Editing Nobledark Imperium Xenos (section)

== The Galactic Bestiary ==

=== Chogorian Warhawks ===

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Humans have always, even to a greater degree than the T'au or Eldar, seen the benefit of taming useful species in their environment, from the dog of Old Earth to the warhawk of [[Nobledark_Imperium_Notable_Planets#The_Pastoral_Worlds|Chogoris]]. Warhawks are a species originally native to Chogoris, though similar species are known throughout the galaxy. However, genetic evidence suggests that warhawks are descended from a species originally native to Old Earth, transported to Chogoris in the distant past. The average warhawk, or at least the Chogorian breeds that most closely approximate the original appearance of the species is large, about the size of a wolf or large hound, with a mostly dun colored body and black and white markings. They are fast, pack-hunting predators, with long legs and a long feathered tail used as a counterbalance to help them make tight turns. Warhawks are also capable of flight with their broad, clawed feathered wings, though they prefer to rest on the ground. Although they have a toothy maw, their most dangerous and most iconic weapon is the large, razor edged claw on their foot, which they use to pin down smaller prey or lacerate larger prey or predators. Indeed, these fearsome claws have inspired the name of at least one Space Marine chapter: the Crimson Talons, a White Scars descendant from the pastoral world of Timpagonos that works with a large, horse-sized breed of warhawk unique to that world bred for war.

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The traditional use of warhawks are for sport and gathering food. When honing their skills by hunting in the Khum Karta mountains of Chogoris, Astartes of the White Scars use warhawks to help them in the hunt, rewarding their pets with the choicest giblets. Many, including the White Scars, prefer to tame wild warhawks from the wild instead of using a domestic one, citing that it creates a closer bond of trust with the beast. The less glamorous individuals of Chogoris’s many tribes use warhawks to help catch game to supplement their usual diet of herdstock. In addition, many will use warhawks to help corral and protect livestock in the manner of a sheepdog. Although adult warhawks are usually too large for a human to carry, some Astartes of the White Scars have been known to let their prized pets rest on their armor. As with many domesticated species, there are a large number of specialized warhawk breeds found throughout the galaxy, ranging from the aforementioned Crimson Giant to the meter long Oscillated Grey, a more sedate breed used for vermin catching on Civilized Worlds.

In contrast to some other domesticated predators like Fenrisian wolves, warhawks are typically not used in battle. Compared to these species warhawks are rather fragile, and their organic bodies cannot keep up with the untiring mechanical steeds of the White Scars. However many Pastoral Worlders will use them as trackers to hunt down and kill feral Gretchin and other similar targets, and when war comes to the Pastoral Worlds warhawks can be used in the manner of a war hound.

Despite their similarities in usage, warhawks are not dogs. They have a much more fickle temperament similar to felines, and while they are often hostile to unknown strangers. Similarly, warhawks cannot be caged or kenneled like dogs. Unless you are dealing with one of the more demure domesticated breeds, attempts to do so typically result in warhawks going mad from the confinement at best or sating their boredom by figuring out how to open their cages at worst. On Chogoris and the other pastoral worlds warhawks are typically allowed to roam free, their handlers expecting them to return to their homes based on gifts of food and attention, though they do mark their animals to denote which ones are theirs. The Pastoral Worlders see this as only right, a loyal warhawk should not be punished for their loyalty by being forbidden to fly free and feel the wind in their face. Furthermore, by allowing their prize warhawks to roam free it ensures the best warhawks continue to breed are not removed from the population.

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=== Fenrisian Wolves ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">'''''Homo sapiens fenrisiensis'''''

Leman Russ’ initial experiments with the Canis Helix on Fenris were, to put it bluntly, a complete disaster. Although the idea behind the Canis Helix was to augment the abilities of human soldiers with genes from other animals on Old Earth, the first trials went way too far and ended up producing creatures more beast than man. Russ was horrified by these first experiments, and tried to put the aspirants out of their misery. However, some of these experiments managed to escape and life in general has a funny way of surviving in places it’s not supposed to. Within a few generations, the harsh native ecosystem of Fenris was being dominated by a new, invasive predator. The people of Fenris may not be splice descendants, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any around.

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Most people who know the origin of the Wolves of Fenris often expect them to look like merely hairy humans, or at least something that can reasonably be described as humanoid. This is not the case. Your average Fenris Wolf weighs somewhere between 500 and 600 kilograms (over 1000 pounds), and has a skull nearly a meter in length. Fenris wolves will actually grow in size throughout their entire lives, which is thought to be an indicator of their super-soldier ancestry, artificial genes used to promote muscle and bone development being re-purposed for continuous growth. Their canine teeth have distinct knife-like edges, resembling a monkey more than a wolf, and their front limbs are disturbingly human-like with dexterous opposable thumbs despite primarily walking on all fours. The overall body shape of a Fenrisian wolf is more like a cross between a wolf, bear, and a lion rather than a straight wolf, allowing them to grapple with enemies or climb low branches in search of prey. There are some human traits remaining, such as their eerily human eyes with white sclera, but one would be hard-pressed to see them.

It’s not clear how intelligent the Fenrisian wolves really are. It is clear they are clever, moreso than any non-human organism on Old Earth, but the question is are they only intelligent as, say, [[Nobledark_Imperium_Imperial_Forces#Beastmen_and_Ogryn|Primeval Beastmen]] or are they really more intelligent than they appear and merely limited by their lack of ability to communicate. At the very least, the fact that Fenrisian Wolves are easily tamed, their tendency to adopt and raise human children lost in the woods as their offspring, and the fact who are capable of performing way more complex behaviors that an animal like a dog isn’t capable of suggests there is something going on in their brains. The Adeptus Biologicus would love to try to uplift the Fenris wolves back to sapience like the Beastmen and the Ogryn, but they’re worried any attempt to do so would blow back on the people of Fenris because of how genetically close the two are.

The people of Fenris venerate the Fenrisian wolf above all other creatures because out of all the animals on Fenris it alone represents all the virtues of man. Like humans, the Fenris wolf is clever, strong, brave, loyal, and stubborn, all at the same time. The fact that they behave this way because they are actually abhumans rather than actual animals is something that is either not well known among the people of Fenris or glossed over, especially since Leman Russ made sure that wasn’t common knowledge in the first place.

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=== Grox ===

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The grox is a cornerstone of Imperial culture. In many cases, the presence of grox is the deciding factor in determining whether or not a world is livable as opposed to merely survivable. Although originally native to the world of Solomon, the grox has a number of biological traits that make it extremely valuable and have led to it becoming the most widespread livestock animal in the entire Imperium.
 
The grox’s biology and life cycle owes itself to the unusual evolutionary history of life on Solomon. For the most part, the history of life on Solomon was very similar to life on Earth. Single-celled life emerged, photosynthesizers filled the atmosphere with oxygen, multicellular life appeared, and eventually animal life (with a backbone, like Earth) clambered its way out of the water. However, this is the point where things started to go a little bit differently. One of the earliest experiments in life on land on Solomon was the grox, which due to several factors ended up steamrolling its competition and dominating the ecosystem. First, grox were big, growing up to 5 m in length and weighing up to 1000 kg, much larger than any of its potential predators or competitors. What's more, due to an extremely active metabolism and efficient digestive system, Grox could grow incredibly quickly, reaching full adult size in over six months, less so if fed a nutrient-rich diet.

The end result was an impoverished terrestrial ecosystem, with almost no native land animals over 5 kg in weight aside from the grox. The grox, however, more than makes up for this lack of megafauna by being a complete and utter omnivore, feeding on plants, animals, even some mineral formations. At some point above the first link or so on the food chain, Solomon's terrestrial ecosystem turns into big grox eating smaller grox until the point where that no longer becomes feasible. The grox’s infamous rapid growth rate evolved at least in part so that juvenile grox could rapidly reach the size range where they were too large to be eaten by other adults.
 
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This ability to grow fast and eat almost anything made grox extremely appealing to the Imperium. Grox could be released onto planets with normally hostile biochemistry and turn the native plant life into edible food (though they aren't miracle workers, as evidenced by the absence of grox on Necromunda). Additionally, because of their habit of eating anything and everything, grox meat contains all the nutrients necessary for most species to survive. Grox meat is even a source of carbohydrates similar to ork meat and some fungi (though grox are unrelated to orks and other orkoids) as the physiology of life on Solomon is slightly different than that of Earth. Grox are used for more than just meat; grox hide (primarily taken from the area beneath the withers, which is covered in bony scutes) is an important source of leather on many planets. This led the Imperium to export grox all over the galaxy and Solomon itself becoming a borderline Hive World in response to the demand for grox meat.  Today, almost the entire surface of Solomon is devoted to grox agriculture and the planet has often been called “the galaxy’s biggest grox farm”.
 
Nevertheless, grox are not without their own set of problems. The same traits that make grox ideal livestock in harsh environments also makes them aggressive, gluttinous, and territorial. Given that there is very little to eat on Solomon and Grox grow fast, there is always fighting over who gets food, who controls where the food is, and who becomes food. Grox horns are not only used for fighting over access to mates but for fighting over access to resources. Wild grox typically view humans as either competitors for food or prey that can potentially be overpowered and eaten. Despite having thick, clumsy limbs grox are also incredibly strong and are capable of quick bursts of speed when necessary. Any attempt to keep large herds of grox together would be doomed to failure due to their territorial nature. As a result, it is often necessary to sterilize grox (which are naturally hermaphrodites) in captivity, which makes them docile and lose their territorial instincts.
 
Sterilizing grox has more benefits than merely making them docile, as sterilized grox actually grow larger and faster than un-neutered ones. It is theorized by Adeptus Biologis researchers that sterilization causes the grox to grow faster and become less territorial because all of the energy that would normally be devoted to reproduction is devoted to growth, and sterilization means the grox are no longer competing to pass their genes on to the next generation, similar to what is seen in parasite-sterilized animals on other planets (including Earth). Nevertheless, it is always necessary to keep a few aggressive, fertile individuals around for the sake of maintaining the herd, which are typically kept in solitary pens when not being bred and are often marked in some way (such as having bright painted colors on their side) to make it clear to groxherders from a distance which individuals are safe to approach.
 

Grox are by far the most common livestock animal in the Imperium. However, in spite of what one might think, grox tend to be a more common sight on worlds that have little to no other livestock industry (particularly worlds that cannot support other types of livestock), than the livestock-heavy Pastoral Worlds. Although small grox herds exist on all Pastoral Worlds, other pastoral worlders view grox with disdain, seeing them as a pest that will eat their preferred livestock out of house and home. This sentiment is not without merit. Despite being a valued livestock animal, grox are opportunists and survivors, and on many worlds grox have gone feral and become dangerous invasive species. Perhaps the best example of this is on Catachan, where grox were imported in 127.M33 in an attempt to make the planet more livable to its native inhabitants. The project was largely a failure, as the constantly growing jungle destroyed any attempt at keeping the grox enclosed and most of the fertile grox escaped into the jungle. Millennia later, feral grox are still a common sight across Catachan. Grox are not even at the bottom of the food chain on Catachan, feeding on small animals and carnivorous plants in addition to less aggressive vegetation.

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[[Category:Nobledark Imperium]]