Harpid

"Looking for a pet? How about one that will keep you safe as you cuddle it? A harpid is exactly what you're looking for! Feed it, brush it, and it'll be the cutest, cuddlist alarm system you'll ever need!"  

Pet store clerk trying to upsell a harpid

Basic Information

Anatomy

The harpid is a created species - originally the DNA used was a mix of spider, rabbit, and dog. The creature that combination creates and breeds true is about a foot tall, has anywhere between four to six long rabbit ears, has poofy rabbit fur, and has a muscular structure similar to a dog, along with a tail.

Biological Traits

As this is still a new species, it's unsure what the life expectancy is  (though several of the creatures under government control have lived at least five years). Information on the average traits is still being gathered, and anyone that has a harpid at home is required to scan and send the information (vets too).

Genetics and Reproduction

The species is fairly easy to breed as they have babies in litters of 5-7. There is a worry about overbreeding if a fertile pair is let loose, so restrictions, for now, mean females are allowed to be sold in pet stores while males continue to be checked over by the government.

Growth Rate & Stages

Small kits are born with closed eyes and little to no hair. The gestation period is normally about a month and the female can be pregnant again in as early as a month.

Ecology and Habitats

Harpids don't have a natural ecology and habitat, but there have been things learned about the species as a whole. 

• Their ears help regulate heat 
• They are omnivores who need fruits, vegetables, grains, and meat
• If placed in a colder environment, more fur grows in (a hotter environment = more shedding)

Dietary Needs and Habits

Harpid do need to eat both meat and grains (if they have too much of one or the other different types of sickness will affect them). They also need fiber more than anything else so that they don't end up constipated.

Biological Cycle

Harpid don't hibernate, but their fur colors do change depending on the season (most likely temperature). During autumn temperature fur tends to be a blending of brown, orange, and black. Winter has white and grey, and summer tends to have a greenish puffiness to it.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Harpid tend to enjoy having pack mates (there has been one instance where the harpid kept attaching all of the others that were placed in the house with her, but that's the only incident on record at the moment). However, while harpid do well within a social structure of their own, they also do well being the only harpid in the house. 
When there is more than one harpid in the house, the more outgoing of the pack tends to take the lead. They will be the first ones to get treats (even to the effect of, if another harpid gets a treat, she'll give it to the one in command). They are also the first ones to investigate sounds, shadows, and anything that might be a threat to the beings in their family.

Domestication

This species was created domesticated, so no traits were altered as that's how they were made in the first place.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

This species was created solely to be a protector of beings - guard harpid - though some people have been keeping a herd and selling the fur to interested parties.

Facial characteristics

The nose of a harpid is rather dog-shaped (sticking out in a long way from the face), however, the ears are all rabbit, and the eyes take after spiders the most (at least, in a physical way, with the multi-faceted feature and with many of the harpid having more than two eyes). Most people who see the eyes say that they're cute, and that they look like the dark liquid eyes of most rabbits.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

These animals are not natural to the world, which means that any geographic distribution has been done by the government and beings in control.

Average Intelligence

The creature were created to be guard animals, which supports the training that many of the animals go through (a combination of police dog training, rescue training, and support training).

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

• Sound - with so many ears these creatures are great at picking up anyone else around
• Sight - ultraviolet can be seen and they see well in the dark too 
• Taste - while they can be picky about certain things, taste is unknown
• Touch - not at a high level 
• Smell - a dog's keen sense of smell, with the ability to 

There are some people who say that their creatures can pick problems before they happen, however, there is no evidence of psychic abilities, and the few times this has happened has been attributed to animals having a better sense of their surroundings than beings (such as earthquakes, etc.)

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

As of this moment, there is no knowledge of any symbiotic or parasitic species in combination with harpids.

Lifespan

(so far) 5 years

Conservation Status

Originally this species created and intended to be a guard creature, however, when the creator ran into debt the species was given over to the government. There, it was studied and checked to make sure the change were breedable and the genetic code used (a mix of spider, rabbit, and dog) was stable.
Currently, this species is not found in the wild and only the females are sold through pet stores.

Average Physique

Currently, most of the creatures are about the size of a medium dog.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Many creatures have fur coloring changes during the years and in accordance with the temperature changes felt in their area. Most of these color changes seem to be focused on the concept of camouflage with white/grey in winter, brown/black/orange in autumn, and even a greenish tint in summer. Markings are still being categorized though there are "bands" (markings going around the tail), "socks" (markings from about half leg and down), and "masks" (markings across the eye, nose, and mouth section of the face). These are in addition to any stripes and/or spots the creature may have.