Post by Lyrikitty on Nov 20, 2008 21:41:23 GMT -5
Blurwings - These are the smallest of wherries, found in the tropics of the Southern Continent. Barely the length of a man's finger, blurwings have brilliantly colored plumage and long pointed beaks that they use to probe flowers in search of nectar, hovering in front of the bloom on tiny wings. Males feed only on nectar, but females have slightly more varied if lesser known diet - in order to produce eggs they must find a more protein-rich food source during the breeding season and so use their long beaks to take blood from beach-breeding longnecks or any other large greenblooded animal they can find.
Darters - Small wherries that feed on insects and crawlers, darters of one form or another are familiar to just about everyone on Pern as they are extremely common, often brightly colored animals that often live close to human settlements. Their numbers have been somewhat dented in recent Turns by the spread of firelizards, which consider darters to be the right size for hunting; they are also taken by cats and tunnelsnakes. Some species are valued for their intricate songs and are kept as cage pets.
Divers - these are slender fish-eating wherries not dissimilar to the Terran cormorant. Sociable, if noisy animals, they may be tamed if caught young and in some areas they are trained to fish for their owners, being fitted with loose collars that prevent them from swallowing larger fish. Fairly intelligent, they have long toothed bills, dense feathers and -- in the case of the domesticated examples -- an air of almost palpable arrogance.
Ice Wherries - this is a name given to a wide range of flightless fishing wherries that live in the colder regions of Pern. The wings of ice wherries are adapted as strong paddles that propel the animal through the water as it hunts, seizing fish with its beak and strong foreclaws. A good, if fatty, source of meat, ice wherries are hunted by longnecks and seawhers.
Lopers - these are the largest of wherries, flightless herbivores with small, almost vestigial wings that are used by the males in mating displays. Reaching up to twice the height of a man and named for the steady gait that allows them to cover huge distances, lopers have a very wide distribution and can eat almost any kind of plant matter. An important meat animal with an impressive breeding rate, lopers may be farmed; indeed, one of the smaller species is the familiar ostrich-sized "farm wherry". Color and density of plumage differ between species and even within species across their geographical range.
Paddlers - these are a group of flightless tropical species similar in body form and lifestyle to the icewherries of colder regions, although the two groups are not closely related. The plumage of paddlers is much sparser thin the fine, dense coat of the cold-water animals.
Waterwherries - the Pernese equivalent of ducks and geese, waterwherries of various species are common sights on
rivers and lakes. They are sometimes kept in captivity for their eggs and meat; the feathers are also used to stuff upholstery and pillows.
Wherry - Wherries are Pern's native birds, with the middle set of limbs adapted into membranous wings. Most have a covering of "featherfur" (insulating but not too similar to the feathers of Terran birds) covering their bodies, including the wings. The powerful hind limbs are adapted for springing or running, while the forelimbs are used for grasping. Most wherries have beaks of some variety, but some also have grasping teeth -- they do not have chewing teeth as they have a crop containing grinding stones. Wherries come in all shapes and sizes and there are many thousands of different species inhabiting many ecological niches. Many have lost the ability to fly and are instead powerful runners; several of these species have been domesticated and are farmed extensively on both the Northern and Southern Continents for their meat, eggs and hides ("wherhide" is actually the tanned skin of large running wherries). Others are taken from the wild as food animals for both humans and, in the case of the larger animals, dragons. Not all wherries are herbivorous however. Carnivores include those that feed on fish (such as divers) or small animals and wherries (such as lizardhawks). Larger carnivores capable of killing animals such as herdbeasts do exist though, generally in the more untamed regions of the South.
Whitewings - seawherries that inhabit coastal areas, nesting in cliffs and feeding on fish. A common sight around most coasts, there are actually several species of whitewing, all very similar though they can be told apart by their differing sizes and details of their plumage.
Darters - Small wherries that feed on insects and crawlers, darters of one form or another are familiar to just about everyone on Pern as they are extremely common, often brightly colored animals that often live close to human settlements. Their numbers have been somewhat dented in recent Turns by the spread of firelizards, which consider darters to be the right size for hunting; they are also taken by cats and tunnelsnakes. Some species are valued for their intricate songs and are kept as cage pets.
Divers - these are slender fish-eating wherries not dissimilar to the Terran cormorant. Sociable, if noisy animals, they may be tamed if caught young and in some areas they are trained to fish for their owners, being fitted with loose collars that prevent them from swallowing larger fish. Fairly intelligent, they have long toothed bills, dense feathers and -- in the case of the domesticated examples -- an air of almost palpable arrogance.
Ice Wherries - this is a name given to a wide range of flightless fishing wherries that live in the colder regions of Pern. The wings of ice wherries are adapted as strong paddles that propel the animal through the water as it hunts, seizing fish with its beak and strong foreclaws. A good, if fatty, source of meat, ice wherries are hunted by longnecks and seawhers.
Lopers - these are the largest of wherries, flightless herbivores with small, almost vestigial wings that are used by the males in mating displays. Reaching up to twice the height of a man and named for the steady gait that allows them to cover huge distances, lopers have a very wide distribution and can eat almost any kind of plant matter. An important meat animal with an impressive breeding rate, lopers may be farmed; indeed, one of the smaller species is the familiar ostrich-sized "farm wherry". Color and density of plumage differ between species and even within species across their geographical range.
Paddlers - these are a group of flightless tropical species similar in body form and lifestyle to the icewherries of colder regions, although the two groups are not closely related. The plumage of paddlers is much sparser thin the fine, dense coat of the cold-water animals.
Waterwherries - the Pernese equivalent of ducks and geese, waterwherries of various species are common sights on
rivers and lakes. They are sometimes kept in captivity for their eggs and meat; the feathers are also used to stuff upholstery and pillows.
Wherry - Wherries are Pern's native birds, with the middle set of limbs adapted into membranous wings. Most have a covering of "featherfur" (insulating but not too similar to the feathers of Terran birds) covering their bodies, including the wings. The powerful hind limbs are adapted for springing or running, while the forelimbs are used for grasping. Most wherries have beaks of some variety, but some also have grasping teeth -- they do not have chewing teeth as they have a crop containing grinding stones. Wherries come in all shapes and sizes and there are many thousands of different species inhabiting many ecological niches. Many have lost the ability to fly and are instead powerful runners; several of these species have been domesticated and are farmed extensively on both the Northern and Southern Continents for their meat, eggs and hides ("wherhide" is actually the tanned skin of large running wherries). Others are taken from the wild as food animals for both humans and, in the case of the larger animals, dragons. Not all wherries are herbivorous however. Carnivores include those that feed on fish (such as divers) or small animals and wherries (such as lizardhawks). Larger carnivores capable of killing animals such as herdbeasts do exist though, generally in the more untamed regions of the South.
Whitewings - seawherries that inhabit coastal areas, nesting in cliffs and feeding on fish. A common sight around most coasts, there are actually several species of whitewing, all very similar though they can be told apart by their differing sizes and details of their plumage.