Chakat
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A chakat (Taurofelis adamo) is a fictional creature, a genetically engineered hermaphrodite feline-based centauroid, that resembles a wemic. Forming the basis of the Stellar Federation universe, chakats were originally created on Earth in the aftermath of the Gene Wars, but by the time of Forest Tales, and the other related stories (circa 2300) the species had colonised a planet (Chakona) orbiting a star called Chakastra.
Created by Bernard Doove and originally intended as on-line personae, the species quickly became one of the more popular in furry fandom, with over a hundred artists drawing illustrations and a dozen authors working on related works. Notable artists include Roy D. Pounds II, and Mayra "Huskie" Boyle, who between them pinned down exactly what chakats look like. Notable writers include Terry Knight and John R. Plunkett, who broadened the setting from a single family of characters into a universe filled with worlds, ships, species, and history - thus paving the way for those who followed.
Physically, a chakat resembles a leopard with a humanoid's torso in place of the leopard's head, and with an enlarged cat's skull in place of the human's head, with a human-sized brain. The whole body is covered in fur, with human type hair extending down the upper back to form a mane; the well muscled tail structured to be fully prehensile, and the forepaws modified to also serve as a crude pair of hands. The quality and coloration of the fur is wide-ranging and not limited to traditional feline or even mammalian patterns, and serves as the principle way of identifying individuals.
Chakats have a complete set of male and female organs, which like many features is intended as an aid to enhanced survival. The pronouns used are shi or sie (shay), hir (herr) and herm in place of him and her and male/female. They have a chemically engineered calm mental disposition, a high tolerance of poisons and a dual stomach arrangement that allows them to digest many more foods than most other omnivorous species. The species was built using the knowledge gained building slave-races and war-beasts in the period that led up to the Gene Wars.
Like many works of contemporary technological fantasy, the series owes a lot to Star Trek. Their creator and curator is aware of this comparison and seeks to distance himself and his creation from it at every opportunity. Aside from this notable example, the series feeds off of furry fandom and its associated society, and so anything that influences that can also be said to influence the chakats as well.
External links
- Chakat's den (http://www.chakatsden.com) the reference site about chakats.
- Introduction to chakats (http://www.chakatsden.com/chakat/Intro.html).
- The VCL (http://us.vclart.net/vcl/) The Vixen Controlled Library, the largest furry/anthropomorphic artwork and story library on the Internet frequently hosting various chakat artists and artwork.