Jester

Jesterus is a suborder of the order Clouradates. Species belonging to the suborder are often referred to as "jesters" or "fools." Compared to other suborders, the population of members of Jesterus is small, having decreased drastically in recent years.

Jesters typically possess a "hat" with two to three tips, and wear brightly colored clothing. Jesters are especially noted for their acrobatic and musical skill, which far surpass that of other members of ''Clouradates. Jesters are the only known members of Clouradates ''capable of truly communicating with humans; while Clowns are capable of imitating human speech, Jesters can understand humans and create their own jokes as a result.

Diet
Jesters are omnivorous scavengers by nature, willingly eating nearly anything and everything. As they do not possess hunting capabilities like other members of Clouradates, wild Jesters largely forage for food and rarely eat meat. Unlike clowns, they do not require meat in their diet, and consuming too much at one time can make them sick. Instead of being a staple of their diet, it is recommended for use as a treat or incentive in training.

As wild Jesters are used to going days without food, owners of Jesters are recommended not to feed their Jesters too much too often. One full meal each day is typically enough to keep a Jester happy and healthy. Jesters will eat even if they are not hungry, and can easily be overfed, resulting in deleterious effects on their health.

Physical Characteristics
Jesters are the most similar to humans in appearance out of the members of ''Clouradates. ''Of special note is the vocal structure of the Jester, which is nearly identical to the vocal structure of humans, allowing them to truly emulate human speech. Unlike Clowns and Mimes, the skin color of Jesters tends to be quite similar to human skin tones in shade. With the exception of the distinctive Jester "hat," most Jesters would be able to pass for human.

The "hat," the most distinctive feature of a Jester, is frequently believed to merely be an article of clothing. However, the hat is in truth a protective covering for the Jester; a Jester's reproductive organ lies inside of the hat. The number of tips on the hat differs from species to species, with the minimum number being two. The addition of bells indicates that the Jester is ready to mate. The bright colors and unique patterns of the hat vary from individual to individual, and appear to be involved in identification and for other social functions.

Jesters are noticeably more flexible and skilled in acrobatics than humans or other members of ''Clouradates. ''Coulrologists believe this is a result of Jesters adapting to avoid the predatory behavior of Mimes and other aggressive species.

Reproduction
The reproductive organ of a Jester is contained within the distinctive hat. The hat acts as a protective organ, with an orifice at one tip of the hat that acts to expel sperm during reproduction.

Unlike other members of Clouradates, Jesters are monoestrous, with their breeding season taking place during the spring. Bells sprout at the beginning of spring and fall from the tips of the hat after spring ends.

When a Jester is ready to mate, bells sprout from the tips of the hat to indicate this to other Jesters. The bells of different species of Jester jingle at different frequencies, attracting specific mates. Once a mate has been found, both Jesters will jingle their bells at each other, and initiate the reproductive process.

The color and pattern of Jester hats appear to have some influence in how Jesters choose their mates, though the exact nature of this influence is still unknown.

Jesters lay few eggs at one time; many species only lay one egg at a time, with very few laying more than two. In addition, Jester eggs are typically larger than the eggs of Mimes or Clowns, weighing 3 kg on average and typically more than 20 cm in length. Jesters tend to hide their eggs in areas where humans are less likely to visit, sometimes at great heights that Jesters can only reach thanks to their acrobatic abilities. However, leaving the eggs in a precarious location runs the risk of the egg falling if the nest is not constructed carefully.

Most Jester eggs take upwards of four months to hatch, though it is noted that some Jester species who intentionally imitate human gestation lay eggs that take eight or nine months to hatch. Though most Jester species will leave their eggs unattended as long as they know it is secure, they will keep a much closer watch on it as the hatching day grows near. There has been no recorded incident of a jestlet hatching without one or both of its parents in the immediate vicinity. Like other members of Clouradates, Jesters feed their young by regurgitating food for them to eat.

Jesters are not born with a hat; the Jester "hat" develops at the onset of Jester puberty, which occurs in Jesters at around the same time as humans. Prior to this, many adolescent Jesters will wear imitation hats made for them by their parents. However, it usually takes around one year after hat growth for the Jester to actually be capable of mating.

Lifespan
Compared to other members of Clouradates, Jesters are remarkably short lived. In the wild, most Jesters live 40 to 50 years. In captivity, the longest living recorded Jester was a court Jester known as Murray Somerset, who lived to be 82 years old.

Magic
An under-researched and highly speculative aspect of Jesters, some Jesters are known more than for their typical clowning acts and are capable of performing magic tricks. These are no typical magic tricks, as they are more skill-oriented than the typical magician. In many cases of cultures across the globe Jesters are seen as mystical creatures and are an important aspect of dream-like mythology. Some dismiss this as pseudo-science[1], refusing to believe that Jesters perform actual acts of magic, but such rumors have created a fascination and mythology around Jesters nevertheless. This has resulted in multiple homages, namely in video games or movies, in which Jesters are depicted as reaching into a bag or similar device to throw magic dust onto people, or casting spell with a wand. Some say that this myth of magic dust was a misinterpretation of a self-defense adaptation of Jesters, later researched and termed Hookus-Powderus.

Carnivals are a social event of utmost importance to Jesters and part of this phenomenon. On Carnival days, some Jesters congregate in certain locations for a short period of time to perform secretive social rituals that some believe to involve "magic." Some people attempt to engage in these events by donning clothing in order to imitate a Jester, although this is one of the few cases where Jesters will react aggressively in response to this perceived intrusion into a private aspect of Jester behavior.

Habitat
Most species of Jester are concentrated in western Europe, especially in England. Outside of Europe, the only known Jester populations are found in North America. Historically, Jesters covered a much larger habitat; the presence of Jesters was recorded in Japan from the 13th to 18th centuries. However, many species of Jesters outside of Europe went extinct in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Jesters typically inhabit metropolitan areas, as they depend upon humans for their survival. Very few truly wild populations of Jesters exist in the modern world; what many people consider 'wild' Jesters are in fact feral, and these Jesters typically remain in cities or areas with high human population.

Relationship with humans
As all known Jesters appear to have been self-domesticated, Jesters are by far the least dangerous members of Clouradates. They are entirely reliant on humans to provide food and shelter, and have none of the hunting capabilities of Clowns or Mimes. Rather, Jesters appear to have adapted to best provide entertainment for humans, thus their considerable acrobatic and musical skill.

Jesters make fairly easy pets for humans, as their needs are not as specific as those of Clowns or Mimes and they have a naturally sociable nature excellent for interacting with children. However, because of their endangered status and the question of Jester rights, possession of a Jester is only legal in a few countries around the world. Most Jesters are not owned, but are rather employed by or live with humans who give them patronage.

History
The exact origin of Jesters is unknown. Records indicate that Jesters were self-domesticated, and became popular among humans during the medieval era. The exact reason for Jester self-domestication is the subject of debate; one popular belief is that Jesters required the protection of humans to avoid predation by other, more aggressive species.

Due to Jesters' ability to imitate human speech and general high intelligence, humans in the medieval era initially believed Jesters were also human. Thusly, Jesters were given comparatively more rights compared to other members of Clouradates, as humans were not aware they were Jesters at all. Still, among human society, Jesters were regarded as second-class citizens at best.

Jesters were relied upon as sources of entertainment and sometimes counsel during the medieval and Renaissance eras, during which Jester populations boomed. As their popularity began to wane, many Jesters struggled to survive, having become entirely reliant on humans for their survival. Many species of Jesters went extinct during this period, with only a few straggling populations managing to survive, mostly in western Europe and England.

Jesters appear to have migrated to North America along with colonists from western Europe, and managed to successfully establish a small population there.

In recent times, Jester populations have stabilized, though they are still markedly smaller than other suborders of ''Clouradates. ''Popularity of Jesters has experienced a minor resurgence, especially at "Renaissance fairs," where Jesters are once again relied upon as forms of entertainment.

Controversy
The topic of Jester rights has been the subject of much debate since the initial revelation that Jesters were not in fact human. While some believe that the past tradition of treating Jesters as equal ought to continue, others believe that nonhumans should not be granted human rights. Regardless, in most countries, the possession of Jesters is illegal, and they are afforded some protection under the law.