Minotaur

Minotaurs or bovitaurs are sapient bipedal bovine humanoids. They varyingly resemble upright bovines (cattle and bison). They have three-fingered hands and hooved feet. The slightly less robust, more magically inclined and docile-tempered individuals have more caprine (goat, sheep, ibex) features and are thus referred to as capritaurs though they are of the same kin.
Generally gregarious in loose herdlike social groups, having less of a cognitive herd requirement than centaurs, i.e. than can be independent or solitary more easily.
They do not like bitter tastes at all and have a strong preference for sweet and salty foods. As ominovres they eat meat, but grasses and leaves are their favorite foods.
Minotaurs pick up more scents than humans (about the same as elves), but have many smells and pheromones within their people they communicate with. The top lip is curled back while sniffing to pick these up, called flehmening. It also has other social and communicative functions.
Due to their attunement to lode, the earth, and ley line detection (directional latent magic), ley lines and places of power factor prominently in their religions.
Fraternal twins often result in a male calf and a masculine infertile female calf called taura or freemartin.
== Ellador ==
In Ellador, there are two kins of minotaurs: the northern, varyingly resemble cattle, buffalo, tragelaphines, and antelopes; and the southeastern: varyingly resembling cattle, buffalo, tragelaphines, oryx, wildebeest. The capritaurs of the northern kin take after ibex and dik-diks. The "capritaurs" of the southeastern kin in fact take after impala, duikers, dik-diks, and the smaller, more gracile antelopes.
== Nysa ==
In Nysa, minotaurs varyingly resemble eastern cattle (ex: zebu, gaur), yaks, buffalo. Their capritaurs resemble takin, muskoxen, serow, and bighorn sheep.
== Alcetaur ==
Across Northern Odenna from central (Dalsland) to eastern (Tanus) there is a variant kin of minotaurs that take after elk. None have yet been recorded in Nysa by the elves.
== Sources ==
http://assets.press.princeton.edu/chapters/i10713.pdfCategory:Kins
Category:Minotaurs