Excerpt from Wonders of our World: A Child’s Guide to Terranos (illustrations not included)
Have you ever wondered what those dark shapes in the sky are? They might look like bits of the ground, pulled up into the sky.
Well, that’s exactly what they are! Our wonderful world is full of floating bits of ground, called “islands.” Even the ground that you live on is floating in the sky!
Each of these islands has their own wonderful weather, plants, and animals. Their weather even follows them around as they float through the sky!
You might wonder how a desert island can exist next to an arctic island. Wouldn’t the desert melt the snow?
The answer is that no one knows how it works yet. Maybe one day, you’ll be the one to figure it out!
Excerpt from Bestiary of the Wilds
Boxer Turtle
Classification: Reptilian
Habitat: Jungles
Diet: Herbivore
Lifespan: Unknown
Danger Level: Minor
The boxer turtle is a terrestrial reptile that lives on jungle islands. Boxer turtles are diurnal. On average, they are half a meter from tail to head. The lifespan of boxer turtles is unknown. The oldest known specimen is, at the time of writing, 346 years old.
While they bear similarities to more true turtles, boxer turtles are technically not turtles due to the remarkable differences in the boxer turtle’s anatomy. The most notable difference is their shell. Rather than growing around their torso, boxer turtles have the ends of their front limbs encased in hard shells, forming “fists”. Said torso is also more muscular than in true turtles. Interestingly, autopsies have shown that boxer turtles do still have toes on their front limbs, beneath this shell layer. These toes seem to be non-functional, and scientists expect them to disappear in the species as time passes. Their front legs are longer and thicker than their back legs, resulting in what has been described as a “gorilla-like” gait. In addition, boxer turtles possess long, fully mobile eye stalks.
The boxer turtle’s diet consists of the nutritious gelatinous fluid found within rocknuts. To obtain this prize, the boxer turtle will slam its shelled “fists” into the trunk of rocknut trees in order to knock the larger and more ripened rocknuts from its leaves. It will then crack the rocknut apart, once again using its front limbs. From here the boxer turtle is free to consume the innards of the nut, using its eyestalks to keep watch for predators.
Boxer turtles are preyed upon by several large ambush predators. When a boxer turtle is threatened, it will repeatedly stand up onto its hind legs, waving its fists in the air while hissing in order to try and scare away the attacker. During this, it will use its eyestalks to keep the predator in view while its head faces up. If this strategy does not work and a boxer turtle is forced to defend itself against a predator, it will use its fists and attempt to pummel the opponent into submission. Due to its strength, this is incredibly effective against opponents that are not able to move around easily, and it often only needs to connect one strike in order to win the fight. However, due to its slow movement speed and lack of natural armor, this tactic is less effective against more maneuverable foes.
During rain, boxer turtles tend to huddle in abandoned dens or under trees and sleep until the rain stops. It is thought that this may be due to rain causing the ground to become softer and making fallen rocknuts sink further down, making them harder to access.
In order to find a mate, male boxer turtles will emit loud, high-pitched mating calls. Female boxer turtles are attracted to more complex and higher pitched calls. If two males are interested in the same female, they will battle for dominance by bumping chests together until one of them tires or falls over. From here, the male and female can being sexual reproduction. The female will later lay eggs, after which the male will guard them for the next two years until they hatch. After this, the father will take care of the offspring for a further seven years, at which point they are ready to take care of themselves.
When encountering a boxer turtle in the wild, it is recommended to give it its distance in order to avoid provoking it, as they are fiercely defensive. If one accidentally gets too close to a boxer turtle and it becomes defensive, it is recommended to back away slowly, making sure to guard one’s lower body. If all else fails and one is forced to defend themselves, it is recommended to use distanced attacks such as spears or firearms in order to stay out of their range. In addition, try to strafe around the boxer turtle in order to take advantage of its low maneuverability.
There have been rumors and myths about the existence of giant, aggressive boxer turtles deep within the jungles of some larger islands. These rumors are unsubstantiated and should not be taken as fact.
Excerpt from Bestiary of the Wilds
Gas Glider
Classification: Mammalian
Habitat: Various
Diet: Herbivore
Lifespan: 60 years
Danger Level: Safe
The gas glider is an arboreal mammal that flies and glides between various wooded islands. Gas gliders are diurnal. On average, they are 20 centimeters from tail to head. They have a basic four limbed mammalian body plan. Their tail is prehensile which aids in gripping onto tree branches, and is covered in hair at its tip. Their limbs end in five toes covered in a layer of keratin that they use to grasp branches and unripe rocknuts. Gas gliders have what appear to be beaks. However, these pseudo-beaks are actually modified teeth. Along the sides of their body, gas gliders have what appear to be wings. However, these body parts seem to be modified ear structures. While they allow for gliding, they do not allow for flight on their own. Below these pseudo-wings, gas gliders possess an air sac on each side of their body. These air sacs have holes at the back of their body that can close up on command. Autopsies have revealed that these air sacs are actually an adapted form of nostril, and that they feed into the creature’s respiratory system. It is theorized that, because of this evolutionary repurposing, the gas glider’s sense of smell is weak if not nonexistent.
The gas glider can fill its air sacs with air and expel it while gliding in order to attain flight. Using their pseudo-wings and air sacs, gas gliders are surprisingly graceful fliers. For a time it was thought that they were imbued with wind energy. However, this was disproven after autopsies were unable to find any organ that could generate elemental energy. Gas gliders will often fly between different islands, and even with hollow air sacs are capable of impressive feats of gliding.
The gas glider’s diet consists of unripened rocknuts. They will fly up to the rocknut tree’s leaves and search for the rocknuts of the correct ripeness. They will then use their pseudo beak in order to crack them open and eat the nutritious innards.
Gas gliders live in social groups of three to five. These groupings consist of two parents and their offspring. This family unit will travel, eat, and sleep together until the offspring leave to establish their own families once they are mature enough to do so.
Gas gliders are remarkably intelligent, and have been shown to possess empathy and the ability to problem solve. It is even theorized that gas gliders may have a rudimentary language, as they can be observed making sharp, high pitched squeaks and yelps at each other. Research into whether these vocalizations vary between groups is ongoing.
When two or more gas gliders encounter each other and are ready to mate, they will chase each other and play until they are ready for sexual reproducion, at which point they will pair off and any remaining gas gliders will wander away. This ritual seems to determine which individuals mate with each other, but it is unknown what the criteria for selection of a mate actually are. After a variable amount of time spent living and foraging together, the gas gliders will engage in sexual reproduction. After about a year, the female will give birth to one to two babies, which the pair will then take care of until it is mature. Gas gliders mate for life.
Gas gliders are preyed upon by several small ambush predators. In order to detect these predators, gas gliders have an incredible sense of touch in their limbs that can detect vibrations through trees. When a gas glider detects danger, it will expel the air from its air sacs in order to attempt to get away. This strategy seems to be rather effective as long as the predator isn’t already within striking range.
Gas gliders are often taken in as pets, particularly by travelers. Despite the fact that they are wild animals, their social nature and high intelligence do mean that this can be accomplished. That does not, however, mean that it is an easy task. There are several things that those looking to take gas gliders in as pets need to be aware of, and the task is not to be taken lightly. For more information, it is recommended to find a dedicated pet care book, such as Bestiary of the Milds: a Guide to Pet Care.
Excerpt from Bestiary of the Wilds
Rocknut Tree
Classification: Flora
Habitat: Various
Diet: N/A
Lifespan: Unknown
Danger Level: Moderate
The rocknut tree is a type of plant that can be found on any wooded island of moderate to high heat that does not have a winter season. They are, on average, 15 meters tall. They have hollow, cylindrical leaves. The oldest known rocknut tree is, at the time of writing, 1048 years old.
Rocknut trees pollinate each other in the same way other trees do. Said pollen is produced inside the cylindrical leaves of the tree. Once a rocknut tree is pollinated, rocknuts will start to grow inside these same tubes. These rocknuts will continue to grow and harden until they are ripe, at which point they will eventually become loose and eventually dislodge themselves, rolling out of the tube and away from the tree. Because of the height of the tree and the strength of the rocknut’s exterior, this will often bury the rock nut partially if not fully in the ground. This is also the mechanism by which this species spreads between islands, with rocknuts falling from higher islands onto lower ones. The presence of rain seems to accelerate the ripening and dislodging of rocknuts, potentially due to the fact that softer ground allows for the rocknut to bury itself further.
While the outsides of rocknuts are notoriously hard and tough (giving them their name) there are several species of animals that consume the innards, including gas gliders, boxer turtles, and even people. There are several recipes for how to prepare said innards, and they are said to have a sweet yet subtle taste.
When traversing wooded islands, it is recommended to be aware of what kinds of trees loom above you, as falling rocknuts have claimed the lives of many explorers. In addition, most commercial elemental compasses contain a feature that will automatically detect and warn you when you are under an island where rocknut trees may reside.
Natural Observation Report 4574
Date: 7/34/856
Species Involved: Boxer Turtle
Gas Glider
Rocknut Tree
Recent natural observations have discovered previously unknown behaviors in and between boxer turtles and gas gliders. These observations shed new light on the species and their interactions. It is recommended for authors to update the relevant bestiaries for any newly published editions.
Initial observations revealed that some boxer turtles would travel with sleeping groups of gas gliders on their back. These gas gliders would take off after waking up, and so it was initially believed that the boxer turtles were simply indifferent to the minimal extra weight and that the gas gliders used the boxer turtle as a safe place to rest. This idea did not hold up to further observation.
After a four-month study of over 100 individuals, it was concluded that boxer turtles and gas gliders will sometimes engage in mutualistic symbiosis. A family of gas gliders and a single boxer turtle will travel and live together. The gas gliders will scout out the treetops for ripe rocknuts and alert the boxer turtle to their location. In return for this information, the boxer turtle will allow the gas gliders to consume some of the innards of the nut.
While the boxer turtle is giving up part of the meal, not having to check every rocknut tree for the ripe ones saves time and increases the total amount of food the creature eats by an estimated 53%. Meanwhile, the gas gliders eat an estimated 24% more per individual by not having to rely on the smaller rocknuts.
Excerpt from Bestiary of the Milds: a Guide to Pet Care
While they are not technically domesticated, gas gliders are often taken in as pets. Unlike most creatures, this is a rare case in which taking in a wild animal as a companion is not a recipe for disaster. This is due to their social nature and high intelligence. However, it is also this intelligence that makes them so difficult to take care of. If you are looking for an easy beginner pet or one that you can leave behind as you go to work, gas gliders are likely not for you. However, if you are looking for a group of loyal companions and you have time to spend with them, read on!
Because of their social nature, it is not recommended to have only a single gas glider as a pet. The recommended amount is two to five. If you only have one for an extended period of time, it becomes at risk of developing depression. Not only is this sad, it can also weaken the poor thing’s immune system, putting it at risk of infection.
Gas gliders are incredibly intelligent. As such, they require much more mental stimulation than your average pet. It is recommended that you interact with your gas gliders at least four hours a day, preferably more.
While a cage can sometimes be necessary for travel or veterinarian visits, you should not confine your gas gliders in cages when it is not needed. Gas gliders require space to glide and fly around, and depriving them of this will lead to health issues.
A recent study has shown that gas gliders often travel and work together with boxer turtles in the wild. While boxer turtles cannot be tamed, it might be worth obtaining a plush replica of one if your gas gliders seem lonely. You can buy one at many children’s toy shops, or sew one yourself if you have the skills and equipment.