Animal Life on Pern
Green - Introduced species
Orange - Genetically engineered native species
Cream - Native organism
Blue - Notatoins; lore canon uncertain, possibly exclusive to TheWeyrs RP
Black - Canon Uncertain
Avian
Referring to any wild winged creature that is not necessarily a Wherry. (See also "Quail.") Being in the same family as wherries, native avians have a six-limbed configuration like all Pernese vertibrates. According to Anne, other Terran birds were not introduced: "E&E folk noticed avians and did not care to jeopardize the life form with unnecessary competition. Most Pernese avian life forms did not make it through the first few Passes of Thread, not being sensible enough to find refuge or develop a defense as did the fire-lizards and wherries." (Sorry I can't cite this quote now, I've had it in my notes for some time.) The largest avians are what we know as wherries. "Brilliantly plumed smaller fliers" are also mentioned in CoP, ostensibly, as a type of wherry. These would probably be the "avians" the books refer to at times, such as in the first chapters of SoP.
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As observed in the Galapagos, a smaller gene pool is subject to more rapid microevolution, due to emergent mutations having less ability to dilute. This is why on islands, unique species can have rather extreme, almost nonsensical traits. Furthermore, one variety of finch can become many in a short period of time as certain groups specialize to take advantage of all available niches. So even though we can assume there are only a handful of avian species on Pern, by the 9th Pass there might be many uniquely specialized genetic strains, each with a distinct appearance and ecological niche. These populations would realistically have exploited niches near well-established bodies of water, where life was less affected by thread, due to the relative protection it provides along with the resources of an intact ecosystem.
TheWeyrs groups of avian:
Song avian: small, mostly insect or seed eaters, with beak variation comparable to the Terran finch. These are prolific in the north and south and come in various colors and sizes.
Micro-wherry: with a beak and size comparable to Terran ravens, these omnivorous avians are like their Wherry ancestors in many ways, primarily because they will eat almost anything, dead or alive. Some populations exhibit dangerous swarming behavior that poses a greater threat than a pack of wild Wherries can. There are both inland and coastal varieties, and they are rapidly evolving into sub-groups to fill empty niches in the ecosystem.
Water-avians and water-wherries: very rare in the north, but a small colony could have migrated that way. These have broader beaks and live in wetlands, straining water and mud for small vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. (Life on Pern would be even more dependent on water than on Terran, due to the water ecosystems being the only ones left after Thread's initial attacks.)
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Image - Range
Bovine -
A type of "herdbeast," which was brought from Terran and genetically modified to be able to digest the heavily boron leaden native grasses. Kept as dragon fodder, for human consumption, leather production, and dairy famring.
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TheWeyrs varieties of bovine:
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Cold Milchbeast: The yak-like cold weather milchbeasts are present in most holds, and are also eaten for their meat on a regular basis, and bred more often to re-stimulate milk supply after it has been suppressed by frigid seasonal temperatures. The cold climate milchbeasts have smaller hairy udders to protect them from elements.
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Southern Milchbeast: (Note: they do not come from the Southern Continent) The warm weather breeds have a greater yield of milk year round than the cold variety, but being rather rare and located mainly in the southeryly located holds, these prized milk-producers are not used often for meat or other purposes. They are meticulously bred for their coveted dairy product.
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Southern Feral Milchbeast: Having been loosed in the Southern Continent as the Second Crossing was underway, these bovids had two thousand years to diverge from domestic breeds through natural selection. Near the coastlines they have thinner fur, and builds similar to a Terran wildebeest. Those who have found their way into the mountains have a more buffalo-like conformation and grow wooly coats in the winter. Because Southern is recently rediscovered, these variations of feral bovine remain, as of yet, unclassified and unnamed.
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Images - Range
Boar (wild) -
Terminology for pigs brought from Terran used in one of Todd's books, Dragonsfire, so may be considered non-canon by some fans. (See "Porcine.") These are apparently a feral or wild-introduced kind of porcine. Just "boar" rather than "wild boar" might also have been a fitting term for the genetically adapted domestic pigs hairy and tusked. Especially in earlier passes, when any similarities to Terran creatures might have been noted.