Hyt

Basic Information

Anatomy

Extremely similar to the Snowshoe Hare found along the northern tundra and boreal forests of the Northern Coastline of the Continent. Though it is approximately twice the size of the humble Hare, weight on average 10lbs, with dense fur that offers excellent insulation for the cold subarctic forests of Mhuzelt. With large padded feet that end in small spade shaped claws, the large feet allow the Hare to stay atop the snow layers.
It's odd claws are tailor made for digging through the soft sediments of the boreal forests, as well as quick escapes into the snow should they spot a predator. They often dig trenches in the forests along ridges that allow sediments to bury the many seeds dropped by the evergreen forests, these rabbits are the chief seed dispersers of the Fjallen. They do this as the trees themselves provide the nourishment they need.
They fulfil the same ecological niche as beavers, as their teeth have iron incorporated into their enamel on the front sides of their teeth. Effectively they are self sharpening chisels, however, their teeth never stop growing. They adapted to this by changing their source of food, they primarily eat bark, berries and seeds. Preferring the bark of younger trees, thus they also adapted the trench digging behavior to give seeds a greater chance of surviving for them to eat themselves.

Behaviour

These Hyt are the major seed dispersers of the Isle, being far more effective that squirrels and birds. They typically find an area in the forest that exists on an incline, and begin digging trenches around a copse of trees. This behavior creates areas where the constant meltwater of the high peaks of the mountains carrying sediments into the forests have a place to settle, giving the trees seeds a deeper soil to germinate in. This also provides a service to the forest by expanding it, favoring the edges of the forest for this behavior.
They also prefer to steal the seed of squirrels and chipmunks, able to take note and remember the majority of the locations of their burial locations. When they leave the Hyt will dig them up, and bring them back to their trenches and scatter them. When the new growth begins, they wont eat all of young trees, seemingly capable of understanding that if they did so, they wouldn't be able to collect future seeds from the area.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The Hyt are mostly left to their own devices by the Gnomish population, as well as the humans living in Split Rock. Though hunters have been known to take them as a source of food, or to begin farms, or even to supplement existing farms. They are found useful by the lumber industry of Mhuzelt as they will eat the excess bark trimmings, and smaller branches that are discarded on the mainland. They find it immensely useful as their waste is also used as fertilizer on the few farms of the Isle, though it is exported into the Core for their farming operations as well.

Scientific Name

Sempervirent

Origin/Ancestry

Lepus americanus

Lifespan

10 years in the wild. Up to 15 years when farmed.

Average Weight

10lbs

Geographic Distribution

• Fjallen
• Isle of Mhuzelt