Thule is the largest landmass in Dome 5, an extremely diverse micro-continent sporting every habitat from ice desert to rainforest. It is perhaps best known for its unique fauna not found on any other landmass, from the remarkably social butcherflies to monstrous predators of the night that climbed up from the decks below. But what Thule is most famous for are its gigantic ferntails. A family of whisker-less ferntails called the Degeneiidae, colloquially known as brackemors, have taken up the role of herbivorous megafauna in the surprising absence of megafauna typically found on other microcontinents. It is currently speculated that a recent mass-extinction among large animals happened in Thule, allowing degeneiids and nivipods like thoracoceratids to take over as dominant herbivores.
The very largest brackemor is the snowy white giant brackemor (Degeneius laniger), which inhabits the tundras and snow deserts of central Thule and is therefore not actually spotted that often. A far more common and somewhat smaller species is the chestnut brackemor (Degeneius kastaniarachus). Averaging at roughly 80% the mass of D. laniger, the chestnut brackemor is the second largest species of the genus and is most easily recognisable by its diverse pelt colour and more gracile stature. While D. laniger has wide feet with strong claws to dig, D. kastaniarachus has feet more suited for traversing long distances.
Roaming the moss-steppes, coastal flats and open woodlands, the chestnut brackemor is the most widespread of all the Degeneiids. Unlike the other 2 species of Degeneius, D. kastaniarachus has a slightly hooked and pointed beak, which allows it to feed on a wider range of plants and also makes it more adapted for low-browsing than its mostly grazing relatives. Due to this adaptability, chestnut brackemors are frequently reported as vagrants in unusual habitats like the central tundras and even dense forests and at high altitudes.
Like with other brackemor species, the chestnut brackemor lives in gender segregated herds which are either composed of a matriarch and her offspring or composed of mostly unrelated males. The colours of males and females is largely the same, with males tending to have slightly darker beards. The main difference between sexes is their size; with females typically being significantly larger than the males. The males however seem to compensate for their smaller stature by being extremely aggressive. There have already been at least dozen reports of male brackemors of various species performing unprovoked attacks on explorers. Male brackemors are also alleged to actively seek out nests of their predators and competing species in order to kill the young. It is unknown if this behaviour is instinctual or not, but several witness accounts state that the males were seen playing with the bodies of killed young, leading many to suspect they might take joy out of murdering smaller animals.
Herds of chestnut brackemors are occasionally seen with aberrant members that sport much lighter coating. These are thought to be hybrids of chestnut- and giant brackemors (Degeneius laniger x kastaniarachus) and are probably the result of male giants mating with- or forcing themselves onto female chestnut brackemors. This is the most likely scenario, since they are of about the same stature and vice versa the size difference would probably be too great for comfort. It is unknown if these hybrids are fertile, but since no second generation hybrids have ever been reported, it is assumed they are not.
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