Dologoth
Dologoths are large ovines that exist in temperate climates, grasslands and wooded areas in northern Aekor and southern and east Trecath. They are commonly domesticated, and have been used to mass harvest wool.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dologoths have a thick, fluffy wool, ranging from whites, greys and blacks, to browns, light and dark greens. They have small heads with large eyes and two long upcurved horns. They have 2 pairs of stocky legs with two hooves on each foot. They have a small ball shaped tail. These creatures, as adults, are 2 metres tall at the shoulder, but the wool coat can add anywhere from 2 to 7 inches fully grown.
Biological Traits
In southern Trecath, colours of the dologoth's wool varies between whites, greys, blacks and browns. In western Trecath, the colours are more green, and in Aekor the colours are white and green. Breeding in Aendatha have produced ovines that are larger and heavier, and have even created record dologoths for height and weight.
Genetics and Reproduction
Dologoths mate during breeding season, in Uribar. Gestation period lasts between 80 to 100 days, and has rarely been seen outside these perimeters with domesticated dologoths. Babies are usually born between mid-late Amribar to early Narlibar.
Growth Rate & Stages
During the first 20 minutes of the baby's life, the creature learns to walk and run, since in the wild they are incredibly easy prey for carnivores. The first few weeks the babies drink the mother's milk, and for a few weeks after that they combine milk and eating bushes, then after they solely eat plants.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Dologoths are a very passive herbivore, they graze along fields, slowly chewing on the leaves of bushes growing at their head height, since their necks are too short to reach low to the ground. In dologoth farms, bushes are grown on rows around the fences, which not provides plentiful food, it also stops the creatures from jumping over the fence. They also eat tall grasses in fields that grow above a metre. Often in dologoth pens farmers use some kind of faster growing potion or fertiliser, so that the grasses grow faster and dologoths eat more. They also buy hay to feed the dologoths, which are placed in the middle of the pens.
Biological Cycle
During winters, the wool grows much much faster, to protect them from the cold. The cold also makes their wool coats go more white, to help them blend in with snow as best as it can do. During summers, the ovines can often overheat, and they tend to live closer to waterholes where they can submerge themselves, their thick coats keep them very buoyant, trapping air in. However, swimming leads dologoths to become easy prey for underwater predators, especially in rivers. The thick wool can actually prevent some predators from biting the creature, as they cannot physically puncture the thick wool.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Dologoths move in large herds of 20-30. These herds are dominated by a pair of them, which control where the herd feeds and moves. Relationships are often formed within these herds, seldom outside of them. Each herd has their own territory marked with urine, and and time a herd wanders into a new territory they are chased out of it by the owning herd.
Domestication
Dologoths have been domesticated by harmonids for over four thousand years, being used to carry materials over distances before other creatures were domesticated, and their wool was used to make clothes and start fires.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Dologoths are a majorly domesticated species, being harvested for its wool. The thick coats of dologoths are used in clothing and creating various furnitures, such as rugs and carpets. Many cities have a district especially for farming dologoth wool, the biggest being Uescar which has a third of its land dedicated to the wool harvesting of the ovines.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
In the wild, they are found in southern and eastern Trecath, most common in southern Espya, in the forests and grasslands. They are also common in northern Aekor, within the forests and grasslands of Aendatha and very northern Mirikith, close to the savannas in western Aekor. They are also found at the bottom of the mountains in Aendatha.
Average Intelligence
Dologoths are smarter than you would expect. They can solve simple puzzles, and various tests prove they can recall information learnt years ago. A farmer in Hanoan found his dologoths learnt to open the locks on a gate and run out.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
As all herbivores do, they have eyes on the sides of its head, to spot predators in either direction from far away. They also have an incredible ability; when somebody looks directly into their eyes and stares, their eyes turn a shade of purple from its usual black, and the person staring will faint. This is especially useful when predators are watching from afar, and the dologoth spots them, they will make the predator look into its eyes and that gives them ample time to run away.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Various bird species like to take shelter inside dologoth wool, especially small ones similar to the size of a silver peep. While the sheep provides shelter for the birds, the birds will show dologoths where lots of food is, since they can scout the land from high in the sky.
Lifespan
15 years
Average Height
2 metres at the shoulder
Average Weight
60-170kg
Average Length
1.4-1.5m
Average Physique
A stocky build, these creatures have a surprising amount of muscles. The fittest dologoths can run for 10 miles without slowing down at all. This is helpful when escaping predators. The wool makes them appear fatter than they actually are. Dologoths that are mistreated in farms makes the farmers life hard when trying to shear wool, since the dologoths can easily overpower the farmers.
Related Myths
I love the world record section. I think my favourite one is the record for the heaviest coat of wool. :D I also really like that they can solve simple puzzles.
I'm glad you enjoyed the world records! They were super fun to think of :)