Druffins

Druffins are mammals bred and trained to assist farmers in evaluating the condition of their fields and what crops might be best suited for a particular field or area. Smaller and more specialized farms use them to determine if their fields are properly fertilized and adjusted for optimal growth of their chosen crops.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Druffins have four legs, two eyes, a snout and no tail. At a glance, Druffins can be mistaken for wolves sue to their slender bodies and quick graceful movements or if viewed head on, be perceived as a wild boar, due to its snout.

Genetics and Reproduction

Druffins turn aggressive when they reach maturity, focus on reproduction, and become useless in the fields. Reproduction of Druffins can be hazardous to the handlers and the Druffins alike due to the aggressiveness of mature Druffins. Death of a pair during the mating process is as likely as conception, which only serves to produce a more aggressive and sturdy mature generation of Druffins. The Druffin aggressiveness excludes all forms of assisted conception, therefore the guild tries to mate the relatively most docile pairs in hopes to breed out some of the aggressive tendencies, but has not yet produced the desired results.

Growth Rate & Stages

Female Druffins reach gestational age at three years. Male Druffins reach maturity at fine years. The gestation period is 139 +/- 6 days. Females tolerate their young for only 48 hours, and therefore must be weaned or likely not survive the abuse that the female will inevitably inflict.

Ecology and Habitats

Immature male and female Druffins may be housed communally, but must be monitored for when they reach maturity. Individual pens at least 30 feet apart must be maintained between mature Druffins or they will exhaust themselves and even die trying to reach another mature Druffin over their mating desire.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Young Druffins will eat scraps and farm plant waste like vines, tuber tops, and overripe to rotten fruits. Mature Druffins will consume anything, preferring meats including members of their own species, including mates.

Biological Cycle

Young, immature Druffins have fur like a wolf, but have short molar like teeth for grinding their food. Mature Druffins lose their fur, a tough exterior skin, gain bulk in their body, and have fang-like teeth that emerge.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Boar like snout, with otherwise cranial features of a wolf.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Druffins have the capability to smell and taste the minerals, contents, and proportions of them in soil. If a Druffin, upon command, is walked through a field, the Druffin's reactions are noted by the handler and reported back to the field owner or manager. When a Druffin keeps it's snout up in the air, the field is noted as being best suited to the growth of fruits trees and vine-based vegetables. A Druffin who literally drags its snout along the ground, neither in the air or digging below the surface, the presumption is that the field is best for ground hugging vegetables like lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, and onions. If a Druffin attempts to bury its snout into the soil and even eat the soil, the field is considered best for tubers like carrots, potatoes, parsnip, horseradish, and garlic. Some handlers measure how high in the air or how deep a Druffin digs to "fine tune" which crops benefit the most, but has not yet proven to be more accurate.

Conservation Status

The breeding, training, licensing, and commercial use is tightly controlled by the Druffin Guild. 95% of Druffins are slaughtered upon reaching maturity due to their aggressive nature and the inability to deploy them in the fields upon reaching at maturity.