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So, I am sitting here putting together a few Black Reach orks, and I start thinking. Exactly how much do we know about how an ork's body works? Examples:

1 Cold-blooded or warm-blooded? Do the boyz produce body heat?
Assumption: Very warm-blooded. I am thinking orks have an even more efficient temp-regulation system than humans. This would allow them to naturally survive in climates where humans would need special gear to live.

2 Can orks grow hair?
Assumption: Yes, based on the number of models with topknots. Although I seem to recall reading something about "hair-squigs."

3 So, if orks are warm-blooded and grow hair, does that make them mammals?
Assumption: No. Because they are asexual, they don't give live birth, which all mammals do. Likewise, they are neither birds, fish, reptiles, etc. The only way to classify them is "an ork is an ork is an ork."

Anyone else have thoughts on these or other ork-related issues?

It's a sponge :S

I'm only kidding, actually the back of the previous ork codex had a lot of random info about ork biology.

No, they do not, in fact, grow their own hair. The orks that do have plumes of hair are wearing 'hair squigs' :3 At least that's what I was told....maybe they do grow hair i donno.

There's been a lot of discussion about what an ork IS exactly, but I think you nailed it.

An ork is a fungus. Starting out with lesser orkoid creatures. Orks are a later development in the orkcology. There has to be suitable growth first such as squigs and the things that orks will eat.

An active ork constantly flakes off spores which will grow into other orks or orkoids.

TauAdmiral wrote:An ork is a fungus.

Your only half right, an ork is mostly fungus, but it's a hybrid between that and animal (which is why I said 'its a sponge' at first, because sponges are similar in that they share characteristics of both plants and animals, and they flake off bits that grow into new sponges :O A sponge has it's own place on the biology tree, so therefore, orks would probably also get their own classification.)

That is of course assuming the Imperium still classifies life the same way we do.

You might want to check this out.

They are like a sponge (never thought of it that way) and the hait is a squig, basicly those little guys have a subspeices some where that dose something useful. And I would go with warm blodded cause cold dosnt seem to efect them at all, the probably do have a better tempature system

If we were to classify an ork we would probably have to make a new kingdom for orks,grots and other...ah...funganimals.

According to the Inquisition they fall under the kingdom of "Xenos Filth" and to the science minded Inquisitor specifically "Things that burn".

Napalm wrote:According to the Inquisition they fall under the kingdom of "Xenos Filth" and to the science minded Inquisitor specifically "Things that burn".

Servitor: Okay we've got 2,999,845,000 species filed under "Xenos filth" and 1 under "Human", you sure we shouldn't put those "ork" things in their own categgory?"
Inquisitor: "HERESY" *cocks bolt pistol* BLAM!

I'm leaning towards the orks being warm blooded BTW.

orks... I don't know how they f*** hahaha (...)

IronChaos wrote: orks... I don't know how they f*** hahaha (...)

they dont. they reproduce like mushrooms. hmmmm I wonder what happens if you like an ork? Or eat a squig? will certain breeds of squig cause halluciations? maybe intense surreal visions of violence.

hmmmm well you would have to get the squid before it eats you so yes you will see lots of violnce har har har