Bull Mole

Bull moles are large moles that inhabit the mineral-rich soils and underearth of Louthia, which bears the nutrients that they require for their growth. 
Rarely seen by surface dwellers, bull moles are often found in the domesticated service of the Atxi, where they are used as animals of labor. Even with the Atxi's propulsion into the Industrial Age, the bull mole remains a favored working animal, and is often utilized in areas that are inaccessible to heavy machinery.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Bull moles are primarily quadrupedal creatures, standing on their fours as they move about in their tunnels and caves. They are capable of limited bipedal motion, though this is usually in response to mating challenges or to threats to their nests. Their tails are fur-covered and are approximately one-third of their body length. Bull moles have elongated skulls that allow for them to probe softer rocks at an increased pace, and their bones are strong enough to withstand cave-ins and rockfalls.

Genetics and Reproduction

Bull moles reproduce sexually, and it takes approximately 240 days for a female to bring a bull mole pup to full term.
Bull moles are generally not reliant on external stimuli for the purposes of sexual reproduction, although massive disturbances such as significant earthquakes or large releases of ethereal energy can disrupt their hormonal cycles and temporarily discourage breeding.

Growth Rate & Stages

Bull mole pups remain with their mother for the first three or four months of their lives, reliant on her for their nutrition and protection. Their diet consists primarily of masticated tree roots, gravel deposits of mineral-rich findings, and lactate from their mother.
Once they are weaned from their mother, bull moles will take another year to grow to maturity, taking on extensive weight and size changes as their bodies continue to grow. Adolescent bull moles will often find themselves gorging on whatever they are able to slash apart with their strengthened claws. Bull moles will be sexually mature at approximately one and a half years of age.
Bull moles can remain sexually viable until 12-15 years of age, at which point their bodies and metabolisms begin to slow down. Elderly bull moles are often stationary, and are fed by passing bull moles, until they expire at 18-20 years of age.

Ecology and Habitats

Bull moles will spend the majority of their lives underground, with most never seeing the light of day. Bull moles utilize sharp claws and strong arms to dice rock apart in order to seek out mineral deposits and large roots to consume.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Bull moles are omnivorous, easily consuming other creatures and plant/root matter that they come across during their tunneling. The majority of a bull mole's diet will come from minerals absorbed from consumed rock, as well as organic matter in the way of large roots that are exposed.

Additional Information

Domestication

Domesticated bull moles are common around Atxian warrens, and are considered a staple to a successful warren. Domesticated bull moles tend to be stockier, and their heads relatively flattened, with broadened and thicker shoulders. Said morphological modifications enable Atxi miners to mount heavy equipment, including drills, prows, and excavation carts, to the mole, which is strong enough to move such equipment with ease. Bull moles descending from a long line of domesticated moles will have better eyesight than a feral bull mole, as most Atxian warrens are well-lit in comparison to the dark underground that most bull moles tend to operate at.
Domesticated bull moles are docile and will readily eat from their handlers' hands without issue, and will obey most commands. Domesticated bull moles are also desensitized to the noises generated by heavy mining and forging operations.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Bull mole leather is used by Atxi crafters to create garments that are resistant to punctures and to the deleterious aura that is often emitted by raw etherstone and ethercrystal. On occasion, such garments may find their way into the surface dweller market, where they demonstrate excellent ethereal protection.
Bull mole bones are rich in calcium and other minerals, and are often sought by apothecaries for usage in certain blends that can amplify a user's strength. They are also sought by alchemists as an excellent transmutation medium.

Facial characteristics

Bull moles tend to have pointed faces and elongated whiskers that augment their poor eyesight. Bull moles have nictitating membranes that protect their eyes as they tunnel through the rock, which are often ruby red in appearance.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Most bull moles possess poor eyesight, given the dark tunnels within which they reside and form. To compensate for this, a bull mole's senses of touch and smell are amplified, which grants the bull mole distinct advantage in the confined tunnels of their making.

Lifespan

20 years

Conservation Status

Bull moles are considered vulnerable, and are afforded a degree of conservation protection in order to keep their populations stable. Given that most bull moles are in the safety of an associated Atxian warren, they are generally safe from sapient destructive activities that occur on the surface.

Average Weight

The average bull mole weight can range as low as 500 kg for adult females, to 900 kg for adult males.

Average Length

The average male bull mole can measure as large as 2 meters long. Females are usually shorter, at approximately 1.6 - 1.7 meters long.

Average Physique

Bull moles are relatively strong, utilizing their strength to carve through underground rock and to capture prey. An adult bull mole is capable of pushing at least twice its body weight ahead of it, making them excellent work animals for mining operations.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Due to their subterranean nature, coloration of a bull mole can vary widely. Black, grey, auburn, tan, and white varieties of bull moles have been documented.