Mangwallow

In the swamps conventional beasts are otherwise moot. Horses struggle in the marshland and cows are too clumsy to avoid predators. So the denizens of the swamp needed alternatives to ensure that they could persist here. The Mangwallow was the answer. Like other beasts kept by man they’re generally quite docile but have the adaptations and demeanor necessary to survive in such a hostile place. They’re kept by the majority of swamp-faring people but wild populations still persist amongst the marshland. For their usefulness and reliability they’re often revered by some, with the Dormians affectionately calling them ‘Amicus Belua’.

#### Physiology and Anatomy

Mangwallow are ungulates like cows or horses but couldn’t be more far removed. Their hooves are flat and broad to keep them from sinking into the mud where their contemporaries would be mired and doomed. Their tails are spined to keep small beasts like Ketsoma from harassing them where their bovid cousins would struggle. Last but certainly not least, their milk of a strange blue color acts much the same as a mineral supplement in an otherwise mineral-deprived place. They convert inedible materials for most organisms like the bark of mangrove trees into this liquid to allow their calves access to a healthy supply of nutrients. Sapient races can also enjoy this liquid as they would cows milk, though it has an earthy taste.

Grass is in short supply in the swamp so Mangwallow have to get creative to get their nutrient requirements. They have a varied set of teeth to gnaw down hard-to-digest material like bark and upward-facing nostrils to feed on seagrass below the water’s surface. They maximize energy output by ruminating their intake through smaller compartments of the stomach, chewing the cud that returns to further break it down for digestion.

Mangwallow have a few defenses to keep predators off them. Their tails are merely to dissuade scavengers and flies but their horns can pack quite the punch. They may gore an aggressor and are designed in such a way to hook underneath an adversary to get at their underbelly. Combined with a charge, a strike from a Mangwallow is enough to puncture deep into flesh and threaten the organs within. Mostly Mangwallow try to avoid conflict though. Their fur has points where vegetation can take root. Lichens, mosses, and algae cover the Mangwallow in a green coat. A natural camouflage. Not only are they harder to see but the vegetation also dulls their scent making them difficult to track.

Mangwallow can have calves throughout the year but only naturally have one or two every change of the season. Juveniles have not the green coat to hide in so reside underneath their mothers while it develops through their maturity. Mangwallow cows are tolerant of this until the horns of their calf begin to irritate their underside indicating time for eviction. Mangwallow usually gain their horns after two or so months so are normally ready with at least a partial coat to hide behind.

#### Psychology

Dopey and social, Mangwallow form large herds of up to thirty adult individuals both in the wild and domestically. These herds are dominated by a bull and composed largely of females and their juvenile offspring. Females are generally nurturing whereas bulls may be irritable and even aggressive. Even domestic Mangwallow bulls may charge if frightened or provoked so respect is key when dealing with them. Domestic Mangwallow are content to be treated much like normal cattle provided their unique habitat and requirements are kept in check.