Sigbin

The Sigbin (Masdigioura luzonica; Baybayin: ᜐᜒᜄ᜔ᜊᜒᜈ᜔/ᜐᜒᜄ᜕ᜊᜒᜈ᜕, Hanuno'o: ᜰᜲᜤ᜴ᜪᜲᜨ᜴, Jawi: سيعبين) is one of the only doglike species of marsupials and the only Asia's marsupial first introduced in Historya Davvun, a story in the Earth Responsibly universe.

Etymology

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Singular: Sigbin
Plural: Sigbin

Physical Appearance

According to locals, Sigbin walks backwards with its head buried between its rear legs and may become 'invisible' to other species, including humans. It looks like a hornless goat, but it has very enormous ears that can be clapped like a pair of hands, as well as a long, flexible tail that can be used to whip. Their dense fur resembled the color furs and claws of the Bukidnon wild dog, as well as the ears, eyes, and fur details of the Philippine goat, and the tail of a musky rat kangaroo. Cryptozoologists have established that dogs and cheetahs evolved in a similar fashion.

Sigbin has a dog-like appearance with a longer tail than in 2020. Sigbin's coat is more suitable for goats and dogs than rat kangaroos. Sigbin used two long canine teeth to drain blood from the victim.

Abilities

The Sigbin's jaw power and moderate bite (~130 Newtons) are useful for gripping prey but do not crush bones. This species' long, slender limbs, like those of wolves and kangaroos, were designed for long chases and leaps rather than sprints. Excellent hearing and night vision (nocturnal/crepuscular), like rabbits, hearing at a higher frequency and employed for alertness and predator detection, a keen sense of smell for tracking, and stealth due to their fur, which functioned as camouflage from their bush, allowed the sigbin to blend into meadows and woodlands without being noticed by humans, prey, or enemies.

Similar to the musky rat-kangaroo, the sigbin had a long tail that it used to transport leaves and twigs to construct nests. One of the few marsupials that exhibits this behavior is the sigbin, which even uses its tail as a whip to beat prey or enemies, leaving them bruised. In contrast to kangaroos, this species has a dog-like appearance and walks backwards while tucking its head between its hind legs.

The sigbin used the surroundings to test this technique for an ambush. The fur was particularly good for camouflaging and now turns either "invisible" or "shadow" form when the creatures are encountered but not seen. Sigbin produces a nauseating breath with or without marked inflicts as one of their enhanced qualities. Due to being a weird, Sigbin breathes nauseating odors from various rotten fruits and vegetables.

Ecology

The Sigbin was the only omnivorous marsupial in Asia, feeding on small to medium-sized creatures like rats, squirrels, cloud rats, bats, colugos, lizards, frogs, worms, and birds including pelicans and cormorants. Its populations were regulated to avoid overcrowding. As a seed disperser, it occasionally scavenged and foraged fruits, flowers, and vegetables. However, because the Sigbin was mostly carnivorous when necessary, it ended up consuming the offspring of humans, macaques, slow lories, and tarsiers. Aside from being smarter than the typical marsupial, the Sigbin hunts human infants during Holy Week to remove the heart for their own amulet. Before dogs and cats were introduced, they played the role of apex predators in the Philippine ecosystem.

In the Philippines, the sigbin's principal enemies are crocodiles, eagles, dholes, storks, and pythons. Even the early Aetas and Austronesians imported dogs and cats, but in this area, dingoes, leopard cats, and Philippine forest dogs outcompeted the sigbin.

The powers of Roman Catholicism, Iglesia, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, and Hinduism against these marsupials cause Sigbin to flee its lair during Holy Week. The marsupials are primarily looking for children, as well as non-human animals that are heartless (their hearts were removed when decorating into amulets by their IQ). Since this habitat was necessary for this 350 IQ dog—and perhaps for other wild or feral dogs as well—finding a female partner for mating was solitary. According to popular literature's account of the Sigbin, the animal species may be related to kangaroos through the convergent evolution of dogs and leopards. There is suspicion that the legend may be based on sightings of a true, seldom seen animal species. They can leap like kangaroos over a three-foot-tall wall.

Reproduction

Breeding season:

Likely summer and autumn (March–November).

Gestation:

Short (~45 days, like other marsupials).

Litter size:

Up to 3 young, developing in the pouch for about 5 months.

Pouch Life:

After leaving the pouch, the joey stayed in mother's pouch or followed the mother.

Parental Care:

Female provided all care.
Reached sexual maturity at ~3.5 years.

Lifespan:

Around 5–19 years in the wild; up to 40 in captivity.

Behavior

Sigbin attacks on humans were exceedingly uncommon, and when they did happen—which happened on all of the country's islands—the story was frequently embellished. These legends claimed that Sigbin had a special affection for helpless maidens, the impoverished, the unbaptized, and small children by their prehensile tail. Because of their moving tail, the Sigbin can be harmful because they may not have had the required socialization or training. During Holy Week, being attacked by a Sigbin can be a terrifying and terrible event, but being aware of your surroundings and how to defend yourself can make a big difference.

Distribution and Habitat

Alternative hypotheses propose that the sigbin is a solitary, nomadic species of macropodidae that migrated from Australia to the Philippines millions of years ago, driven by supernatural forces. Some people frequently said that it had a reddish-brownish color, which led them to believe that it might be the red kangaroo, despite the fact that the sigbin and kangaroo differ greatly in terms of diet. Because it had adapted without concern, this marsupial was sent over Wallace's Line.

Movement Pattern: Nomadic/Random
Individual Type: Solo, later pack
Population Trend: Stable
Population:
- Earth: 90,000
- Berbania: 1,000,000
- Reinachos: 4,000,000
- Delphia: 100,000
Locomotion: Terrestrial
Habitat: Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests, Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Mountain.
Earth:
- Extant (Resident): Philippines

Tamed

It is stated that the Sigbin are kept in jars made of heated clay by the Sigbinans, the family that is taming this animal. The Sigbinans are said to have the ability to command these creatures to become tame. It is stated that aswang of other races, from wak-wak to sarimanok, keep them as pets.

Despite being a well-known and mythical animal, sigbins are prohibited from being kept as pets in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines since they are considered an endangered species. Due to their specialized diet of fruits, fungi, and animals from the rainforest, their need for constant humidity and dense vegetation, their cowardice in the wild, and the stress they experience in captivity, this species is not suitable as pets. In fact, Sigbinan and Aswang members are illegal under Australian law because they are related to musky rat-kangaroos.

Lore

Bereshit - 75,000 BCE

Other theories suggests that the sigbin might be a vagrant species of macropodidae living in seclusion that made its way to the Philippines from Australia due to migration way back millions of years ago because of deities. It was often described by some as having a red-brownish hue suggesting it might be the red kangaroo, although the dietary comparison between the sigbin and the kangaroo are far too.

According to conservationist hunters, this animal was descendants of musky rat kangaroo, the omnivorous kangaroo in Australian rainforest as ancestors of Sigbins. Sigbins are created by "Gods" as part of Project Pashneia (pashnea is Encantadia word for animal, but also used as insult or profanity word), the Aesir branch for evolution of modern-day animals and mythical creatures, including humanity, us.