Mime

The term "Mime" refers to any member of the suborder Mimera (not to be confused with the pseudo-mime suborder of Mimos), frequently alternatively considered to be an order in it's own right, named Mimerates; while many species of pseudo-mime are labelled as "mimes", this labelling is misnomeric. Mimes are a diverse group of related species, variously categorized as either a suborder in the greater Clown order, or as a closely related order. They typically possess distinctive, monochromatic markings (although many species also sport distinctive blue elements in their coat) and poofy protective coverings on their heads; another defining trait of members of this group is the lack of any form of functional vocal tract, having accordingly evolved a strong sense of gestural communication. Mime species can be predatory, herbivorous, or omnivorous—no matter their method of feeding, however, almost all mimes have immense natural talent in creating and maintaining etheric constructions, which can be used to defend their own territory or to trap prey.

Habitat
Mimes are located primarily in temperate regions, although numerous tropical species exist. The greatest diversity of Mimera species are found in western Europe, suggesting an origin in the region.

The cosmopolitan distribution of mimes encompasses nearly all possible environments, although deserts and tundra tend to be less populated. Temperate areas tend to see the greatest populations of Mimes, as the presence of seasonal migrations allows them to make full use of their ability to trap prey.

France, and areas settled by France in the last three centuries tend to be populated densely by Mimes—the reason for this is as of yet unknown.

Characteristics
The characteristics of different Mime species vary greatly, but one characteristic that spans across most, if not all, species of mime is their black and white coloration. This coloration is partially the result of limited blood circulation, with the blood of most Mimes being concentrated in the lips.

Mimes lack a functioning vocal tract, and instead rely on a gestural language for communication. Attempts by coulrologists to interpret the Mime gestural language have been unsuccessful. It is speculated that the ability of Mimes to generate ethereal realities plays an important role in Mime communication, thus rendering the language inscrutable to humans, as humans are incapable of visually perceiving Mime-produced ethereal realities.

Reproduction
Mimes, similarly to the distantly related Panda, avoid mating while in capitivity: as a result, little empirical data exists on the nature of Mime reproduction. Most information about Mime reproduction has been gleaned through vivisection. This little existant information shows that Mimes, like all Humorans, reproduce hermaphroditically, expel sperm into the air for cutaneous absorption, fertilize ovum internally, and then lay the fertilized eggs to hatch.

Observation of Mime eggs suggests that the ideal incubation temperatures of the majority of species ranges from 9°C to 38°C (48 to 100°F). Most tropical Mimes' eggs typically fill the upper half of this range, while temperate Mimes' eggs fill the lower portion. Of note is the extreme poikilothermia of both Mimes and their eggs: while most other egg-laying vertebrates require a narrow—often 5°C or less— range of temperature in order to hatch, Mime eggs can successfully hatch with temperture swings of up to 15°C or more, as long as the amount of time spent in extreme heat or extreme cold does not last more than a few weeks. Hybrid and intermediate-region Mime eggs are especially resilient in this regard, capable of surviving both autoclaving and flash-freezing. The only currently known mechanism of sterilizing these eggs is through the use of highly caustic substances.

Mime eggs typically gestate inside the "mother" for no more than a week. After oviposition, Mime eggs will generally hatch after two to three months, although some large species may take as long as six. During this time, Mime communities will not migrate so as to be able to protect the eggs and help newly-hatched young.

After hatching, infant Mimes (referred to as Helths) will begin to crawl around. Nearby adult Mimes will carry the young to their encampments—upon arrival, adult Mimes will attempt to feed the newborn helths regurgitated food. Almost all species of Mime, whether herbivorous or carnivorous, will typically give helths the choice portions of all collected foods. This focus on infant-nutrition is thought to be the reason why helths develop into fullgrown Mimes much faster than most gigglets develop into Clowns.

Lifespan
Among Clourodates, mimes are some of the longest-lived of the order, oftentimes living to be even older than any human when left alone. The oldest recorded specimen in the wild, a statue mime nicknamed by locals Kyle, lived to be at least 130 years, while the oldest (still living) mime in captivity is a certain M. Suspendus specimen named Bazoo, currently 211 years old.

Domestication
Great difficulty has been had in the domestication of Mimes, primarily because of their powerful psychic constructs—despite this, many domestic mime species exist. Mime domestication first occurred in western Europe under Charlemagne, although human-Mime symbiosis had been noted as early as the Roman Republican period. Early domestic mimes were used for entertainment, interpretive theater, and in anteprepostmodernist art. Because of their inability to speak, they were frequently used in more solemn occasions, such as in funerals and wakes. Most current evidence suggests that pseudo-Mimes were domesticated into what would eventually become Clowns before the first true Mimes were domesticated—however, art has been found which is dated to the Indus Valley Civilization and is said to portray the usage of service-Mimes in ancient India. If true, this would suggest that domestic Mimes predate domestic pseudo-Mimes, and therefore domestic clowns.

Domestic species typically have much more limited psychic ability, some being so weak as to be unable to affect anyone but themselves with their constructions. Venomous mime species have been used as beasts of war in the past, but this has been classified since 1968 as a clouran-rights-abuse by the Guffawnberg Treaties.

Danger to humans
The ability to create ethereal realities at whim makes even docile species of Mime very dangerous. It is for this reason that intensive efforts to eliminate and pacify populations of aggressive Mime species have been consistently undertaken in the past century. Up until their near-eradication in 1872, Hrethenthorn Mimes could still be found hunting in many major cities in modern-day Vietnam and Cambodia (then part of French Cochinchina.)

Domestic Mimes, on the other hand, pose little threat to humans. Some species are venomous, however, Mimeric venoms are typically weakly paralytic and as such have little risk of seriously injuring a healthy adult. Children and asthmatics are advised to stay away from mimes with blue facial markings (a common indication of being venomous) as in these populations Mime venom can have more severe side effects.