can probably tell by the big PLACEHOLDER), preferably with a semi-realistic style.

Transposed here for ease of reading, though formatting is sure to suffer (also hoping that my markups actually work):

---

United Earth Nations Organization of Science and Data
Systia: Colubrum intelligens (Arruda 2172)

SPECIES OVERVIEW
Scientific Name Systia: Colubrum intelligens
Formal Name Sya’rid
Informal Names Snek, Thrak
Homeworld, System Systia, Karmos
Average Weight 40 to 80 kilograms
Average Height 180 to 260 centimeters
Maximum Lifespan 115 years
Diet Omnivorous
Thermal Regulation / Avg Body Temp Mesotherm / 21.0°C
Galactic Population (Census) 73.7 billion
Inhabited Systems 31
Representative Government Kindred Technocracy of Systia (Orion Alliance)

Overview

Tall, lithe, and graceful, the sya’rid species evolved on the relatively cold world of Systia in the Karmos system. Having made contact with humanity in 2171, C. intelligens was the first extraterrestrial sapient life discovered by the UEN. Since then, it is perhaps the only species that remains a staunch ally of humanity and its efforts.

TRAVEL INFORMATION: Technocracy-controlled worlds are free for UEN civilians to travel to due to the Open Travel clause of the Orion Alliance’s Doctrine of Galactic Peace.

HOMEWORLD AND SOCIETY
Homeworld
C. intelligens evolved into its modern form on the planet Systia in the Karmos system. Karmos is a typical K-type main-sequence star (K6 V) and is located in the Orion Spur of the Milky Way galaxy only a short 250 light years away from Sol. Both Systia and Karmos translate directly to “Life rock” and “Warm disc” in English from the sya’rid language of Kiniam.

While Systia’s conditions are considered well within “Earth-like” the planet has many key differences that greatly affected how life evolved there. In general, Systia has a much lower global average temperature (288K compared to 297K), and is much younger (3.9 billion years compared to 4.5 billion years). Mountain ranges carve up the two major continents Vitani (Kiniam for Plateau) and Ideis (Kiniam for River), and the dominant climate in much of the world is similar to what humans would call “alpine”. Tree-like plants are relatively uncommon, being replaced by tall grasses and brush in most of the high altitude land. Systia’s gravity strength is also noticeably lower at 0.88 times Earth’s gravity.

Sya’rids naturally have a proclivity for planetary conditions that are similar to their historic evolutionary climate: cold with many high-altitude locations. However, like most other sapient species, they are fully capable of and regularly adapt to their environment through technology.

Culture and Government
Compared to the separate but united cultures of humanity and Earth, sya’rid culture is very rigid. For example, there exists only one widely-spoken language, in this case Kiniam. Other sya’rid languages do exist, but are rarely spoken and almost never in public. Additionally, sya’rid culture puts immense focus on intelligence and education, and sya’rids often express their cultural and artistic desires through technology. Neon colors, fashionable curves, and sleek designs are all hallmarks of sya’rid tech: from consumer electronics to military spacecraft. The capital city of Kos’Ani embodies the spirit of sya’rid tech and culture: illuminated by massive colorful signs, the congested traffic of gravcars, and sleek towering skyscrapers.

The Kindred Technocracy of Systia claims to represent the majority, and best interests of, the entire sya’rid species. A self-proclaimed “Mandated Technocratic Oligarchy”, the Technocracy was a willful and smooth transition from the disparate nation-states that formerly covered Systia's surface. Unlike other governments, the Technocracy has no formal constitution and instead legislation is built upon scientific consensus and research: rulings that are termed "mandates". The Technocracy asserts that it is a bastion of technological advancement and free thinking in the galaxy, due in no small part to the government's leadership consisting entirely of engineers and scientists.
The main legislative body of the nation is a modestly sized collection of technocrats called the Scholar Assemblage, and who are determined by a district-based voting process. Candidates attempting to run for any government office at any level are required to hold at least one accreditation from a recognized educational institute.
The Scholar Assemblage then deliberates and appoints two of its own as Minister of Civil Affairs (head of government) and Commander of the Armed Forces (commander-in-chief). In a separate district election held every other voting period, the population votes for the head of state, the High Magistrate of the Technocracy. Currently, as of May 2404, the High Magistrate is a woman named Tailaa Xe’anii.

Population and Demographics
As of 2404 estimates, the population of the Technocracy of Systia is 73.7 billion. It is likely that the total sya’rid population numbers north of 100 billion. The Technocracy has claims to 188 star systems, the majority of which are located on the Orion Spur, and it has civilian populations or colonies in 31 of these systems. The GDP per capita of the Technocracy is UEN$19,172, which is the fourth-highest among major galactic powers.
Unsurprisingly, there is no majority religion among the sya’rid population. 80% of polled civilians report being irreligious, with myriad other religions making up the other 20%.

SPECIES BIOLOGY

Anatomy and Physiology
C. intelligens stands anywhere from 180 to 260 centimeters tall measured from the top of the head to the bottom of its claws. The limber build of the body keeps the average weight low, usually from 40 to 80 kilograms including the tail.
Sya’rid skin is thick, and covered with hundreds of very smooth scales. These scales can have a variety of colors and patterns, but most commonly range from pale white to dark gray. The patterns have more vibrant colors, being seen in blues, reds, greens, oranges, and yellows. Tough, though similarly smooth, keratin scutes grow on the snout and neck and run down the length of the body through the bottom side of the tail. These plates are often a similar color to the person’s skin color but are almost always slightly lighter in tone. Some phenotypes of sya’rid develop small antenna-like growths on their heads that sweep backward. These are used for rudimentary electroreception, though behaviorally modern sya’rids have little to no need for this function. C. intelligens has two large front-facing eyes with slit pupils that give it exceptional binocular vision. Eye colors are vibrant, coming in orange, green, purple, blue, or even red.
Sya’rids are capable of short bursts of exceptionally high speed. The typical individual can reach nearly 60 kilometers per hour but maintaining this velocity for more than five to six seconds quickly fatigues the runner. Additionally, sya’rids possess venom glands and a set of fangs that can be used to deliver a potent cytotoxin. This venom can also be launched up to ten meters via the species’ powerful throat muscles. These throat muscles are also the mechanism that permits sya’rids to speak complex languages like Kiniam or English.

Life Cycle and Reproduction
Similar to all other sapient life, sya’rids reproduce sexually. Sya’rids are viviparous and bear one to two live young per pregnancy cycle. Newborn sya’rids are capable of walking on their own within two to three weeks, but still require parental support for at least the first two to four years of their lives. After this point, support is mostly financial and social, and lasts until the government-recognized age of majority, which is roughly equivalent to 17 years on Earth. The average sya’rid life expectancy is 90 years, though many are known to have survived well into their 100s. Once a sya’rid experiences their sexual maturity between ages 16 to19, they will remain fertile up until their death from old age.