Zerdaren (Neobiontomania)

**Zerdaren** – one of the Neobionts from the Neobiontomania universe.

## Profile on the computer:

* **Type:** Earth
* **Alignmet:** Neutral
* **Size:** Approx. 50 cm long without the tail, the tail is 25 cm long, and the height at the withers is 27.3 cm
* **Human Origin:** No.
* **Sapient:** No.
* **Body type:** Fennec
* **Taxonomy:** Canidae (genus Vulpes)
* **Abilities:** Quick kicking, intelligence, sensitive senses, creating sandstorms, endurance, resistance to certain poisons
* **Natural Weapons:** Teeth and Claws

## Look:

At first glance, very similar to the common desert fennec fox, but slightly larger and stronger. The coat is light, not very dense (the animal lives mainly in deserts, where it can be extremely hot during the day), sand-brown, with a yellowish shade, pale yellow on the abdomen and inside the ears, with a brown spot at the end of the tail. Black nose. Eyes usually: brown, yellow, gray, black or orange, and even blue (but rather dark blue, as they are then less susceptible to blinding sunlight) - the latter color is considered a sign of high intelligence and fidelity.

## Behavior:

They are rather gentle and calm, although they can quite fiercely defend their territory against intruders, but the right Neobiontist should not have any problems with taming them. Once he becomes attached to his master, he will probably defend him faithfully and fiercely (of course, courage, courage and fidelity unequal, but still). They often live alone, but when they start a family, they rather stick to it and defend it bravely. Clusters of more than one family are rather rare.

## Abilities:

They are intelligent and can dig very quickly in the ground, especially in the sand. They have sharp teeth - claws are rather blunt but useful for digging. Strongly sensitive senses, especially hearing (which they owe to their long ears), smell (as members of the canine family), sight and sensing seismic vibrations (useful when navigating in dark corridors). They have an extra, transparent but slightly tinted pair of eyelids that protects their eyes from the sun and sand. They can create small sandstorms, usually spitting them out or emitting them from their tails - they can work mainly as smoke screens, but also as swarms of small, hard, sharp projectiles. They can survive in fairly high temperatures (although they are hardly comparable to the majority of Fire Neobionts), and can live without food and / or water for a long time. Their skin and bones are relatively durable (most likely due to belonging to the Earth type), and they themselves are resistant to many poisons.

## Weaknesses:

As desert animals, they are adapted to living in a rather warm climate, so they do not like cold (admittedly, it can be icy at night in the desert, but then they sleep rather). Their small height can also be a problem for them, especially when fighting some big opponents.

## Food

Basically carnivorous (which is mainly due to the fact that it is difficult to find plant food in the desert) - their diet consists mainly of birds, rodents, small reptiles and invertebrates. If they already eat any plants, they are usually the stems and / or fruits of cacti, which they first "peel" of the spines with their claws and tails.

## Etymology

From "(Vulpes) zerda" ("fennec fox" in Latin) and "arena" ("sand" in e.g. Spanish, Latin and Italian).