Burlies

A bison/cattle hybrid (fertile and self-sustaining) bred for meat, hide, horns, hooves, and milk (in that order).   Similar to US Beefalo.   Burlies are native to (were hybridized in) Capria and Pomelia, preferring wide-ranging flatlands, but have been imported in significant numbers to the colder mountains of Bischtal and Masalok. Their size and shape (heavy-bodied with a significant shoulder hump) give them an excellent resistance to colder weather, and their thick curled pelts provide protection against snow and chill. They are brown (medium to dark) with black points/faces (bulls) or pale points/faces (cows). Melanistic and albino individuals are uncommon and prized.   Most burlies are kept in mixed-strain herds, but several ranchers in different nations breed specific strains for specific needs. The Masalok strain is grey-white, smaller than average, and more nimble on rocky slopes. The Pomelia strain is golden-red, smaller than average, and produces milk in a volume/rate comparable to standard cattle. Most common is the Kulmaa strain, which is a brown-black giant bred for meat. Several Capria strains exist, many of them with more interesting coat patterns (paint/pinto are favorites of ranchers), but most of those are considered landraces, not full disparate breeds. The most common hybrid strain is Kulmaa x Pomelia, producing an average-sized reddish brown burly that matures swiftly, produces a high volume of milk, and makes for excellent meat.   Burlies have an intelligent but mostly calm disposition, thanks to uncounted generations of breeding for human safety. They are matriarchal, allowing ranchers to keep a few elder cows to keep the herd in line while young adults are traded out to refresh the herd's bloodline or harvested for meat.   Burly horns curve horizontally from the sides of their heads towards their foreheads, thick and blunt, and old burlies' horns can nearly meet in the middle above their eyes.


Cover image: by Ty Barbary with Midjourney AI