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Antlered and Hoofed MammalsDeerThe deer is the most common member of this family. They are also the smallest member of this family. Only the male deer develop antlers, and these grow at the beginning of each year. Their bodies are compact and strong and their legs are long and powerful. This makes them suited to rugged terrain and also at running quite fast. There are many subspecies of deer and each can be recognised by its antlers, body type, and body markings. Some are native to the southern end of South Ideitess (Carson's Deer, recognisable by bright white 'socks' and muzzle, and Cherry Deer, reddish in colour and smaller than most deer), others to areas of North Ideitess (Mountain Deer, with short antlers and white spots), and the rest to western Huirnon (Pearl Deer, pale in colour, found in colder climates, large and rare, and Varian Deer, very dark and quite aggressive, found in wooded areas). Generally, they live in grassy areas where there are trees, as they eat mainly leaves and moss.YindirrelThe Yindirrel, also known as the Varian Deer, is often separated from the rest of the deer types because it has a few distinguishing features. The first is its diet. The Yindirrel has a different set of teeth to normal deer and also has a different skull shape. This is because it is able to eat meat. Though its diet consists mainly of foliage, and it prefers not to eat meat, it sometimes scavenges off the kills of other animals. Because it sometimes eats meat, this makes the antlers of a Yindirrel different to other deer. Yindirrel antlers are very strong and sharp, and they are often hunted for this reason. The other special feature of the Yindirrel is its capability to make strange vocal sounds. It is able to imitate something that sounds like human men talking in low voices; something that often scares unsuspecting people passing near one, and it is also capable of making very loud and abrupt barking sounds, something like a very large wolf. The Yindirrel is larger than most deer, its legs are shorter, and its body is more compact. Its fur is quite dark and it camouflages in dark woodland areas quite well.Onuxutex
Characteristics: Standing at a colossal 3m at the shoulder (the top of its horns can reach 5m when standing upright, with head raised), and weighing around a ton, it's no surprise that not many would argue against their reputation. As well as this, they can run at almost 70kmph, and their crown-like horns -- at around 2.5m high and 2.7m wide -- can weigh 35-45kg. They also have a thick and rough mane-like cluster of fur around their neck and shoulders, and this covers their powerful neck-muscles. Behaviour: They are normally docile creatures and lead solitary lives, seeking their own kind only to mate, and only staying with their young until they are old enough to fend for themselves. Being very adaptable creatures, they changed their diets and lifestyle after The Scouring. As they once ate lush vegetation, they now eat mosses and gangly desert plants, as the canyons are very much a desert environment with pale sands and sheer sandy cliffs. Their thick fur allows them to survive cold nights, yet it also deflects the sheer heat of the desert sun, though they are quite happy to sit in the shade of a cliff for hours on end. As onuxuti have a very good memory, they will become aggressive if something bad has happened in their life. For example, there are stories of an onuxutex ram that was once hunted (which is a rare but present sport in South Ideitess) into a dead-end canyon. Armed with dangerous spears and shortbows, the hunters closed in until the creature went mad with stress, and it charged at them, caught them all in its antlers at once, and spun its head, throwing them against the rocks with great force. Witnesses say that the stag then proceeded to try and attack any other living thing nearby, and they say it did so for every year of its life until it died. This vengeful nature is widely feared by humans, though an angry onuxutex is still a very rare sight. Strength: Reports claim that these creatures thrust their antlers into their opposition, and, with an extremely powerful twist of the neck, flip their foes around and away. These "spins" of the antlers are strong enough to tear apart a human body in the middle, they say. Of course, these statistics are well-known through Ideitess, which is where they can be found. |
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The onuxutex is considered the greatest of all antlered and hoofed mammals. Onuxuti are native to 
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