Shastun
The Shastun is a highly social omnivorous Avian living mostly in open areas, forests, grasslands and wooded areas. Also living in pastures, fields, orchards and seasonal marshes, they seemingly can adapt to virtually any dense native plant community as long as coverage and openings are widely available.
These animals tend to travel in flocks of up to 10 individuals in search of food, one or two members always on guard duty while the others browse. Their diet consists of of roughly 65% plant matter- usually soft and easily digestible plants such as ferns and mosses, as well as fruits and aquatic plants. The rest of their diet consists of smaller animals like mice, and insects. When a predator approaches, the mostly defenseless bird will let out a loud honk to warn the rest of their flock and run away as fast as they can, sometimes reaching speeds as high as 25mph.
While the feathering and coloration of the Shastun closely resemble those of ostriches, cassowaries and Guinea fowl, they are actually closely related to TURKEYS!! And much like turkey, there is a distinct sexual dimorphism between the two sexes: Males grow larger than the females (four feet at the shoulder) and possess a much larger “snood”.
The snood is an erectile, fleshy protuberance on the forehead or upper half of the beak. Most of the time when the animal is in a relaxed state, the snood is pale and 2–3 cm long. However, when the male begins strutting (the courtship display), the snood engorges with blood, becomes redder and elongates several centimeters, hanging well below the beak. In females such as the specimen above, the snood and the head-crest is much smaller, however much like male, when the females engage in squabbles, the snood will too engorge with blood but will not grow as long, roughly half the size.
Despite its speed, The Shastun tends to be eaten by all manner of carnivore, however, despite their generally low standing in the food chain, without the Shastun the whole ecology of the local food chain would disintegrate. To combat the constant predation, they mate constantly.
Following copulation, the gestation period is about 19–21 days, and they lay anywhere between 3–14 golf ball sized eggs (average six to eight). One female can have 5 to 10 clutches per year, so the population can increase very quickly. Breeding occurs throughout the year. (However, animals living in the wild do not reproduce in the colder months, even though they do not hibernate.). Much like their cousins, Shastun have a bad reputation for being “dumb” and “not knowing enough to come in out of the rain.” The truth is that like turkeys from before, some Shastun have a genetic condition called tetanic torticollar spasms. This condition causes some birds to act abnormally, sometimes cocking their heads and staring at the sky for 30 seconds or more. Unfortunately, this condition has led to the misconception about how smart these birds are. Despite misconceptions Shastun are actually very smart, and are really good at geography and can learn the details of really large areas which is especially useful for finding food. They also exhibit problem-solving behavior and are curious and inquisitive animals, always checking out new sights and smells. Domesticated Shastun are known to make wonderful pets. Both sexes love to be stroked, petted and cuddled. They are known to remember your face and if they like you, will come up to you to greet you. They also love music and will cluck along with the songs.
Following copulation, the gestation period is about 19–21 days, and they lay anywhere between 3–14 golf ball sized eggs (average six to eight). One female can have 5 to 10 clutches per year, so the population can increase very quickly. Breeding occurs throughout the year. (However, animals living in the wild do not reproduce in the colder months, even though they do not hibernate.). Much like their cousins, Shastun have a bad reputation for being “dumb” and “not knowing enough to come in out of the rain.” The truth is that like turkeys from before, some Shastun have a genetic condition called tetanic torticollar spasms. This condition causes some birds to act abnormally, sometimes cocking their heads and staring at the sky for 30 seconds or more. Unfortunately, this condition has led to the misconception about how smart these birds are. Despite misconceptions Shastun are actually very smart, and are really good at geography and can learn the details of really large areas which is especially useful for finding food. They also exhibit problem-solving behavior and are curious and inquisitive animals, always checking out new sights and smells. Domesticated Shastun are known to make wonderful pets. Both sexes love to be stroked, petted and cuddled. They are known to remember your face and if they like you, will come up to you to greet you. They also love music and will cluck along with the songs.
- Their full name is labatou shastun nearest translation makes it mean “long legged runner”
- They are bred and exported statewide for their edible eggs, tough but rather pleasant-tasting meat, and nitrogen-rich feces used to make fertilizer. Next to Cattle, they are a cornerstone of animal husbandry all across Arkael, and at livestock fairs there always seem to be a few unclaimed birds running around on the showroom floor.
- Although domestic Shastun require more food than common livestock birds, they produce more meat per bird. Compared to their wild cousins domestic Shastun are selectively bred to grow larger in size for their meat, and are used both as a food source and for their feathers and bones, which were used in both practical and cultural contexts.
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