Post by Sour Kangaroo on Mar 4, 2010 15:52:54 GMT -6
Common Name: Direhorse
Taxonomy: Equidirus hoplites or “feared armored horse”
Habitat: Rainforests and grasslands, but adaptable to most Pandoran environments. A grazing animal that has been domesticated by the Na’vi as a riding animal.
Anatomy: Horse-like creature with six legs, tough skin with no fur, long necks and small head, bold stripes, flexible carbon fiber armor over shoulders and along the back of the neck and head.
Feeding: Ecology Land omnivore that uses long snout to feed on sap. some protein intake through insects trapped in sap. Favored food is direhorse pitcher plant. Effective pollinator.
Size: Over 4.25 meters long, up to four meters in height
Notes: Animal has neural interface that allows Na'vi and direhorse to move together with apparent effortlessness. A highly intelligent, calm creature that, like the Na'vi, can turn fierce in the face of battle.
The direhorse has two long, thin antennae that emerge from either side of the top of the skull. These appendages have feathery tips that move constantly, (almost like a kind of sea grass), and seek out the antennae of other direhorses as they move near. Xenobiologists believe that the touch of antennas is for pleasure and affection, but also a means of transferring information about food sources and potential dangers; herds often move in unison shortly after touching antennae.
The Na'vi are excellent riders and, with its six legs, the direhorse is a swift, nimble mount that is well-adapted to the rugged Pandoran terrain. Many direhorses are tamed to aid their riders in the hunt and in battle. To bond with (or, in human terms, to “break”) a direhorse, a Na'vi must mount the animal and connect their neural queue to the animal's antennae (or neural whip). Once queue and antenna touch, the feathery tendrils automatically intertwine, almost as if possessed of free will. Although the exact motive force remains unknown, it is believed that the antennae may secrete a pheromone that evokes the unique intertwining.
Once intertwined, the Na'vi rider can communicate motor commands instantly through the neural interface. The apparent lack of effort makes it seem as if the direhorse is an extension of the rider's own body. This frees up the Na'vi to use a bow and arrow during a hunt or battle.
Unlike the mountain banshee, however, the neural link made between rider and direhorse does not lead to a life-long, exclusive bond between Na'vi and animal; although Na'vi have their favorite mounts, it is possible and permissible to ride another clan member's direhorse.
The direhorse is a perfect mount to ride in the obstacle-strewn close quarters of a Pandoran forest; Direhorse can turn on a dime, have excellent reaction times, and can leap large distances.
When wild, the animals move together in a loose herd through the forests, feeding on tree bark and shrubs. Herds numbering in the dozens have been spotted from aircraft. But evidence (including scatological and plant impact) suggests that herds of more than one hundred animals are not uncommon.
The animals are easily startled, and, when all six legs are working in unison, can reach ninety-five kilometers per hour. The direhorse is larger by a third than the largest Terran draft horses such as the Clydesdale or the Percheron, and substantially larger than the biggest horse ever recorded on Earth.
