The Kerbals are the type organism of this project. They are the sapient species of Kerbin, and their scientific, or binomial, name is Kerbalis kerbalis. These creatures have a cosmopolitan range around their homeworld. They are the type species of the genus Kerbalis, which consists of additional 7 species, one of which  still coexists with Kerbalkind, Kerbalis titanicus.  They are omnivores, but their diet is generally plant based, feeding on fruit, nuts, seeds, leaves, and other plant parts. They have occasionally been known to hunt for large game. An average Kerbal male stands at around 75 cm tall, with an average female reaching around 70 cm. with both sexes usually having black eyes and hair. Over the course of their recent history, they have strived for space travel, but due to their initially low wit, they didn't make much progress in understanding space. These creatures will define almost every aspect of this project.

Evolutionary history

Kerbals belong to a clade known as Complecerebra. (meaning Complex Brain.) Members of this clade appeared about 70 million years ago, the time where Kerbinian dinosaurs were still rulers of Kerbin. But after the massive impact that wiped them out, 64 million years ago, Complecerebra split into 2 main branches. One would become Kerbinopithecia (Kerbinian Apes) and the other would become Kerbalia (modern day Kerbals). Both branches first originated in Kafrica. They were arboreal creatures, able to climb trees, and subsisting on fruit and small animals. They were distinguished by a greenish colouration to blend in with the surroundings, and a set of sub lungs and air sacs in the head to allow for higher brain power, as bigger brains required more oxygen

Things changed about 46 million years ago, The Entirety of both branches got a behavioural change and started to converge even further. While the Kerbinopithecids remained on the trees, the Kerbal branch descended to the ground, walking on all fours and eventually evolving to be bipedal. By about 7 million years ago, the first true Kerbals evolved, belonging to the family Kerbalidae. They were both bipedal and quadrupedal, and subsisted on a more meat based diet. This was due to the rapid volcanic eruptions that warmed Kerbin. This period of climate change wiped out many Kerbinopithecids and left the Kerbal lineage triumphant.

About 2 million years ago, The genus Kerbalis evolved. And soon afterwards, Kerbals began to use tools. This innovation allowed them to be more resourceful, and thus grew their brains even further. By about 1 million years ago, they tamed fire for the first time. And they also left Kafrica for the first time, along with the few remaining species of Kerbinopithecids. Few Kerbal species came and went, but there was one special species that stayed till current time. This was Kerbalis kerbalis: the modern Kerbal. This species evolved around 100,000 years ago. Legend tells that they came from the spot that became the modern day KSC, through some magical process. However, this was never confirmed.

The modern Kerbals soon spread around Kerbin. They were the first to domesticate other animals, and discovered ocean travel, using boats to travel to other islands. About 10000 years ago, Kerbals discovered agriculture and became the dominant species on Kerbin. They even domesticated another Kerbal species, Kerbalis titanicus. This was a large organism living in the icy tundras, mostly in the north. Because of this they were nicknamed Giant, Northern Kerbals. The Kerbals we know today domesticated this other Kerbal species, utilising them as large helpers, and having a sort of symbiotic relationship. Eventually All other Kerbal Species went extinct.

The Kerbals soon established a civilisation, founding empires, discovering new things, and all other stuff. They were dominant from their fragile beginnings, through large empires, the troublesome middle ages, the super revolution and eventually the Kerbal Space Program.

K titanicus

In my headcanon for Kerbal Space Program, there exists a second Kerbal species. This species was once native to more northern regions of Kerbin, but thanks to the Kerbals, is now widespread on Kerbin. K titanicus, as this species is named, is rarer, taller, stronger, and slightly more aggressive, and dim-witted than K kerbalis, with less cartoonish proportions. An average K titanicus male is 1.7 metres and about 65 kilograms, while an average female typically stands at 1.65 metres. This size allowed them to better adapt to the harsh cold they originally called home, where they first evolved 150,000 years ago. Around 25,000 years ago, K titanicus first met K kerbalis, an encounter which permanently changed the course of their history.

While not as bright as K kerbalis, K titanicus make up for it with their natural protectiveness, a relic of their antisocial behaviour as a result of living in the cold regions. Living in such regions meant that food was scarce and competition was high. As a result, their group size was usually no more than 10 members. All this meant that K titanicus was the least social of the 8 Kerbal species. Nowadays, most K titanicus are more social than ever, as K kerbalis quickly integrated them into their society, effectively domesticating them. It is important to not that not all Kerbal cultures domesticated K titanicus. Only about half of them did. Some had no use for them, while others had weird superstitions about them.

K titanicus is often used by many Kerbal cultures as a trustworthy working animal, and a primarily warmongering asset. They also make good companion animals, as they are very loyal and strong. Most K titanicus are domestic. However there are wild populations, at nearly 65 degrees north, but they are rare. They are still antisocial and prefer to be left alone, which makes them difficult to study. Despite this, Kerbal researchers and kerbologists have not given up on study.

Like K kerbalis, K titanicus does not fear many predators. however, over the course of their travels, both species have been occasionally preyed upon by Megalopterids, Kerbofelids, Mamminovorans (Mastigadontids/Plagadontids), Asterosuchids, and even Tyrannopods. However, the two often work together to repel those challenges. K titanicus is an omnivore, like K kerbalis. however, they are more meso-carnivorous, with meat often making up 65% of their diets. Wild populations have been occasionally spotted hunting large game together. In contrast K kerbalis and other 6 extinct Kerbal species were mostly herbivorous.

K titanicus are often seen in the outskirts of the Kerbal Space Centre, proving fairly helpful to work with stuff that many K kerbalis engineers have great difficulty with. However, due to them being not as smart as K kerbalis, the two often assist each other in such tasks. Keep in mind that K titanicus is actually somewhat smarter than the 6 extinct Kerbal species. K titanicus are a rare sight at the KSC, and their bodies are too large to fit in Kerbal capsules for spaceflight. However, plans are drawn out for sending the first K titanicus into space, by around 2025, in human yearage.