Species Information

Verians are warm-blooded mammals that produce milk but lay eggs. The most common clutch size is between 1-4 eggs.

All Verians possess the same traits; a canine-like snout and ears, and fur tufts in similar places.

All breeds are capable of possessing the same genetics, including physical mutations and appearances.

Verian skin has a soft, velvety texture. Their skin is able to repel liquids, so most common Verians will have no problem getting around in wet enviornments. Those with certain body mutations or other coat types often avoid water, on the other hand, as their extra coating of feathers or fur mean it takes far longer for them to dry off.

Dimorphism - Female Verians tend to be larger than males, but they otherwise do not display any physical differences.

Verians live all over the Thoverian territories, including the colder climates. Over time, some Verians developed some resistance to extreme heat and cold, allowing them to occupy and even prefer some regions over others. The furred variant is suspected to have developed on the icy tundra. The bald variant is known to have originated from hot deserts.

Larger species of Verians originate from relatively flat, open areas such as plains, tundras, or the edges of forests. Smaller species, on the other hand, originate from areas of heavier cover, such as swamps, forests, and jungles.

Meat and fish are the staple of a Verian's diet, though over time they have developed a much more omnivorous diet than their prehistoric ancestors. Still, they must consume a large amount of food to be considered healthy. Only a few breeds have been able to transition into primarily or fully herbivorous diets.

Although Verians have no true breeding season, old instincts and traditions mean that most Verians mate in early spring, laying their eggs shortly after. All Verians can interbreed, but most often pairings are between two Verians of the same breed. If they are not, any offspring they produce will appear to be almost entirely one breed over the other. It is remarkably rare that genetic hybrids appear starkly different from their parents in stature, size, or traits.

Each breed tends to produce different clutch sizes, with Suchus pairings producing the largest clutches on average and Herculeans producing the smallest. The exact origins of why this occurs is unknown, but it is suspected that the size of smaller breeds allowed prehistoric Verians a larger number of those breeds. Now, when hybridization is more common, it is also known that the breed with the smaller nest size will always be the one that determines the approximate number of eggs.

When pups hatch, they survive on a diet of fish, meat, and their mothers' milk. Rich in protein, fat, and other nutrients needed to sustain rapid growth, these animals only take approximately three months to grow half their final height and weight. At this point, prehistoric Verians were able to fend for themselves. It takes two years to reach full size, growth slowing down without the added benefits of milk. At about 5 years, most breeds of Verians are sexually mature, with larger breeds taking slightly longer than smaller breeds.