The Leaves of Autumn Bestiary©

Updates

October 30, 2005: Added the entry for the Mountain Lion.

October 18, 2005: Established this page, and added the entry for the mammut.

The Dardannin Mountains
Stretching from the northwestern to the south eastern ends of the continent, these mountains support a wide variety of biomes. Tundral and fully glaciated arctic regions predominate in the north and the higher elevations, while temperate to semi-desert conditions are found as one travels south. Most valleys are lush and well watered, however, even in the far south.

Mountain Lion: These great cats are the top of the food chain in the Dardannin Mountains, and indeed in much of the continent of Ansend. Their large size allows them to hunt almost any prey, including the large sick or infirm mammut, but most often they prey on bison or large members of the deer family. Mountain lions have a dark brown coloration, and are patterned with stripes that are just a bit darker than their surrounding fur, providing excellent camouflage in the forests and open lands. Males tend to have a mane, though not very thick, while both sexes posses a tufted tail. These animals live in small groups of two to five at the most, and more often than not will be encountered alone. Such large animals require large amounts of food, and traveling alone or in small groups, while decreasing the chances of a successful hunt, increase the amount of food per individual. Mountain lions are not afraid to attack people, and have been known to stalk on the outskirts of villages.

Mammut: Derived from the species Mammut americanum, this is perhaps the top herbivore of the northern Dardannin temperate and coniferous forests. Traveling in herds of up to ten individuals, these great shaggy animals are superbly adapted for life in the mountains, and because of their bulk enjoy very few predators. At 8 to 10 feet at the shoulder and weighing up to 4 to 6 tons, only the elderly, young, or sick need fear predation, even when the cave lion is involved. In the wild they are relatively inoffensive, but they do not suffer intruders coming too close, especially when young are present. Mammut have been known to charge people who have passed by at too close a distance, and often will chase such intruders far from the rest of the herd. Their greatest enemy are Human hunters, although most society's will tackle these great beasts infrequently because of the danger involved. There are domesticated mammut, especially in the northern regions of the Dardannin Mountains, where settlers of the Lands of the White Citadel have taken root. These animals tend to be smaller than their wild kin, and more docile. Their tusks are also routinely cut and kept dull. As a whole, there is very little difference between the mammut and its Earthly progenitor, and indeed they could be considered the same exact species.

The Leaves of Autumn concept © John M. and Margo L. Dollan 2002-2005
This Page first uploaded October 18, 2003
Most recent update for this page October 30, 2005