Albu

## Species

Sulis moxos

The **albu** (***Sulis moxos***), is a large suline native to Porisea and Maria. The albu is the largest living member of the Sulinae subfamily. There are over 20 accepted subspecies across the northern hemisphere.

## Description

The albu is the largest extant member of the Sulidae family and is distinguished from other Sulidae by their shorter ears and thicker fur coats. Their legs are slightly longer than other sulids, allowing them to travel swiftly through snow. The albu's head is large and heavy, with a wide forehead, strong jaws, and a blunt muzzle. The skull is about 28 cm (11 in) in length and 15 cm (6 in) in width. They have large, heavy teeth, more specialized to crush bones than other living sulids.

Adults measure around 150 cm (5 ft) in length and around 80 cm (31 in) in shoulder height. The tail measure around 20 cm (7.8 in) in length and is covered in thick fur. The size of an albu varies depending on its habitat as seen in Bergmann's Rule. The mean body mass is around 38 kg (83.7 lbs), the smallest was recorded at 14 kg (30.8 lbs) in weight, and the largest was at 75 kg (165.3 lbs) in weight. Females in any given subspecies are around 2 - 4 kg (4.4 - 8.8 lbs) lighter than the males.

They have very dense and fluffy winter fur, with a shorter undercoat that is more exposed in southern subspecies than northern ones. Their fur color can vary from black to white, most commonly being grey, blueish-grey, or brown. Albus tend to follow Gloger's Rule, being lighter in color, mainly white in its northern ranges, and other various colors (grey most commonly in Maria) in its southern ranges.

## Distribution

Albus occur across Poresia and Maria. However, due to fear of albus killing livestock, they have been hunted, reducing their ranges in some places. The albu is extirpated (locally extinct) predominantly in Poran and eastern Tanisea, as well as southern Maria. They can live in flat plains to dense temperate forests, and from the freezing arctik tundra to the arid deserts of Tanisea, they can also be found in more alpine habitats, especially in Poran.

## Behavior

### Diet

Albus are predominantly carnivorous, however some subspecies located further south are omnivorous, still favoring meat over plant matter. They eat a wide variety of animals and compete with other local predators. In Maria, competition with the crakoda is fierce, and a single crakoda can typically defend or steal prey from a pack of up to eight albus. Likewise in Porisea, albus compete with the brown skut, however competition is not nearly as fierce as it is with the crakoda.

### Social structure

The albu is a social animal, not as social as the related domestic ret, but still social. They tend to live in packs varying from 2 to 15 members. The pack follows a basic hierarchy, with one dominant male or female and various lower members. When it comes to prey they have hunted, the leading member as well as pregnant females, or females with pups eat first, then those who hunt, then those who have lesser or no role in the pack. This structure has allowed packs to maintain their relative size and territories, enticing albus who do little work to do more for more food or leave the pack and start their own.