Kerbal Biology

[worir4]

As far as Kerbal biology goes, here's my hypothesis: http://parameciumkid.deviantart.com/art/Kerbal-Anatomy-447621056

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/104/5/3/kerbal_anatomy_by_parameciumkid-d7ei2m8.png

This is of course subject to revision in light of video evidence suggesting Kerbals have fingers.

Wait, thats my maths teacher!?

[LordFerret]

Fire from their many exploding rockets and landings keep the grass short.

Is that what Jeb's been smoking!?!!!

[LABHOUSE]

what do you think they eat?

Snacks, and when necessary they have special bones that are located in the spine that are made of pure nutrients that can be digested (that is why they can bend their neck so far back when they fall.

[NecroBones]

As far as Kerbal biology goes, here's my hypothesis: http://parameciumkid.deviantart.com/art/Kerbal-Anatomy-447621056

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/104/5/3/kerbal_anatomy_by_parameciumkid-d7ei2m8.png

This is of course subject to revision in light of video evidence suggesting Kerbals have fingers.

Having all of the organs located within the head explains a lot about their physical proportions.

[jfull]

This ended up being longer than I intended, but here we go.

I think they're anatomy is fairly similar to Earth vertebrates, with the exception that their skin contains a layer of symbiotic algae cells.

These cells supply Kerbals with some of the calories they need and also synthesize some vital nutrients for them. Kerbals still need to eat fairly regularly, though their food doesn't need to be very nutritious.

I like to think that the algae makes Kerbals quite toxic and foul-tasting to predatory creatures, allowing them to survive up until their modern era without any other natural defenses and little in the way of physical strength (although, to be honest, most predators on Kerbin would probably be pretty tame in comparison to those on Earth).

The algae layer also has one more benefit that only became apparent once Kerbals began their first nuclear physics experiments. The layer will absorb a portion of the radiation that a Kerbal is exposed to, reducing the amount that reaches the Kerbal's organs. This means that they can live in space with less of a concern about exposure, and perhaps even spend time close to a live NTR without as many health issues as a human.

As for Kerbal reproduction, I do NOT believe that they reproduce by spores upon death. I think that Kerbal females do exist, and aren't very different from males.

Edited November 25, 2014 by jfull

[kerbiloid]

I think they're anatomy is fairly similar to Earth vertebrates

Not necessary. Maybe hey have a fractal skeleton, like a Menger sponge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menger_sponge

When you burst them, you create new adult kerbals.

That would be, why no spores, no genders, no kids.

[jfull]

Not necessary. Maybe hey have a fractal skeleton, like a Menger sponge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menger_sponge

When you burst them, you create new adult kerbals.

That would be, why no spores, no genders, no kids.

I can't see that making much sense...

[m4rt14n]

I always thought they ate some RTGs while growing up. And their body has evolved to get energy from it, making them able to function without food, water or sunlight indefinitely...

[Spatzimaus]

There is only one Kerbal: Jebediah Kerman. He is a living fungus. All other kerbonauts are imperfect clones of him, grown from his spores.

[ZoidPool]

maybe, they just have ultra-strong muscular fiber instead of bones? which would explain their lack of wounds

or they could be like green plant pug versions of wolverine, or deadpool, whcih explains the lack of injury just as well.

Or they might just be plants

possibly idiots

Either way, kerbals were probably created in lab accident wherin a pug, marijuana (explaining both plant and oddity) Whiskey, and a computer were put in a DNA mixer, and the KErbal was born

[SmartS=true]

Well, by looking at their characteristics we can deduce several things about Kerbal biology, evolution, and the natural ecosystems around them. For one, Kerbals are highly intelligent, obviously. That means they probably have a comparatively large brain, which explains the very large head. The short stumpy body must certainly contain bone (or bone-like material) and muscle, as they move around and support their own weight.

The fact that they have stumpy, slow bodies and are not at all concerned about the survival of their species might indicate that they have no natural predators. They must have evolved this way over a long period of time, so it makes sense to assume they may have never had any natural predators...in fact, they could be the top of a non-predatory food chain. We can guess that they aren't predators themselves, as violence and survival are not hard-coded into their DNA like Earth predators. This could help explain why they evolved the way they did, but without further evidence the following is a big guess.

My best guess is that they are highly evolved hybrids somewhere between the Plant and Animal kingdoms. Being able to freely and safely evolve without interruption on their home planet, plant-like organisms began to move around in search of the best locations for photosynthesis.

--Simple plant-like creatures would first begin to develop muscle structure for movement. It would start out very simple, moving their stalks towards the sun. Eventually this movement would become much more advanced, to the point where plants would appear to be actually 'walking' around, though not entirely effectively.

--The ability to plot out maneuvers to track the sun throughout the day must have been a huge advantage, and so basic intelligence was favored. This early form of intelligence was favored so highly, and reproduction happen so quickly, that these organisms began to resemble Earth-like animals in a short period of time. Though still relying on photosynthesis for nourishment, their movement and intelligence became more complex.

--Soon, the ability to utilize natural materials for simple construction arose, and the organisms now had access to long-range transportation such as basic rafts. This trait, of course, was favored through reproduction and would eventually lead to a complex organism with limbs for manipulation of objects, fine motor skills, and an incredibly advanced nervous system with problem-solving and communication abilities.

--The Kerbals we see today are the result of this evolutionary path. They still utilize photo-synthesis for food, but their constant migration habits in search of better sunlight is still ingrained into their instinct, which leads them to build ever more crazy contraptions to reach the stars.

So if any of that above is true, then Kerbals should function similar to plants internally, with no squishy organs other than the huge brain. They have bone-like (wood fiber, perhaps?) skeletal structure, with muscle tissue for movement, and a highly effective if simple reproductive system (not even going to speculate how this works.) Their large heads are simply the result of an ever-growing, hyper intelligent brain, with little need for the body to keep up.

This is just my little personal theory, anyway, feel free to tear it apart if you like (The photo-synthesis hypothesis does admittedly have some holes.)

Pretty good. My version is that they eat plants when food is plentiful, but can go into a photosynthesis-supplied, death-like "safe mode" with occasional, short periods of regular behavior to look for food, with energy from starch until they either reenter the safe mode or find food.