Pro Simian Ostrich
The deepest jungles and southern continental sub-desert plains are not the best for horses and the equines that naturally live in these places tend to be aggressive, dangerous, disrespectful beasts that don't even care about their own families; entirely incapable of practical use through domestication.
Instead the ancient "Monke" Culture groups of what is now the Northwestern Pro Simian Confederacy looked to the gigantic birds that ran across their local wilderness.
Already known through scavenging via the humans that had helped their cultures come into existence over the last millennium, the Chimpanzees gradually found out how to incubate and raise Ostriches, eventually domesticating them into the many different breeds of the famous Pro Simian Ostrich! Some nations pride themselves on the bulkiness of their oxen or the power of their warhorses or the productivity of their cattle.
Yet the livestock of ALL nations fall short when compared to the workhorse of The Pro Simian Confederacy: The Noble Ostrich!
Already known through scavenging via the humans that had helped their cultures come into existence over the last millennium, the Chimpanzees gradually found out how to incubate and raise Ostriches, eventually domesticating them into the many different breeds of the famous Pro Simian Ostrich! Some nations pride themselves on the bulkiness of their oxen or the power of their warhorses or the productivity of their cattle.
Yet the livestock of ALL nations fall short when compared to the workhorse of The Pro Simian Confederacy: The Noble Ostrich!
Basic Information
Anatomy
While most Pro Simian Ostriches are almost identical to any other ostrich, their main genetic lineage stems from a population of several thousand Northern Ostriches from around fifty thousand years ago, around the same time many other human cultures were beginning to domesticate dogs from wolves.
Due to such a long history of being selectively bred for certain traits, many breeds of Ostrich have come and gone throughout Monke History. Presently there are around 5 Breed Categories of Ostrich in The Pro Simian Confederacy:
Meats
Layers
Leathers
Drafts
Warriors While there are several less desirable breed categories and not all Ostriches strictly fit any of these roles (While some are Multi-Role!) this more or less covers the five mainstream "types" of Pro Simian Ostrich; each of which has their own special traits and utilities! Meat Ostriches Are Explicitly For Eating!
Able to put on weight fast and bred for both flavor and docility; Meat Ostriches spend very little energy doing hardly anything, are notoriously stupid and are generally slaughtered after around two years unless assigned to breeding duty!
They make decent, supple leather and feathers just as good as any other breed but are seldom allowed to grow old enough to lay their first eggs.
Meat Ostriches have immense appetites and do not move around much, bred to instead put on fat and get properly marbled! Layer Ostriches Are Bred For Feathers And Eggs!
Altered over thousands of years to lay every other day like clockwork year round, Layer Ostriches have also been bred to have incredibly vast plumage; allowing them to sit on nearly three times as many eggs as the average Ostrich.
Through countless centuries of trial and error these breeds have also been convinced to be better parents and tend to stay on their nests much more consistently than the average Ostrich!
Largely affectionate and often moderately intelligent for their species, Layers are the staple of literally any Pro Simian Community; prized beasts known for making the lowest food into the highest food!
Unique among the Pro Simian Ostriches, Layer Feathers are often colorful and eccentric; Highly desired by the Kandia traders in Ta Fanusia Hyanus and Vastutos Marnus Lasuk who sell them to well-to-do scholars and poets of the Kandia aristocracy! Leather Ostriches Are Bred For Their Tough Hides!
Bred for incredibly tough, thick skin and good musculature, Leather Ostriches tend to be somewhat more aggressive than the average Ostrich, though perhaps no larger or more massive.
Instead they possess skin that is nearly twice as thick and time and a half more durable; though they require a couple years after adulthood to really thicken that skin.
Normally slaughtered around five or six years old, each Ostrich can provide up to 20 square feet of useable leather which the Confederates craft into everything from saddles to combat harnesses to capable boots and whips!
Of Course, feathers are also harvested from these birds, though they lack the gigantic nature of Layer Feathers and generally lack the color that makes them so popular with foreign scholars. Draft Ostriches Are For Carrying Things!
Easily The Largest Of All Ostriches, Draft Ostriches often stand up to 14 feet tall and can weigh up to a thousand pounds; with gigantic, pillar-like legs, wide, stable bodies and overlarge, constantly flapping wings to cool themselves as they haul great loads!
Able to carry up to 400 pounds for long distances and pull carts by themselves or wagons in pairs, Draft Ostrich breeds are made for the long haul!
Slow and docile, they seldom have a mean bone in their body but can be a bit stubborn at times if they feel like they are out of their element.
Strangely, they are surprisingly dexterous for their size, always certain to keep their footing even on the most difficult of terrain and can traverse rocky mountain slopes with relative ease even while carrying heavy loads.
While not specifically bred for it, Draft Ostriches produce exceptional hides and, while their slaughter is exceedingly rare due to the nature of their role in Pro Simian Society, "50 Year Draft" skins are considered incredibly valued hides that even locals will offer premium goods to obtain! War Ostriches Are For Fighting!
While The Layers get all the attention, War Ostriches are the backbone of the Pro Simian Military! (Such as it is)
Up to 12 feet tall and weighing over 800 pounds, War Ostriches are the perfect combination of bulk and grace for the Chimpanzee Cavalry!
Possessing similarly pillar-like legs as the Draft Breeds but having a slimmer body template and considerably thicker necks with much larger heads; War Ostriches are imposing, stalwart beasts that obey their riders slavishly and often terrify horses by their very presence.
Able to run up to 50 mph for short distances and able to bear a rider at 35 mph all day, these monstrous ratites are bred and trained to dance through the trees and over the cliffs of the Confederacy!
Having been long bred by their owners to be the ultimate expression of speed and grace, War Ostriches can easily weave through packed jungles and crowded forests with no problem; regularly bouncing and spinning off of impediments with their gigantic, powerful feet not unlike the goshawk in flight!
Such is their immense stamina that the best can even remain at a full run for up to four days while bearing a rider if they must!
Possessing stronger wings than any other Ostrich Breed, War Ostriches have the ability to reach out and SLAP whatever they want to, even at full speed, with sufficient force to break human bones, dent metal and instantly bruise horse flesh.
Sufficiently well trained War Ostriches are said to be able to slap an enemy horse twice a second even while at a full run and bearing a rider.
Not only are they dangerous... but well protected; possessing plumage about five times thicker and only a quarter as long as other ostriches to give them a dense coat of protective padding to go with their tough, thick skin even before they're armored up! Often hatched in the very crib of their infant riders, incubated by their partners' own sleeping body heat, War Ostriches bond INCREDIBLY hard to their primary owners and have been known to work together with them to pull off incredible feats in combat unable to be performed with any other animal/rider duo.
A capable rider with a well trained mount might run alongside a horse in motion and leap onto the back of his enemy, all the while their mighty steed kicks and wing slaps the unfortunate horse as the chimpanzee cavalryman climbs all over it to stab out the eyes of its rider.
When the horse rider inevitably loses control of his mount, the Chimpanzee will simply leap off of the horse and land back on their trusty Ostrich; which will run ahead to catch the Chimp in mid-leap! SO CLOSE is the average Chimpanzee-Ostrich bond that it is said that any ostrich's rider may speak with their companion steed as though they were just as intelligent as any Confederate!
To Date, No Chimpanzee on Ostrich-Back has ever failed to catch up with and overcome a horseback rider. It is important to mention that MOST of what the outside world sees of The Pro Simian Ostrich is limited to Draft and War Ostriches but, in actuality, these are easily the minority; with Draft Ostriches only making up about 10% of the total Pro Simian Ostrich population and War Ostriches not even numbering that high.
The Pro Simian Confederacy instead relies MOSTLY on Layer Ostriches, which take up over 50% of all Ostriches in the Realm and provide the bulk of any Confederate's protein intake.
Due to such a long history of being selectively bred for certain traits, many breeds of Ostrich have come and gone throughout Monke History. Presently there are around 5 Breed Categories of Ostrich in The Pro Simian Confederacy:
Meats
Layers
Leathers
Drafts
Warriors While there are several less desirable breed categories and not all Ostriches strictly fit any of these roles (While some are Multi-Role!) this more or less covers the five mainstream "types" of Pro Simian Ostrich; each of which has their own special traits and utilities! Meat Ostriches Are Explicitly For Eating!
Able to put on weight fast and bred for both flavor and docility; Meat Ostriches spend very little energy doing hardly anything, are notoriously stupid and are generally slaughtered after around two years unless assigned to breeding duty!
They make decent, supple leather and feathers just as good as any other breed but are seldom allowed to grow old enough to lay their first eggs.
Meat Ostriches have immense appetites and do not move around much, bred to instead put on fat and get properly marbled! Layer Ostriches Are Bred For Feathers And Eggs!
Altered over thousands of years to lay every other day like clockwork year round, Layer Ostriches have also been bred to have incredibly vast plumage; allowing them to sit on nearly three times as many eggs as the average Ostrich.
Through countless centuries of trial and error these breeds have also been convinced to be better parents and tend to stay on their nests much more consistently than the average Ostrich!
Largely affectionate and often moderately intelligent for their species, Layers are the staple of literally any Pro Simian Community; prized beasts known for making the lowest food into the highest food!
Unique among the Pro Simian Ostriches, Layer Feathers are often colorful and eccentric; Highly desired by the Kandia traders in Ta Fanusia Hyanus and Vastutos Marnus Lasuk who sell them to well-to-do scholars and poets of the Kandia aristocracy! Leather Ostriches Are Bred For Their Tough Hides!
Bred for incredibly tough, thick skin and good musculature, Leather Ostriches tend to be somewhat more aggressive than the average Ostrich, though perhaps no larger or more massive.
Instead they possess skin that is nearly twice as thick and time and a half more durable; though they require a couple years after adulthood to really thicken that skin.
Normally slaughtered around five or six years old, each Ostrich can provide up to 20 square feet of useable leather which the Confederates craft into everything from saddles to combat harnesses to capable boots and whips!
Of Course, feathers are also harvested from these birds, though they lack the gigantic nature of Layer Feathers and generally lack the color that makes them so popular with foreign scholars. Draft Ostriches Are For Carrying Things!
Easily The Largest Of All Ostriches, Draft Ostriches often stand up to 14 feet tall and can weigh up to a thousand pounds; with gigantic, pillar-like legs, wide, stable bodies and overlarge, constantly flapping wings to cool themselves as they haul great loads!
Able to carry up to 400 pounds for long distances and pull carts by themselves or wagons in pairs, Draft Ostrich breeds are made for the long haul!
Slow and docile, they seldom have a mean bone in their body but can be a bit stubborn at times if they feel like they are out of their element.
Strangely, they are surprisingly dexterous for their size, always certain to keep their footing even on the most difficult of terrain and can traverse rocky mountain slopes with relative ease even while carrying heavy loads.
While not specifically bred for it, Draft Ostriches produce exceptional hides and, while their slaughter is exceedingly rare due to the nature of their role in Pro Simian Society, "50 Year Draft" skins are considered incredibly valued hides that even locals will offer premium goods to obtain! War Ostriches Are For Fighting!
While The Layers get all the attention, War Ostriches are the backbone of the Pro Simian Military! (Such as it is)
Up to 12 feet tall and weighing over 800 pounds, War Ostriches are the perfect combination of bulk and grace for the Chimpanzee Cavalry!
Possessing similarly pillar-like legs as the Draft Breeds but having a slimmer body template and considerably thicker necks with much larger heads; War Ostriches are imposing, stalwart beasts that obey their riders slavishly and often terrify horses by their very presence.
Able to run up to 50 mph for short distances and able to bear a rider at 35 mph all day, these monstrous ratites are bred and trained to dance through the trees and over the cliffs of the Confederacy!
Having been long bred by their owners to be the ultimate expression of speed and grace, War Ostriches can easily weave through packed jungles and crowded forests with no problem; regularly bouncing and spinning off of impediments with their gigantic, powerful feet not unlike the goshawk in flight!
Such is their immense stamina that the best can even remain at a full run for up to four days while bearing a rider if they must!
Possessing stronger wings than any other Ostrich Breed, War Ostriches have the ability to reach out and SLAP whatever they want to, even at full speed, with sufficient force to break human bones, dent metal and instantly bruise horse flesh.
Sufficiently well trained War Ostriches are said to be able to slap an enemy horse twice a second even while at a full run and bearing a rider.
Not only are they dangerous... but well protected; possessing plumage about five times thicker and only a quarter as long as other ostriches to give them a dense coat of protective padding to go with their tough, thick skin even before they're armored up! Often hatched in the very crib of their infant riders, incubated by their partners' own sleeping body heat, War Ostriches bond INCREDIBLY hard to their primary owners and have been known to work together with them to pull off incredible feats in combat unable to be performed with any other animal/rider duo.
A capable rider with a well trained mount might run alongside a horse in motion and leap onto the back of his enemy, all the while their mighty steed kicks and wing slaps the unfortunate horse as the chimpanzee cavalryman climbs all over it to stab out the eyes of its rider.
When the horse rider inevitably loses control of his mount, the Chimpanzee will simply leap off of the horse and land back on their trusty Ostrich; which will run ahead to catch the Chimp in mid-leap! SO CLOSE is the average Chimpanzee-Ostrich bond that it is said that any ostrich's rider may speak with their companion steed as though they were just as intelligent as any Confederate!
To Date, No Chimpanzee on Ostrich-Back has ever failed to catch up with and overcome a horseback rider. It is important to mention that MOST of what the outside world sees of The Pro Simian Ostrich is limited to Draft and War Ostriches but, in actuality, these are easily the minority; with Draft Ostriches only making up about 10% of the total Pro Simian Ostrich population and War Ostriches not even numbering that high.
The Pro Simian Confederacy instead relies MOSTLY on Layer Ostriches, which take up over 50% of all Ostriches in the Realm and provide the bulk of any Confederate's protein intake.
Biological Traits
Pro Simian Ostriches live an average lifespan of around 75 Years, though an over century old War Ostrich is still known to reside at the eastern foot of Uume Wa Miungu.
However, he does not move much anymore and must be cared for by a small army of Chimp Caretakers.
They normally grow to full height by around a year old and then bulk out and reach full sexual maturity by 4 years. Ranging Anywhere from 9 feet tall to 14 feet tall depending on the breed, Pro Simian Ostriches can weigh anywhere from 500 lbs to around 1000 lbs; also depending on the breed, though 600 lbs is seen as the Average Weight across the board! Males are typically possessing of flamboyant plumage similar to any other Common Ostrich while females are typically gray and drab in appearance, though no less powerful or dangerous!
Young are typically Fawn in color with black speckles to break up their outline.
However, he does not move much anymore and must be cared for by a small army of Chimp Caretakers.
They normally grow to full height by around a year old and then bulk out and reach full sexual maturity by 4 years. Ranging Anywhere from 9 feet tall to 14 feet tall depending on the breed, Pro Simian Ostriches can weigh anywhere from 500 lbs to around 1000 lbs; also depending on the breed, though 600 lbs is seen as the Average Weight across the board! Males are typically possessing of flamboyant plumage similar to any other Common Ostrich while females are typically gray and drab in appearance, though no less powerful or dangerous!
Young are typically Fawn in color with black speckles to break up their outline.
Genetics and Reproduction
Reaching full sexual maturity around 4 years, Pro Simian Ostriches are extremely flamboyant breeders; with large, fancifully plumed males that are known for active dances and masculine displays for the drab but extremely choosy females.
An aspiring male will become extremely territorial if allowed and will drive off all intruders and potential competitors in his territory during the breeding season, which usually starts around Rising and ends just before Tending.
He will guard his territory and attract female mates, sometimes up to twenty at a time in a central harem, though will generally only create a deep pair bond with the female that has shown herself to be the "Dominant Female" of the harem.
This role is attained through jealous competition between the females in any given harem, the winner of which will end up taking over the nest that the Male makes for her. After the male has copulated with numerous members of his harem and marked out his territory he will continue to make daily displays of his courtship dances to ensure that his harem stays with him.
Assuming he impresses his harem, they will stay around and consistently mate with him, laying their eggs in a communal nest that he has cleared out for the Dominant Female.
Since only the dominant female sits on the eggs, satellite females in the Harem can spend most of their time grazing and breeding.
However, The Dominant female will consistently remove eggs from the nest of the females she doesn't like, deciding the most successful eggs after her own.
This tactic of communal egg laying in a central nest is called "Dump Nesting."
In the Pro Simian Confederacy, these rejected eggs are often collected right away by Ostrich Caretakers and either incubated privately, eaten or disposed of in some unimportant way.
Almost universally, discarded eggs are also used for their extremely thick shells; which can be sold to foreigners who like to be carved for ornate displays! Even though the Ostrich lays the largest egg of any bird, it is the smallest egg proportionate to its body size and so a single Pro Simian Ostrich can incubate two dozen eggs at a time... though specially bred Laying Ostriches tend to have extremely large plumage that allows them to sit up to 80 eggs at a time! During the day the male grazes while the Dominant Female sits the eggs and keeps them at the right temperature.
During the night their places switch and the Dominant Female goes off to graze while the male incubates the eggs.
Incubation takes around 40 days, though hatching can occur up to a week late or early. Unfortunately, Ostriches are notoriously bad brooders and, in the wild, less than 10% of nests last the full incubation period.
However, due to long millennia of domestication, Layer Breeds tend to be extremely dedicated parents and will finish their incubation period up to 50% of the time once they begin brooding!
An aspiring male will become extremely territorial if allowed and will drive off all intruders and potential competitors in his territory during the breeding season, which usually starts around Rising and ends just before Tending.
He will guard his territory and attract female mates, sometimes up to twenty at a time in a central harem, though will generally only create a deep pair bond with the female that has shown herself to be the "Dominant Female" of the harem.
This role is attained through jealous competition between the females in any given harem, the winner of which will end up taking over the nest that the Male makes for her. After the male has copulated with numerous members of his harem and marked out his territory he will continue to make daily displays of his courtship dances to ensure that his harem stays with him.
Assuming he impresses his harem, they will stay around and consistently mate with him, laying their eggs in a communal nest that he has cleared out for the Dominant Female.
Since only the dominant female sits on the eggs, satellite females in the Harem can spend most of their time grazing and breeding.
However, The Dominant female will consistently remove eggs from the nest of the females she doesn't like, deciding the most successful eggs after her own.
This tactic of communal egg laying in a central nest is called "Dump Nesting."
In the Pro Simian Confederacy, these rejected eggs are often collected right away by Ostrich Caretakers and either incubated privately, eaten or disposed of in some unimportant way.
Almost universally, discarded eggs are also used for their extremely thick shells; which can be sold to foreigners who like to be carved for ornate displays! Even though the Ostrich lays the largest egg of any bird, it is the smallest egg proportionate to its body size and so a single Pro Simian Ostrich can incubate two dozen eggs at a time... though specially bred Laying Ostriches tend to have extremely large plumage that allows them to sit up to 80 eggs at a time! During the day the male grazes while the Dominant Female sits the eggs and keeps them at the right temperature.
During the night their places switch and the Dominant Female goes off to graze while the male incubates the eggs.
Incubation takes around 40 days, though hatching can occur up to a week late or early. Unfortunately, Ostriches are notoriously bad brooders and, in the wild, less than 10% of nests last the full incubation period.
However, due to long millennia of domestication, Layer Breeds tend to be extremely dedicated parents and will finish their incubation period up to 50% of the time once they begin brooding!
Growth Rate & Stages
When freshly hatched a Pro Simian Ostrich seldom weighs more than a couple pounds.
However, by six months the average Pro Simian Ostrich (any ostrich) will be near full height, only having to grow muscle mass, bone density and extra weight and feathers before the year is up. Over the first four years, however, Pro Simian Ostriches bulk up, grow fanciful plumage, learn to identify and gain considerable coordination they did not have before reaching sexual maturity at around four years of age.
Non-Layer breeds of Ostrich, around this time, will lay 20-30 eggs in their first year and around 40-130 Eggs per year thereafter.
They have specific breeding seasons wherein they lay these clutches; generally the hottest times of the year. Laying breeds do not have laying seasons and will lay an egg every other day like clockwork; producing up to 210 Eggs annually!
A Laying Breed will often produce eggs for over 40 years and will maintain maximum laying for up to twenty years!
A New Breed called "Safu Ya Yai Ya Dhahabu," (Layer Of Golden Eggs) or merely Dhahabu, (Golden) has recently been invented by the Confederacy that can lay up to 300 Eggs a year; though there are only a few hundred of them in existence. An Ostrich's life in The Pro Simian Confederacy will tend to be the same as any other, depending on their breed.
They eat, they carry things, they lay eggs, sometimes they are ridden to battle but most Pro Simian Ostriches live to be around 75 years old if not killed off first.
If these ostriches happened to be honored mounts they may eventually be retired and bred out.
However, it's much more common that Meat Ostriches are slaughtered after the first few years, Hide Ostriches are slaughtered at around five years and Layer Ostriches are slaughtered around the age of 50 when they start producing few if any eggs.
However, by six months the average Pro Simian Ostrich (any ostrich) will be near full height, only having to grow muscle mass, bone density and extra weight and feathers before the year is up. Over the first four years, however, Pro Simian Ostriches bulk up, grow fanciful plumage, learn to identify and gain considerable coordination they did not have before reaching sexual maturity at around four years of age.
Non-Layer breeds of Ostrich, around this time, will lay 20-30 eggs in their first year and around 40-130 Eggs per year thereafter.
They have specific breeding seasons wherein they lay these clutches; generally the hottest times of the year. Laying breeds do not have laying seasons and will lay an egg every other day like clockwork; producing up to 210 Eggs annually!
A Laying Breed will often produce eggs for over 40 years and will maintain maximum laying for up to twenty years!
A New Breed called "Safu Ya Yai Ya Dhahabu," (Layer Of Golden Eggs) or merely Dhahabu, (Golden) has recently been invented by the Confederacy that can lay up to 300 Eggs a year; though there are only a few hundred of them in existence. An Ostrich's life in The Pro Simian Confederacy will tend to be the same as any other, depending on their breed.
They eat, they carry things, they lay eggs, sometimes they are ridden to battle but most Pro Simian Ostriches live to be around 75 years old if not killed off first.
If these ostriches happened to be honored mounts they may eventually be retired and bred out.
However, it's much more common that Meat Ostriches are slaughtered after the first few years, Hide Ostriches are slaughtered at around five years and Layer Ostriches are slaughtered around the age of 50 when they start producing few if any eggs.
Ecology and Habitats
Pro Simian Ostriches originally did best in dry, sandy and rocky areas but over the past several thousand years of domestication the Monke Culture has constructed a species of highly environmentally enduring birds that can live everywhere from high desert to fetid bog to cramped jungle to cool, rolling grasslands!
War And Draft ostriches in particular hardly even seem to get cold even during a light snow!\
Thanks to an otherwise ideal shape and size, Ostriches of all varieties are able to utilize special abilities that allow them superior thermoregulation; benefitting from gigantothermy to stay warm in cold weather but taking advantage of natural circulation mechanisms that allow them to become hypothermic in hot weather!
Pro Simian Ostriches are even better at this than wild Common Ostriches; a truly all terrain animal! Because of this purposefully bred climate flexibility, Pro Simian Ostriches can survive nearly anywhere and remain completely unbothered; though they must breed in a warm environment since they lay eggs directly on the ground and prefer sandy substrates for their nests.
Overall, Despite being so large and intimidating, Ostriches are comparably light eaters and do not interact too heavily with their environment; though they ARE reasonable seed dispersers for the tropical fruits that they like to eat so much!
War And Draft ostriches in particular hardly even seem to get cold even during a light snow!\
Thanks to an otherwise ideal shape and size, Ostriches of all varieties are able to utilize special abilities that allow them superior thermoregulation; benefitting from gigantothermy to stay warm in cold weather but taking advantage of natural circulation mechanisms that allow them to become hypothermic in hot weather!
Pro Simian Ostriches are even better at this than wild Common Ostriches; a truly all terrain animal! Because of this purposefully bred climate flexibility, Pro Simian Ostriches can survive nearly anywhere and remain completely unbothered; though they must breed in a warm environment since they lay eggs directly on the ground and prefer sandy substrates for their nests.
Overall, Despite being so large and intimidating, Ostriches are comparably light eaters and do not interact too heavily with their environment; though they ARE reasonable seed dispersers for the tropical fruits that they like to eat so much!
Dietary Needs and Habits
Like all Ostriches, Pro Simian Ostriches of all breeds tend to eat shrubs, leaves, grasses, seeds, fruit and flowers; though they will gladly eat bugs, reptiles and small mammals if they think they can.
Having no teeth, Ostriches of all types must eat small stones to act as gastroliths so as to grind things up in their Gizzard; which can hold over 50 oz of material at a time, sometimes nearly half of which can be pebbles and sand. While they greatly enjoy water and will drink long and deep if they have the opportunity, just as with any horse, Ostriches are incredibly hardy creatures that can lose up to 25% of their body weight through dehydration and still make an easy recovery!
They may go several days without drinking, getting their hydration through built up internal stores and from what they eat and taking advantage of being the only known bird that extretes feces and water separately; allowing them to conserve their water even while they must eliminate other bodily waste. Unlike the average thousand pound horse, the average Pro Simian Ostrich only eats around six pounds of food a day and can graze on a much greater variety of food than any equine; hardly a picky creature.
However, due to the nature of their existence, Layer Ostriches have been known to eat up to ten pounds of feed per day so as to lay a 4 pound egg every other day and Meat Ostriches eat something around twenty pounds of feed per day for their fattening period!
Both Draft and War Ostriches also eat similar amounts and prefer higher portions of animal protein in their diet to account for greater musculature and much larger size!
Having no teeth, Ostriches of all types must eat small stones to act as gastroliths so as to grind things up in their Gizzard; which can hold over 50 oz of material at a time, sometimes nearly half of which can be pebbles and sand. While they greatly enjoy water and will drink long and deep if they have the opportunity, just as with any horse, Ostriches are incredibly hardy creatures that can lose up to 25% of their body weight through dehydration and still make an easy recovery!
They may go several days without drinking, getting their hydration through built up internal stores and from what they eat and taking advantage of being the only known bird that extretes feces and water separately; allowing them to conserve their water even while they must eliminate other bodily waste. Unlike the average thousand pound horse, the average Pro Simian Ostrich only eats around six pounds of food a day and can graze on a much greater variety of food than any equine; hardly a picky creature.
However, due to the nature of their existence, Layer Ostriches have been known to eat up to ten pounds of feed per day so as to lay a 4 pound egg every other day and Meat Ostriches eat something around twenty pounds of feed per day for their fattening period!
Both Draft and War Ostriches also eat similar amounts and prefer higher portions of animal protein in their diet to account for greater musculature and much larger size!
Additional Information
Social Structure
Outside of The Breeding Season, Ostriches tend to wander around in groups up to 100.
HOWEVER, due to the increasingly directed breeding of these animals over thousands of years, Pro Simian Ostriches can be comfortable in flocks of thousands if provided the space necessary to graze and roam. As mentioned above, Ostrich males compete with each other for territory and keep large harems in the breeding seasons for females that choose to live with them.
A dominant female minds the nest during the day and the male minds the nest during the night; fostering the eggs of all of the harem while the Dominant Female chooses which ones stay in the nest. After the breeding season, parent groups that succeed in incubating a clutch tend to wander away from the nest and maintain a semi-nomadic lifestyle to lead the children along to more food and better pastures.
HOWEVER, due to the increasingly directed breeding of these animals over thousands of years, Pro Simian Ostriches can be comfortable in flocks of thousands if provided the space necessary to graze and roam. As mentioned above, Ostrich males compete with each other for territory and keep large harems in the breeding seasons for females that choose to live with them.
A dominant female minds the nest during the day and the male minds the nest during the night; fostering the eggs of all of the harem while the Dominant Female chooses which ones stay in the nest. After the breeding season, parent groups that succeed in incubating a clutch tend to wander away from the nest and maintain a semi-nomadic lifestyle to lead the children along to more food and better pastures.
Domestication
As A Domesticated Species, The Pro Simian Confederacy's Ostriches are what could be described as hybrid birds; owing only about 60% of their genetic foundation to the "North African Ostrich" and otherwise possessing the genetic material of all other known Ostriches WITH EXCEPTION to the Soterri Ostrich... which was only very recently acquired through the citizens of Navo Kanda and has yet to be integrated into the Confederate Ostrich Gene Pool.
Always being inclined toward solving their problems with natural solutions, Monke Culture has worked as hard as it can to make the Pro Simian Ostrich bigger, faster, stronger, more enduring and otherwise more useful than their wild counterparts!
From gigantic, eccentric plumage to stronger, thicker hides to more powerful wings that can be used offensively, The Pro Simian Confederacy has selectively bred Ostriches for tens of thousands of years to be drastically different than their ancestors! While the list of differences is long it is best to look at the individual Breeds to get a full understanding of how The Pro Simian Ostrich differs from the Common one!
From gigantic, eccentric plumage to stronger, thicker hides to more powerful wings that can be used offensively, The Pro Simian Confederacy has selectively bred Ostriches for tens of thousands of years to be drastically different than their ancestors! While the list of differences is long it is best to look at the individual Breeds to get a full understanding of how The Pro Simian Ostrich differs from the Common one!
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Pro Simian Ostriches are the foremost Production Animal of the Pro Simian Confederacy!
Able to provide leather, eggs, meat, feathers, labor and even companionship; almost all of the Chimpanzee end of Confederate Society revolves around the handling and use of these amazing and enduring birds! Even outside of Chimp culture the Ostrich is seen as THE mascot of The Pro Simian Confederacy; providing well over half of the animal protein in the average Confederate's diet!
Able to provide leather, eggs, meat, feathers, labor and even companionship; almost all of the Chimpanzee end of Confederate Society revolves around the handling and use of these amazing and enduring birds! Even outside of Chimp culture the Ostrich is seen as THE mascot of The Pro Simian Confederacy; providing well over half of the animal protein in the average Confederate's diet!
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Pro Simian Ostriches are distributed throughout the entirety of The Pro Simian Confederacy's territory and have even managed to escape into the surrounding wilderness where they've started overtaking all other Ostrich Species in the area, being a hybrid of any Ostrich that the Monke Culture got their hands on over tens of thousands of years of slow expansion!
They easily proliferate both in the tropical grasslands to the west of the jungles and within the core of the Pro Simian Confederacy itself; all environments they've been forcibly adapted to and now thrive in.
Average Intelligence
Ostriches are not terribly intelligent creatures and that did not change with their domestication.
The Average Pro Simian War Ostrich is likened to a "reasonably stupid dog," though other breeds of Pro Simian Ostrich are regarded as barely more intelligent than their incredibly dimwitted, wild counterparts. Only with the bond of a lifetime rider can these beasts exhibit truly exceptional animal intelligent and only in the moment when given commands.
Indeed, the mind of the average Ostrich, while occasionally quite affectionate and helpful, is a vacuous wasteland of stupidity and even the Chimpanzees that specialize in their rearing and training will gladly admit that Intelligence is not the Ostrich's most alluring feature. They are, in the words of an experienced rider and Expert Chimpanzee Cavalryman, "Just intelligent enough to make the perfect mount... no smarter and no more stupid."
Indeed, the mind of the average Ostrich, while occasionally quite affectionate and helpful, is a vacuous wasteland of stupidity and even the Chimpanzees that specialize in their rearing and training will gladly admit that Intelligence is not the Ostrich's most alluring feature. They are, in the words of an experienced rider and Expert Chimpanzee Cavalryman, "Just intelligent enough to make the perfect mount... no smarter and no more stupid."
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
The Pro Simian Ostrich... and all other ostriches at that... are susceptible to a horrifying cheek parasite that is native to the jungles and plains of the confederacy.
While the parasite itself seems to do little harm to people, it digs into the cheeks and nasal cavities of ostriches and eventually works its way to the brain; eating holes in it and driving an infected ostrich completely insane it invariably dies from complete brain death!
More than that, these cheek parasites grow to immense sizes; sometimes hanging over a foot out of the ostrich's mouth as gigantic, orange worms as thick as ropes that sap the blood from the ostrich's face and chew at the meat clinging to its skull.
When the irritated ostrich invariably snaps these blood sucking worms in half, their bodies fall to the ground and explode with eggs that incubate and hatch in the soil below Thereafter they dig their way out and latch onto grasses, seeds and other things that ostriches like to eat to begin the cycle of parasitism all over again. While the Monkes themselves have found nothing to eradicate this pest completely... good ostrich owners and breeders make a habit of checking the mouths of their best ostriches almost every day; picking out any embedded grubs in their beaks and on their tongues before they get out of hand!
While truly disgusting, even fully grown worms may be removed by hand or with a knife or pair of tweezers; as they die and let go after their bodies are removed from their heads.
While the parasite itself seems to do little harm to people, it digs into the cheeks and nasal cavities of ostriches and eventually works its way to the brain; eating holes in it and driving an infected ostrich completely insane it invariably dies from complete brain death!
More than that, these cheek parasites grow to immense sizes; sometimes hanging over a foot out of the ostrich's mouth as gigantic, orange worms as thick as ropes that sap the blood from the ostrich's face and chew at the meat clinging to its skull.
When the irritated ostrich invariably snaps these blood sucking worms in half, their bodies fall to the ground and explode with eggs that incubate and hatch in the soil below Thereafter they dig their way out and latch onto grasses, seeds and other things that ostriches like to eat to begin the cycle of parasitism all over again. While the Monkes themselves have found nothing to eradicate this pest completely... good ostrich owners and breeders make a habit of checking the mouths of their best ostriches almost every day; picking out any embedded grubs in their beaks and on their tongues before they get out of hand!
While truly disgusting, even fully grown worms may be removed by hand or with a knife or pair of tweezers; as they die and let go after their bodies are removed from their heads.
Scientific Name
Struthio Camelus Panina
Origin/Ancestry
Ostrich (Assorted)
Lifespan
50-75 In The Wild; 75 Or Older On Average In Captivity!
Conservation Status
The Pro Simian Ostrich requires no protections and is actively bred for both utility and consumption!
There Are Millions Of Them!
Average Height
11 Ft Tall Average Between All Breeds (335.28 cm)
Average Weight
600 lb Average Between All Breeds (272.155 kg)
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
See Common Ostrich!
Importantly, Pro Simian Ostriches Are Over 60% Northern Ostriches By Genetic Stock.
The Remaining Genetic Stock Is Descended From Other Types Of Ostrich!
Importantly, Pro Simian Ostriches Are Over 60% Northern Ostriches By Genetic Stock.
The Remaining Genetic Stock Is Descended From Other Types Of Ostrich!
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