Sand Rhino's a beast of the desert.

Aylix Goth

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Sand Rhino's a beast of the desert.

« on: 28 February 2002, 04:10:00 »

Sand Rhino

Appearance

Between 2 and three peds in length and 1 to 2 peds in height, the Sand Rhino is huge. It has a shell similar to rock and is dull grey in colour. Under this shell is a sand coloured skin.
The shell is very rough, and has a texture similar to stone. At the front of this shell is a large horn, below two eyeholes. Its mouth is below this. It stands on 4 large tree trunk like, short legs which are used to prevent it sinking in the sand of the deserts where it lives.

Special Abilities

As another form of moving and attacking, the Sand Rhino can curl up onto a ball and roll around. It usually does this from a running start, or by rolling down sand dunes. It is very difficult to stop a rolling Sand Rhino and they normally stop when they hit something solid or attempt to roll up a hill.

Territory

As the name suggests, Sand Rhino’s are found in desert regions. They are especially common around Strata.

D -->

iet

Sand Rhino’s aren’t really fussy in what they eat. As they live in the desert water can be a problem, and they can soak up any moisture through their feet. If they manage to find an oasis they will lap water up through their mouths.
For eating, they will eat almost anything they can-vegetation is a luxury that they rarely have. They mostly eat sand, rocks and the occasional bug.

Habits/Behaviour

Sand Rhino’s are very aggressive creatures and will attack without provocation. They are generally seen alone or in pairs. If they are in pairs then they will probably be seen fighting.

Mating

Sand Rhino’s don’t mate as they are all one gender, and lay up to 3 eggs, that they bury in the sand around twice a year. They eggs, which resemble small rocks, will remain in the sand for around 2-3 months before they hatch. The baby Sand Rhino, will then eat it’s way out of the sand to the surface.

Age

Sand Rhino’s generally live up to 200 years. When they die they crumble to dust which becomes part of the desert.

Aylix Goth

My name is Aylix, not Alix, or Alyix, or any other variation!!

Mans mind is so formed that it is more susceptible to falsehood than it is to truth.

Also the admin of The World Of Talarisand the friendly annoyance at The Santharian Board and at Azien World Forums


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Capher

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Re: Sand Rhino's a beast of the desert.

« Reply #1 on: 28 February 2002, 05:36:00 »

I'm not much on beasts Aylix but this one seems ok, except how can it live on rocks. Not much nutrition. But what do I know?

Capher, Tribes and Races Supervisor Moderator.Wisdom is given to those whom it knows.


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I live to but to serve my Goddess Seyella and Talon Hawke; son, heir and Wizard of the White Tower-defender of the lands and peoples of Caelereth!

Tarquet Galbar

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Yea

« Reply #2 on: 01 March 2002, 07:53:00 »

Sand and rocks aren't very good food.


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Greybark

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Re: Yea

« Reply #3 on: 01 March 2002, 07:56:00 »

...depends....what nutrients can be gained from them? What kind of digestive system does it have?

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Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: Yea

« Reply #4 on: 02 March 2002, 02:41:00 »

Aylix, as I'm posted in two threads I'm about to develope an ecosystem for the region of the Rahaz Dath , from Strata up to the Narfost plains.(I thought I have even mentioned it to you when you did the strata cow, no, that was Ralhag, sorry). I asked to contact me first before anyone plans to do an animal or a plant there as I ask Gean if it is ok what I'm doing with the region and the people he invented. I don't know yet if I can use your sand rhino. Could you please take as territory meanwhile Aeruillin, if nobody doesn't object. I will see, if I can use it as well, the region around Strata is definitely not suitable.

To the rhino itself: It is very doubtful if an animal of this size can survive in the desert, .It has to fead a lot, and as the other mentioned, rock and so on isn't a diet. Have you ever seen, what for an amount of grass a single cow eats in a single day? I have, it is, I guess now, at least more than four times of her own volume, and that twice a day..
Don't get me wrong. I surely will need help to do all the animals and plants living and growing in the Rahaz Dath, but I don't want to mdo some acrobatic moves to include an animal which doesn#t fit.

The mating thing is not very convincing either. Are then all rhinos identical, if they don't mate they have to have all the same genes or how it works in Santharia.If you keep it this way, find a reason for it. Most races do mix, I think only the Mhorasthy doesn't mate, and thats a demon.
(your sand rhino might be a good foodsource for the rahaz estar though

)

sorry, if I sound unfriedly, it is not my day today

***Astropic of the day***

Edited by: Talia Sturmwind at: 3/1/02 5:06:43 pm


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"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"
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Tarquet Galbar

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Yea

« Reply #5 on: 02 March 2002, 03:00:00 »

Then again, cows do have 4 stomachs.


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Bard Judith

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Diet etc.

« Reply #6 on: 03 March 2002, 02:44:00 »

A few possible ideas or compromises that might help out the design of this animal, if you don't mind my two brassies' worth, Aylix:

- make it smaller. Less impact on the ecosystem, wherever it winds up. You can still call it a rhino, though! Perhaps about the size of a wild boar? Waist-high to a human, and a good two hundred pounds? (ooops, must print out my own conversion table, how embarrassing!)

- The diet will be no problem if you create an internal system which is able to process silicon or carbon, etc... Dragons do this (process coal and other flammables!) and the yet-to-be-written Silver Goose has a gizzard which extracts minute amounts of ore from the rocks it swallows whole and builds up small silvery nodules, like metallic pearls, inside its body. Just elaborate HOW the sand rhino does this, and give it a vegetation diet as well. Say the tough desert grasses, or a plant like our horsetail (which btw is high in silicon!)

- "the sandrhino then absorbs the nutrients from the grasses to build its bodily tissues, breaks down the structure of the sand it swallows and has the minerals migrate to the outer shell, which has a glassy, obsidian-like texture and sheen, and excretes the waste rock along with the undigestible parts of the grasses, so that its dung is a chalky, hard lump with almost no water content."

If any of this works for you, feel free to use/rewrite it as you see fit. Tarq? the rest of you? Got other ideas?

regards from the bard


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Greybark

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Re: Diet etc.

« Reply #7 on: 03 March 2002, 05:21:00 »

I did NOT want to know where chalk came from in Santharia.....
:)

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Edited by: Greybark at: 3/2/02 5:21:32 pm


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Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: Diet etc.

« Reply #8 on: 03 March 2002, 06:37:00 »

Judys proposals are good, Aylix, I thought about the location and if you want to have it in the Rahaz Dath I would recommend a location nearer to Thalamabath. I'm planning a volcano there to provide the black stones for the Thalamath castle(don't ask me where from it comes, Greybark, the gods have all made like it is now, including chalk!) and why not allow him to feed on one year old lava as diet ?There will be some sinter terrasses as well, so the water is no problem ; if it is able to feed on stones , why not drink salty water?And bath once a year to clean its 'hull'?

***Astropic of the day***


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Tarquet Galbar

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Re: Diet etc.

« Reply #9 on: 03 March 2002, 14:44:00 »

I feel like being cruel...

How about a nice, rounded, detailed description of how it digests rocks, eh? Maybe it's dung could be something useful, like chalk.

Tarquet Galbar,
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Creator of Weavers
Chronicler of the Rahaz-Dath Mercenaries


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Aylix Goth

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Re: Diet etc.

« Reply #10 on: 07 March 2002, 00:46:00 »

Right cheers everybody, I will answer some points that you guys, (and ladies) have brought up.

Firstly the thing about Strata:
Seen as the swines at the Stoke LEA have restricted access to Santharia I can no longer check maps, racial background etc. (BTW if someone would be able to take the time and send me maps and stuff as attachments I would be grateful, Aylix_Goth@yahoo.co.uk.) This is relevant why you may be asking, well Strata is the only place I really I could remember with it being near the Thirsty Herald on the RP board.
Secondly about your existing remodelling of Rahaz Dath Talia, I’m sorry but I knew nothing about that. I (unfortunately) have not been able to read a lot of the stuff on these boards, merely because I don’t have a lot of time posting in school and such. It can be a struggle monitoring all the teachers who don’t understand the fine art of what we, (well you mainly, I’m just the friendly annoyance).
I will gladly move the Rhino to the places you suggested though.

Can I just ask what Sinter Terrasses are BTW please? Though it is probably just negligence on my part.

Onto the additions:

For the diet, and procreation, I have thought of an idea that I’m not sure how the hell will work, if it doesn’t then I will use either Judy’s or Talia’s ideas.
The Sand Rhino eats the sand and this adds to its mass, (its skin is also sand) and eating the sand bulks it up/out. Any rocks it eats, it stomachs hollows out, someway and the hollow rock is stored in the Rhino as and egg. The rock it has consumed goes towards the shell and gives it the obsidian like texture Judy mentioned. This shell half fills up with sand. The life is given to the potential new Rhino when it eats a fertilised plant. This fertilisation is then extracted from the plant and makes the shell inside the egg turn into a baby Rhino and the Rhino lays the egg.

I haven’t a clue what you’re going to think of that. Writing it, it seems unlikely that its going to work but

. Get back to me. (Now over to the sling…)

Aylix Goth

My name is Aylix, not Alix, or Alyix, or Ailyxis, or Aylicks, or Aylecks, or Ailicks, or Ayilyks,

or Aeiliycks or for all the Canucks: Eh-lix! or any other variation!!


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Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: Diet etc.

« Reply #11 on: 08 March 2002, 08:10:00 »

I#ll send you the maps

***Astropic of the day***


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Tarquet Galbar

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Re: Diet etc.

« Reply #12 on: 10 March 2002, 14:41:00 »

Uh... I guess I'll wait for Talia's OK before I add this to the update.

Tarquet Galbar,
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Creator of Weavers
Chronicler of the Rahaz-Dath Mercenaries


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Aylix Goth

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Re: Diet etc.

« Reply #13 on: 12 March 2002, 02:22:00 »

Talia haven't got them...
Do you have my email address?

Aylix_Goth@yahoo.co.uk

Aylix Goth

My name is Aylix, not Alix, or Alyix, or Ailyxis, or Aylicks, or Aylecks, or Ailicks, or Ayilyks,

or Aeiliycks or for all the Canucks: Eh-lix! or any other variation!!


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Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: Diet etc.

« Reply #14 on: 12 March 2002, 10:17:00 »

Sorry, forgot it, will do it tomorrow morning if not today!! The weekend is always so stressing with all the family around, lol, and sorry!

The reproduction is somewhat unbalanced yet, but I had something in mind, just forgot it as well, hope tomorrow will be a good day for the rhino!

***Astropic of the day***

Edited by: Talia Sturmwind at: 3/11/02 10:21:01 pm


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Sand Rhino's a beast of the desert.