Fluffy Pony Physiology

I am about to get pseduo-scientific on this thread with my own lame ass head canon.

[b]Neurophysiology of Fluffy Ponies[/b]
A fluffy pony brain is highly developed in the speech areas. The problem with this is that it comes at the expense of things like memory and problem solving. Since the speech center controls so much of the brain, it is possible for the fluffy to kill itself by overwriting portions of it's hind brain that regulate sleep, breathing, and other mandatory life functions.

A huge amount of power is required to sustain the speech centers, the fluffy's brain contains at least a third of the entire volume of blood in a fluffy's body. This is the reason they can stay alive despite loss of multiple limbs and other horrific mutilations. It's not really a good thing.

The nervous structure of the fluffies is also overdeveloped. Nerve endings are unusually thick and close to the surface of the skin. Some theorize that this was developed to encourage hugging behavior in fluffies. When the fluff is gone, there is no protection for these nerves and any contact with the skin is extraordinarily painful.

The other downside to the massive power consumption of their brain is the amount of electrical activity in the nerves and brains of the fluffy. Such electrical activity explains why their brains can be disrupted and reset by a shock. Surprisingly, their fluff can generate enough static electricity to keep their brain on a low level reset all the time. House fluffies tend to be dumber than ferals because they're in a more static prone environment. Mutations have arisen in so called "smarty friends" that cause fat deposits to form along the nerves, insulating them against the static properties of their fluff. Obese fluffies gain similar protection, but have more health problems.

[b]Cardiovascular system[/b]
The fluffy cardiovascular system is another portion of the fluffy that was overdeveloped. Their heart, which beats at 100+BPM, pumps blood through a series of double valved arteries, capable of clamping shut to prevent exsanguination. The total volume of blood in a fluffy accounts for a fifth of it weight. All Fluffies have the same blood type.

Fluffies don't seem to suffer from cardiac illness, but they don't live long enough to worry about it.

[b]Muscle and Skeletal Structure[/b]
The flaws in the fluffy physiology show up in the musculoskeletal structure as soon as you open up a fluffy. For a creature of their size, you'd expect three times the amount muscle and connective tissues present. Instead, what they've got is are weak muscles and connective tissues that snap at the slightest provocation. An average human can tear off a fluffy limb with little trouble. The problem in connective tissue extends to their internal organs, essentially making the fluffy a walking bag of floating organs.

The skeletal structure is also poorly designed and extraordinarily fragile. While the bones aren't hollow, except in the case of fluffy pegasi, the bones are brittle enough to warrant extreme care when handling a fluffy. Oddly, the bones become more dense as the fluffy ages, and fluffies over a year old have bones that are resistant to fractures. Fluffies over three years (data is limited here) seem to have bones and tendons that are comparable to a canine's.

[b]Reproductive System[/b]
Fluffies reproduce in the normal mammalian fashion. The big difference in that their weak connective tissue causes the uterus to float, ballooning the dams to comically large proportions. Fluffy pregnancy ends with normal mammalian birth, though is cases of trauma or shock, the "Fluffsplosion" is likely to occur. "Fluffsplosion" occurs when fluffy blood pressure reaches critical levels following trauma. The veins and arteries will clamp shut, forcing blood into the uterus. Since the uterus cannot handle the pressure, it will erupt through the thin skin, throwing the foals free of the mother. Since fluffies at birth are rubbery, they sustain no harm from the fluffsplosion, though without care, they will die soon after.

Fluffy testicles are buried beneath fluff and are tiny compared to most mammals of that size. They can be removed with common shears, and the gelded fluffy will likely not miss them.

[b]Skin and Fluff[/b]
Fluffy skin is similar in constancy to that of a well moisturized naked mole rat. The veins, nerves, and fluff are all embedded in the thin skin, though fluff is embedded deeper than the nerves for some reason. When fluff is shaved or torn out, the skin becomes hypersensitive and prone to tears. Fluff should grow back, but can also be transplanted from fluffy to fluffy with an organic fixative (natural glues) and small amounts of a strong base (lye).

Their hooves are leathery, with the approximate toughness of a leather jacket. For some reason, there are many nerve endings in the hooves, probably as a byproduct of the DNA used to give them the ability to "pway". Hoof injuries are always painful for fluffies, and hot asphalt will lame a fluffy in a matter of minutes.

Fluff itself is the defining part of a fluffy. The thin, hollow structures are heavy enough to lay flat, though new growth sticks up in cowlicks. In order to prevent matting, fluff breaks easily, much like everything else on the fluffy. Because fluffies do not shed their fluff coats, house fluffies require periodic grooming. Ferals will lose chunks of fluff in encounters with high grass, wild animals, bushes, etc.

Fluff also seems to have some sort of psychological impact on fluffies, as they use it to identify themselves and other fluffies. Fluffies without fluff are viciously tormented, and sometimes cannibalized.

[b]Digestive system[/b]

Fluffy digestive systems can handle nearly anything put through them due to high amounts of hydrochloric acid in their stomachs. While good at extracting calories, giving the fluffies boundless energy, their digestive system is inefficient at extracting nutrients from consumed food, resulting in massive amounts of nutrient rich wastes. This is why fluffy waste is such excellent fertilizer.

"Sketties" or "nummies" are any sort of food for the fluffy, but it should be noted that a diet of pure spaghetti will cause the fluffies to become developmentally delayed due to lack of nutrients. Ferals get their nutrition from grass, berries, and discarded human food. The recommended diet for fluffies is fluffy chow (grass, wheat flour, nutrients) with spaghetti as a treat. Candy or "sweeties" should be given sparingly, as it gives fluffies an unneeded boost in energy. It is not recommended to give energy drinks to fluffies, as the chemical over-stimulation may cause them to explode.

Their system does not handle poisons very well, given their underdeveloped liver. Fluffies are notoriously cheap drunks.

[b]Immune System[/b]

Fluffy immune system, despite common belief, are actually overdeveloped. Since they were expected to not get sick, their engineers made the system as robust as possible. Foreign antigens are quickly dispatched, though the immune reaction may kill the fluffy. Allergic reactions will kill a fluffy in a matter of seconds. Oddly, this is also responsible for the problem of fluffy pony drowning. When water is introduced to the respiratory system, a massive immune response takes over and clamps the entire system down. Fluffies can drown (actually suffocate) in a matter of moments because their brains require so much fresh oxygen.

[b]Sensory Organs[/b]

The large eyes account for most of the fluffy face, though their vision is rather poor anyway. Their ears are very sensitve, and they have a low threshold for auditory pain. Despite an overdeveloped nervous system and due to their limited brain processing capacity, it is easy for a fluffy to become overstimulated and begin disregarding other external stimuli.

[b]Respiratory and Speech System[/b]

Aside from the previously mention immune reactions to water, fluffy respiratory systems are largely unremarkable except for their voice capabilities. Fluffies are able to speak due to a sophisticated voice box that gives nearly all of them the same sort of baby voice. That, combined with their slightly too short tongue, gives them an "adorable" lisp.

[b]Genetics of Fluffy Ponies[/b]

Fluffies are related to rabbits as they were used as the genetic template for fluffy ponies. Other bits of DNA were extracted from dolphins, alpacas, and reptiles. There is little actual pony DNA in a fluffy pony. Mutations are rare, as they either prove fatal or cause the dam to reject the fluffy foal at birth.

Transplant between fluffies is easy to accomplish due to their close genetic relation to each other. Generally, any organs can be transplanted from fluffy to fluff without issue, though surviving the procedure is another problem entirely. The first batch of fluffies had the ability to "merge," which was caused by a defect in the regenerative parts of their reptile DNA. Thankfully, this trait seems to have gone dormant, but it allows fluffy organs and body parts to quickly reintegrate into the fluffy if properly reconnected. Fluffy recombination experiments are banned by the UN after a 50 ft fluffy destroyed a scooter and bruised a man's shin.