The elephants of the southern plains of Mikazu, have pick up one very peculiar trait, the fact they can fly, this is obviously to do with the closeness of the plains to the master gate in Sunsu on the coast. These beasts are bred and trained as working animals, both for they strength and dexerity with they trunks. The animals have been used for hauling around the Imperium, and obviously a multiple ton flying animal definitely have miltary possibilties as well.
Behaviour and Life History
The Mikuza Elephants habitat is the plains to the south of the continent, low lying temperate savannahs, withj a lot of space for such large creatures. They follow the rivers and streams from the mountains to the north, and travel in family herds. While they can fly, they for whatever reason in nature rarely do. Probably down the energy required to do it, and the fact that they don't have access to the food sources to keep it up for long, but they do use to escape any predators that could harm them, like the
Cinder Cat if they come down from the
Shattered Savannah to the north west, which is rare but not unknown. It also allows them to cross rivers and other obsactles in their way. In Nature, they seem to be able to manage around 30 minutes of fly at a time.
Due to their size and the fact they travel in herds, they do have a huge impact on the environment round them, grazing out an area and uprooting trees and undergrowth if they see a need to. They also tend to enlarge any waterholes when they bath or wallow in them to cool down, creating larger water pools that other animals can take advantage of. They also an important in moving seeds around the plains, they ingest everytghing when they eating from plants but are unable to digest many seeds, allow them to be spread across the land a good distance away from where their were first injested.
They tend to live in reasonable peace with other animals, they too large for many predators to go after unless they already infirm or injuried, but either those tend to be able to escape if given warning by flying and traveling a distance or across water to evade the predator or predators that are chasing them.
The Elphants tend to travel in family groups of 3 or 4 mothers along with any calves they have, the eldest mother seems to be in charge, and decides on where they to travel and stop to graze. The Males tend to live more solo lives away from family groups, either as young adults (10 to 15 years old) they spend upto 70% of the time away from their mother. And by the time they 20 permenantly left they family herds, sometimes finding company with other males or living alone. They looking for new family herds, with females without calves to potentially bred with but the females tend to only be interested in the strongest and older males, who guard them during mating seasons.
Working Elephants
The Imperium will capture young calves where they can to train for work, but also have breeding programs with captive Bulls and mothers as well. The Elephants are used in construction, hauling and miltary. Due to the size of Elephants that can haul large weights over distance, and the fact they can fly makes travelling less risky and quicker to avoid dangerous situations. Those elephants in captivity seem to be able to fly for longer periods potentially up to an hour, this is probably due to improved diet. TGhere are used in logging industry to remove trees from the forests, as well as in construction to help move large beams from the ground to the higher floors, due to their ability to be dextertous with their trunks.
In war, 5 tons of elephant, equipped with armour and a howah on its back makes a formidable weapon, and the noble houses who have access to half a dozen of these creatures have a strong advantage over others who may not.
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