Luangese biota

This page is for the documentation of all known plants, animals, and other organisms that reside in Luang. Not all species listed here are necessarily native or endemic to Luang only; some are invasive, and most inhabit the greater surrounding ecoregions into other countries.

## History of Research

For most of Luang's history, animals were regarded as having mystical properties unique to their type. Thus, it became necessary for earlier scholars (circa the 300s BSS) and religious priests to begin classifying them, and identifying their key characteristics and behavior. This was mostly a spiritual affair at first. The identification of plants was also very much practically important, as some plants were useful and others toxic. Many early books were made as guides to herbology, and featured only pictures and diagrams for illiterate peasants to "read" and identify plants.

Later on during the Yua Dynasty, inspired by Arcallosi philosophers such as Lanno Agazii, Luangese scholars began to conduct somewhat more secular work into biology for biology's sake. While they shyed away from Agaziian taxonomy and referred to organisms only by their colloquial Luangese names, writers like Chui Suangmuo were very much important in exploring Luang's biodiversity. Comparing the sheer number of plants and animals found there, as opposed to those in drier and temperate lands, Luangese people had discovered that their country was a hotspot of biodiversity almost unparalleled in Ef'thar.

In the modern era, the Committee for Luangese Natural Science (𤾩国野意理学员会, luǎngkué tchěrgi rěisué zū‘uì) or CLNS, founded by Consul Secretary Fuai Jingou, is the main body through which almost all of the country's science research is funded and coordinated. The CLNS provides funding for those interested in writing books, and has worked to standardize the Luangese names of all known organisms. It has also begun to spearhead animal taxonomy: for example, it was CLNS researchers who discovered that many sessile organisms in the sea such as corals were in fact animals and not plants, and that many creatures native to the southwestern continent of Arenica as disparate as elephants, hyraxes, and sirenians were in fact one grouping of similar creatures now called the *Arenicotheria* or *Shutsuluaging*, meaning "Arenican beasts".

## Rainforest Plants

**Beautyberry**: a small to mid-sized shrub with purple edible berries. Common in sandy soil, and is not tolerant of swampy soil.

**Cacao**: also known as the *nuaiten* locally, this is the tree from which cocoa beans are harvested. The tree was first domesticated by tribespeople to the south of Luang, and the cultivation practice was then spread from Luang to Arcallos and other tropical lands.

**Coconut**: A widespread tropical palm, common mainly along the coasts. Extensively farmed and gathered, the coconut has both drinkable coconut "milk", edible flesh, and the shells of the coconut fruit are often used to make bowls. Coconut oil is also used extensively in Luangese cuisine to fry food.

**Dwarf Magnolia**: a small broad-leaved shrub with pink flowers. Very commonly distributed across tropical and subtropical Ef'thar.

**Fig Mangrove**: The most common mangrove species in Luang and surrounding countries, found fringing along the Luangese coasts in low-energy bays and inlets. Its bark is used to make cheap bark-cloth and brown dye; its propagules also have medicinal properties, particularly with the treatment of sores, dysentery, and fungal infections. It gets its name from the large hanging roots that resemble those of fig trees.

**Flood Palm**: Also known as the *rinziong*. Bears edible fruits & palm hearts, and its fronds are used for thatch. The leaf stems are used to make blow darts.

**Hiasu**: A shrub whose edible acorn-like nuts can be roasted to make a stimulating drink, or ground up to make bread. However, the nuts, drink, and bread are both very bitter, and the plant is only consumed in times of famine. An extract from its bark is also used to tan leather.

**Hsuorian**: One of the tallest flowering trees in the world, the Hsuorian is an important source of lumber for Luang. It also produces nuts that can be worked into an oil used by many peasants to cook food.

**Luangese Cypress**: Found mostly around the Herko river valley, this rare tropical conifer is used for a particularly strong lumber. However, its rarity means that it is uncommon. It grows in swampy areas and its trunk will often remain partially submerged for months out of the year.

**Luangnut**: A tree named after Luang itself; it bears edible legumes that are extensively harvested and farmed.

**Mangaba**: A common tree of the forest. While used for lumber, it also bears edible fruits that are commonly harvested. Its leaves can also be used to treat inflammation, tuberculosis, & menstrual pain when made into tea.

**Pipeweed**: also known as "tobacco", "smoke-grass", or "hsuaiduai" in certain literatures and languages. A mid-sized herb with leaves that can be dried and used for various purposes. Most commonly smoked or chewed recreationally, it also has use as a pesticide when brewed in water, and can be used by apiarists to pacify bees and heal bee stings. Highly addictive. Found wild and cultivated in Luang, and exported outwards to places in the north like Halga and Val Peqin.

**Tsiongten**: The "rubber tree". A small understory tree that is used most often in the harvesting of latex.

**Western Bamboo**: Not one but several related species of bamboos native to various particular micro-biomes of the Luangese jungles- slopes, mountaintops, swamps, plains, and more. Extensively used for construction and toolmaking. Their shoots are also edible, and the leaves are also occasionally used in cooking as well. The *Zhubi* variety is most commonly used for construction due to its fast growth.

## Arid Forest Plants

**Doketo**: An odd white-barked tree whose leaves smell like vanilla. Often used as a substitute when real vanilla is scarce. Thought to be a relative of baobabs, but this connection is unsubstantiated.

**Kodwa-Shalahu**: A small, hardy pine native to the savannahs but grown ornamentally across much of the world. Native only to the very far northwest of Luang.

**Mountain Phoenix**: A hardy highland date palm, found as far east as Mör-Akaz. Its fruits are commonly eaten and made into date wine.

**Nyepo Pine**: A once-common conifer native to the mountains of western Luang, southern Tanuleng, and the Zwephukile. However, its populations have been decimated due to the recent introduction of the Zhanun Pine Beetle native to the east.

**Nyezanegono**: Also known colloquially as the red bushwillow. A tree favored largely by wild game; however its fruits are toxic to livestock. It is also used for lumber, charcoal, and can be used to treat pink-eye and stomach aches.

**Oaken Acacia**: A tree that is neither an oak nor an acacia, but resembles both to an extent. Used for lumber. The namesake of the Nkalatho tribe- the world *nkalatho* means "oak" in Swe'etumbe.

**Savanna Juniper**: A small shrubby conifer common in the arid forests and savanna belt of Arenica. Reported to have medicinal properties that aid in fighting cold symptoms.

**Zwegalala Palm**: A common tall, thin palm tree with broad fronds. Also grown ornamentally in the eastern tropical regions of Luang, and into other tropical and subtropical countries.

## Arthropods

### Crustaceans

**Giant Saltcrab**: A relative of the Arcallosi Guaranii, this massive crab stands up to 2 meters tall in its oldest individuals. On average, they are usually smaller. Some attempts to ride these beats have been made; most have ended with the rider being dismembered and eaten by the crab. The crab otherwise eats a variety of coconuts, bracken, and whatever else it may find on the beaches.

### Insects

**Chengsie Tser**: The "city ant" as its name means is a species of termite native to the arid forest and savannah. Its name comes from the large building-like termite mounds that it builds out of dried mud. It is a common source of food for starving wanderers and for insectivorous animals.

**Resplendent Mosquito**: a widespread tropical biting insect whose iridescent exoskeleton almost makes up for its annoying behavior. A vector of dangerous tropical diseases, and a common prey item for many jungle creatures.

**Zhanun Pine Beetle**: a small bluish-black beetle known from Sylvica; recently introduced to the continent. It has devastated several local conifer species, most notably the Nyepo Pine. Its larvae burrow through the tree, eating wood.

## Mollusks

### Gastropods

**Catsnail**: Also known as *nenpo*. Freshwater snails that eat ratsnails (among other animals); they are kept in the rice paddies to control pests and are kept in bowls as pets by some children.

**Cow Conch**: A large marine snail that inhabits the shallows off the Luangese coast and the surrounding seas. Its meat is considered a delicacy, and their shells are often hung outside Failin homes to indicate that a new baby has been born.

**Gopo Cowrie**: A small marine snail that inhabits sandy regions offshore. Very common. Its shells were historically used as currency by the Luangese and other peoples of eastern Arenica. Their shells are used to generally represent or flaunt wealth.

**Iangna**: A species of edible whelk whose name means "whorl chicken". The iangna's flesh and eggs can be eaten, and the latter is sometimes referred to by outsiders as "snaviar".

**Nete Murex**: An edible marine snail which is used in the manufacture of a particular purple dye. Its name comes from the words for "dye" and "release" in Luangese.

**Ratsnail**: Also known as *juipo*. Small freshwater snail that commonly inhabits rice fields. It eats mostly aquatic grasses, which unfortunately includes rice. Their name is thus derived from their vermin-like behavior.

**Sea Snail Leviathan**: A large nektonic nudibranch, reaching up to a meter long in some individuals. Inhabits coral reefs and undersea rocks, only coming out at night to feed. Uses its toxic slime to ensnare passing animals.

## Reptiles

### Dragons

**Pangolin Dragon**: A smaller, less-colorful cousin of the Pitagnagoii of Arcallos. It is a wingless dog-sized dragon which eats a variety of plant roots and insects in the arid forests of western Luang and into the savannahs of the Brokenlands.

**Pundin Dragon**: A small, downy wyvern species known for its pink fur-like feathers and rows of needle-like teeth, which grows to be about 80 cm tall. Its main diet is small crustaceans, which it filter-feeds for in ponds, lagoons, and lakes. A rare sight usually, however they tend to nest around the great salt lake to the west in the rainy season, where their eggs are safe from most predators and the waters are full of brine shrimp. The name *pundin* means "shrimp-eat[er]" in Luangese.

### Testudines

**Green Sea Turtle**: A large marine turtle that comes to Luang's shores to nest once a year. It is otherwise found offshore, usually in seagrass beds where it feeds on the grass. Its name is derived from the green meat it has; this is possibly a result of its plant-rich diet. Some have argued that the turtle itself is part-plant; others dismiss this as pure fantasy.

## Mammals

### Arenicotherians

**Arenic Forest Elephant**: A smaller elephant that lives in the rainforests of eastern Arenica, including Luang. It stands at two meters high at the shoulder and has small tusks and a dark grey-reddish pelt. The short tusks and small size are possible adaptations to life in the dense forests. It is a close relative of the Arenic Savanna Elephant.

**Arenic Savanna Elephant**: One of the largest land animals, the Savanna Elephant only occasionally visits western Luang's arid forests. It is an imposing beast growing up to 4 meters tall excluding the ears, and has large tusks which grow up to two meters long in some instances. It is commonly hunted for its ivory, and many have noted that their population has decreased in the past few centuries.

**Fetchiong**: A large semi-aquatic hyrax, one of the largest in the world. Roughly the size of a pig, its name means "coconut dog" from its shaggy brown fur. It is known for its peaceful disposition, and coexists even with predatory animals.

**Kavigochwe**: A smaller relative of the fetchiong. A somewhat round hyrax of the arid forest, which eats mostly grasses and herbs. Its meat is of good quality, and it is one of the most common game animals hunted in the region. Its pelt varies from silvery-gray to brown.

**Seacow**: a large aquatic mammal with a rotund body and circle-shaped tail. It lacks hind limbs, and has small stubby hooves on its front fins. It eats almost exclusively seagrasses and river vegetation, and is reported to make chirping sounds. May travel alone or in small family groups; mothers are often found with a single calf by their side. Their backs may often become covered in algae.

### Carnivorans

**Payeng**: A large bear native to the rainforests of Luang. Docile and herbivorous, its diet almost exclusively consists of bamboo. The name "payeng" means "friend bear" in Luangese, in reference to their amicable disposition compared to more carnivorous bears.

### Cetaceans

**Bottlenose Dolphin**: a mid-sized dolphin with a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical waters. A common sight year-round in Luang's coastal waters. These dolphins live in small pods and eat mostly fish and squid.

**Great Rorqual**: One of the largest animals in the world, if not the largest. Measuring almost 30 meters long, this massive baleen whale is a visitor in the winter, often coming to breed offshore in the calmer nearshore waters. Despite its size, the creature eats mostly small fish, krill, and zooplankton.

**Zerno Whale**: the "Nose-oil" whale is a large toothed whale that occasionally visits Luang's shores to have babies. It is hunted for the large stores of whale oil it has in its head. The cutting-open of its stomach after hunting reveals that a large part of this whale's diet are some kind of large cephalopod.

### Chiropterans

**Brokenlander Free-tailed Bat**: A small bat with a long tail. A common insectivore which can be seen on the western highlands at dusk.

**Cocoa Free-tailed Bat**: a small nocturnal bat that eats insects. One of the most common bats of Luang. It roosts in limestone caves, and its guano is harvested as fertilizer. Its name derives from its rich brown pelt color, the exact shade of a cacao nut.

**Luangese Mouse-eared Bat**: one of the smallest known bats of the world. A swift and tiny bat which appears to eat mostly flies and mosquitoes.

**Palm Bat**: A large diurnal bat which eats fruit. It favors the fruit of the flood palm, which it gets its name from. Unlike other bats, it roosts in trees instead of caves.