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Chapter 3: Feral Beings, and What Separates Them From Anthromorphic Beings

Feral beings, henceforth referred to as "ferals," are identified not by a unified trait, so much as a lack thereof. All species of ferals known in the world have no uniform body structure whatsoever; while there exist many trends, such as most mammals being quadrupeds, there is no true universal physical trait. This is in stark contrast to anthromorphic beings, who all share their namesake anthromorphic bodily frame.

The physical differences from anthromorphic beings extend beyond just the bodily frame, as well. Ferals are known to possess hugely different organs than their anthromorphic counterparts. For example, an anthromorphic felis catus (comonly known as a house cat) possesses similar organ make-up and function to other anthromorphic animals, while a feral of the same species posesses a heart calibrated for much faster beats, a larynx far more capable of mewling sounds than traditional speech, a full octet of nipples, and many more internal physiological differences. None of these organ specializations seem totally consistent between different species of ferals, except where two species are extremely similar.

The cause of this stark divide between two creatures who are decidedly the same species is not fully understood; It is theorized by some that anthromorphs exist as an evolutionary branch which developed over time as the many species of the world progressed from simple living to societal living in artificially built cities, in which it was an advantage to have opposable thumbs, bipedal posture, high inteligence, and a slightly longer lifespan. However, the earliest known records of civilization offer little to suggest feral ancestorship in anthromorphs. Indeed, the biological origin of the anthro-feral divide is as shrouded in mystery as the origins of civilization itself.

As the organ size and funciton in most ferals differs from that of their anthromorphic counterparts, their brain is often affected as well. Most ferals have a significantly lower brain-to-body ratio than anthromorphs, and proportionately lower inteligence as well. There exist some groups who insist that ferals posess the same inteligence (or at least same capacity for inteligence) as anthromorphs, and that they simply lack any societal mechanism to display this; however, extensive research into feral psychology consistently shows that the majority of feral species are significantly less inteligent than anthromorphs.

Of course, as with all rules, the rule of lower inteligence in ferals has exceptions. There exist several species of ferals who are similarly inteligent to their anthromorphic counterparts, such as most ursids (bears), corvids (crows and ravens), procyonids (raccoons) and cetaceans (dolphins and orcas), as well as some species of parrot. There is also the popular tale of Jojo McDane, a supposed highly-intelligent dachsund who was elected the mayor of his city and proved one of the most effective leaders that city had in years, but there is no evidence that this story is anything more than a fabrication.

Similarly to anthromorphs, ferals are capable of producing offspring when mating with any species, both homunculi and legitimate children, though they seem more capable of producing children than anthromorphs on average.  This is evidenced by the fact that a higher average percentage of the feral population will produce children in their lifetime, and among them,  the average number of children will be higher. While it is possible for anthros to breed with ferals, the offspring will invariable be ferals as well.

Following is a list of the many body types ferals are known to occupy, with an accompanying list of example species and images. This is to help visualize the remarkable morphological differences between different species of ferals.

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