Fauna of Cridhe

Animals of Cridhe are similar to those of Earth. They are divided into mammals and ovipares. However, mammals do not have fur - all either have varying forms of feathers, or hair, and most egg-laying (non-mammalian) animals are entirely made of bones. Their body structures function similarly to crabs or lobsters, with their muscles and veins inside of the bones, like the chitin on a crab. Flexible but tough cartilaginous joints attach like tubes to the outside of bones. Types of bones vary from the milk white common on Earth, to char black, crystalline, filigree, spiny, etc.

Aquatic animals like fish, octopuses, sharks, stingrays, etc, have hollow cavities in their cores (different depending on the animal) with a balloon-like muscle (swim bladder) that they keep inflated to regulate their depth, and can change the inflation to rise or sink accordingly. When a marine animal dies, its swim bladder slowly deflates and their bones sink to the bottom of the seas or rivers, making river banks and lake bottoms prime places to salvage large amounts of ossein.

## Predatory Animals

Because of their literal exoskeletons, egg-laying creatures have very few natural predators - though the few they do have are vicious. Carnivorous creatures that feed upon ovipares have varying methods for extracting nutrients from their meals. Some have excessively strong jaws and don’t need to eat as often as others, so the effort and energy expended in hunting bony creatures is made worth it.  Others are scavengers that feast upon the remains of deceased ovipares. And others have a type of venom or saliva that is able to dissolve calcium to get at the marrow of the bone.

The **rabalo**, a jaguar-like creature that hunts at night, is known for its ability to easily crush bones with its sharp teeth. It is found mainly in the forested regions of southern Clar-Ama and Phehella. Rabalos are mammals, and thus have a feathered appearance. These also have wings, though they can only really be used to glide, as their body mass makes them too heavy to properly fly.

**Zaakol** (similar to a snake) have become a part of many terrifying myths due to their ability to use their bony ribs as legs to crawl across the ground, much like centipedes. They have venom in their fangs that dissolves bone to get to the marrow, which they then ingest. Most bony creatures have no stomach - instead their esophagus connects directly to their intestines, like many fish and the platypus. Like the zaakol, they have developed other means of digestion to make up for the lack of stomach.

The **mantilla shark** is the largest marine predator on the planet. It mostly lives in the Alii Ocean and has very little contact with humans, though like the other predators, it is heavily featured in folk tales. The diet of the mantilla consists entirely of fish - trawl being its diet staple. The mantilla has a bony cavity that holds a stomach full of highly acidic secretions which can quickly and easily break down osseous matter. To eat its pray, it uses its strong jaws and molar-like teeth to break apart the bones, then digests them in its stomach.

Although there are a few exceptions, most predators stick to hunting mammals for a number of reasons. Not only do they have much more meat while lacking the natural bone shield of ovipares, they also are brightly colored in their feather patterns and are easier to spot. Through natural selection (which still exists in this universe) almost all mammalian creatures are predatory themselves, or are equipped with some extreme defense mechanism.

Because of these factors, the wild places on Cridhe are filled with bony creatures, which is what makes ossein such a naturally abundant resource in this world. Cities are large and condensed. Smaller villages exist, but they are routinely ransacked by the outside fauna. The cities of Phehella are constantly attacked by the dangerous fauna of the world. Though this is a large downside to living in a smaller town, they also have access to large amounts  of ossein that is either scavenged or hunted.

## Prey Animals and Herbivores

Most animals on Cridhe are herbivores, due to the difficulty of hunting as outlined above. Though there are a few that are preferred meals for the few predatory animals: brallacs, trawl, clutewings and peahogs.

**Brallacs** (tortoise-like animal) and other slow moving oviparous animals usually collect moss all over their bones and shells. Shelled animals have the most amount of meat inside because of the large cavity their shell makes, which makes them a preferred meal for the rabalo. Their numbers are protected by two factors: the moss that grows on them helps to camouflage into their surroundings, and rabalos only need to eat once a month.

**Trawl** are the most common type of fish, and are able to survive in every water ecosystem on the planet, which is why they have survived so long while being the most hunted of the oviparous creatures. Their thin bones are about the density of a medium sized twig, and their osseous matter is easily digested by other sea creatures, like the mantilla.

**Clutewings** are crystalline insects that are not eaten by wildlife as much as they are by humans. Their natural abundance and crunchy texture make them an easy snack for many cultures. A single female clutewing can lay around 1,000 eggs in her short lifetime, and those eggs are protected by clutewing enthisiasts, meaning populations are well stocked.

**Peahogs** are the most biologically unusual animals in the known world. They are small - adults range from 8” to 1’ long and weigh up to 13lbs. They are mammals, so are hunted for their meat, and have little to no natural defense mechanisms other than the single horn atop their heads - though even that is largely ornamental. However, the female gestation period is only one month long, and they are able to have a litter of up to 10 hoglets at a time, so they are still somehow able to survive. Peahogs are most common in the drier, cooler parts of the world, found mainly in Voima and the eastern side of Adalet.

Another notable animal, though not usually hunted as prey, is the **rootkey**. Rootkeys are common household pets, especially popular in the colder countries of Arrazoi and Sormena. They have a notoriously keen sense of smell and can find nutritious vegetation under the large layers of snow or ice. They also notoriously have large appetites for only being the size of a person’s hand, and will readily eat those foraged plants if not properly trained. Aside from its practical uses, the rootkey also makes for a docile and friendly family pet.

## Common Ovipares

### Fish

* Trawl
* Barrab
* Pasix

### Lizards

* Kayo
* Helioy
* Mava

### Birds

* Nanak
* Coorio
* Lissetta