In Classical mythology, a centaur is not just any intelligent quadruped but, more specifically, an organism combining a legless human body with a headless equine body. Such centaurs cannot exist either in reality or in hard sf but do occur in works of fantasy by CS Lewis, Piers Anthony, Neil Gaiman and Mike Carey. I do not know whether Poul Anderson included Classical centaurs in any fantasy works but he could have done.
Anderson would also have been able to derive logical implications from even the most absurd premise. Thus, CS Lewis points out that a centaur has both a human and an equine stomach and therefore would need to eat two kinds of food. No doubt there are other consequences that readers would not think of until an imaginative author pointed them out.
16 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Interesting, what you said about Lewis pointing out Classical centaurs had TWO stomachs. I never thought of that before! And real life hexapods evolving on other worlds into quadrupeds with two arms would need only one stomach. And I can think of other ways such quadrupeds are likely to differ from Classical centaurs.
Ad astra! Sean
Classical centaurs didn't come with anatomical analysis. So there's no saying whether they have two different digestive systems.
We can only speculate about mythical beings. Lewis is right that centaurs look as if they have two stomachs. I is also right to point that they don't come with any anatomical analysis. Different kinds of stories can be written.
Just looking at statues of centaurs, my guess would be that the windpipe and digestive system just go through the upright portion and into the quadruped body.
And that they're omnivores/carnivores, because that would cut down on the amount of gut they have to have, freeing up space for additional lung capacity.
That's the way I'd write them, if I were doing centaurs.
In Philip Jose Farmer's WORLD OF TIERS novels, there's an 'artificial' species of centaurs, made by Jadawin, the "Lord" of the tiered world in his biolabs. They work about that way -- good job of worldbuilding.
(It's an excellent series, btw. Better in the earlier volumes, but then Farmer's series tend to peter out as he loses interest. The first three are top-notch SF, of the wilder type, with lots of fantasy tropes given "scientific" explanations, like the centaurs.)
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling!
Both: If "real" centaurs should be thought of as not needing two stomachs then their torsos should be shorter.
Also, there's the reproductive/nursing aspect. Centaurs would need to mate the way horses do. And female centaurs should not have their lactating glands up front and way up on their torsos the way human females do. The glands should be located similarly to where horses have theirs, so the foals could reach them.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: a centaur foal would have a humanoid upper torso -- much more able to access a higher feeding point than a horse foal.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
But I don't think a new born centaur foal would be able to reach those feeding points, due to being so much smaller than his mother. Unless she bent or kneeled down to nurse the infant.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I've also wondered if even a new born centaur would be too big and awkward for his mother to hold to her breasts for nursing. Which still makes me wonder where lactating glands would be located in actual centaurs.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: a newborn centaur could presumably stand immediately; foals can, after all.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
And a nursing mother centaur could probably lie down, making it easier for her to nurse baby centaurs.
Ad astra! Sean
The size of the breasts wouldn't matter. Human breasts are mostly fatty tissue -- a "secondary sexual characteristic". Apes don't have prominent breasts the way human females do, so they evolved as a sexual signalling device. In centaurs, more of the breast could actually be involved in lactation.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Meaning, I think, that it would be an advantage for female centaurs to have large breasts, to make nursing easier.
Ad astra! Sean
This is the most bizarre discussion ever.
Kaor, Paul!
Haaaaaaa!!! I was wondering when someone would note the sheer comedy of people solemnly discussing how centaurs reproduced and nursed their young! (Laughs!)
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: you beat me to it... 8-).
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I'm sure this discussion both bemused and amused some readers! (Smiles)
Ad astra! Sean
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