Mǎzhǎo

Mǎzhǎo, also known as the Horse Claw, are a species of bird endemic to Kazzak, originating from the foothills of Tiěbàng. Domesticated from the larger species Hēizhǎo, Mǎzhǎo were artificially selected and bred to be a tamer more docile creature, losing their flight as more emphasis was placed on their potential as a mount.

## Physical Description

The Mǎzhǎo is a large, flightless bird standing around 2.5 meters (8 feet) tall. Having been bred for work in the desert, the Mǎzhǎo's plumage is puffed up, allowing for airflow directly onto their skin while providing relief from the sun. During the night, Mǎzhǎo often contract their feathers to trap and warm air next to their skin. Their plumage is typically a yellow color, with their puffed up feathers giving them a downy look. This causes many to compare Mǎzhǎo's to baby chickens, but the sharp claws at the end of their toes is usually enough to deter those who would underestimate these large birds. Some other plumage colors have been reported, but are significantly rarer than the standard yellow color, usually cropping up in specific breeds and artificially selected for.

The Mǎzhǎo has an anisodactyl toe configuration with the slight modification of missing its middle toe. The reason for this lack of a toe isn't well known, but some scholars theorize that the Mǎzhǎo has developed larger exterior toes in order to better carry its weight as it runs through the desert. Since the middle toe is normally responsible for most of the force behind the walking of bird species, some think that this species evolved larger exterior toes to effectively grant it two middle toes and a greater foot strength for running. This theory would fit with the Mǎzhǎo's ability to run at high speeds (top speeds have been reported around 70 km/h), but more research is needed as other toe configurations would likely be less evolutionarily taxing to achieve.

## Usage

Mǎzhǎo's are most commonly used as mounts and beasts of burden throughout Kazzak. Originally confined to the north, the birds proved popular enough to spread throughout the continent due to their hardiness in the desert, and became the traditional mount of choice for many adventurers, as well as for the Whillin Knights. Seen as a symbol of pride by many native to Kazzak, the Mǎzhǎo is even featured on the flag of Ozymandium.

In addition to being used as mounts, there is a longstanding culinary tradition surrounding the birds. As they evolved from a flighted bird, the Mǎzhǎo still possesses a keelbone, as well as an oversized breast muscle. This breast muscle is an extremely popular choice of meat for many dishes, as the taste of the Mǎzhǎo is able to be used for almost any type of dish imaginable. This has led to a surprising amount of variety in dishes using the birds, and further increases the pride that people have of this species.

## Taxonomy

Originating from the Hēizhǎo, the Mǎzhǎo has only recently lost its ability to fly. With this recent connection, most taxonomists exclude the Mǎzhǎo from the Ratite family, instead placing it within the Tinamidae family. Like Hēizhǎo, Mǎzhǎo are also assigned the Nothurinae sub-family for dwelling in hills and plains. Both birds (and other variations) are within the genus Ungae. The Mǎzhǎo's species name is Domesticus,

The full taxonomy is as follows: Animalia, Chordata, Aves, Palaegnathe, Notopalaeognathae, Tinamiformes, Ungae, Domesticus. Scientific Name Ungae Domesticus.