Skouliki

They are wonderful little creatures, very gentle and yet so lively. But what is most extraordinary about them is the bond they make with the family that had the luck of getting one. Their lives are so long, they go down from generation to generation, like a sacred family treasure. And they stay true to their owners all the way to the end. A zoologist about the Skouliki

Basic Information

Anatomy

The body of a Skouliki is of a rounded stick shape, covered in dense fluff. Because of this it is often funnily referred to as "fluffy slugs". Two darker feather-like structures stick out of its head part, serving as the ears.

Ecology and Habitats

Environment

Skoulikis enjoys flat terrain with some sort of a vegetation bedding as a food source. Sporadic snowing is also important as it provides the creature with some sort of cover when it is out of its hiding spot to eat. This is why they are most often met on northern tundras, where these conditions are usually met.

Habitat

The Skouliki lives in a spacious burrow it digs out for itself. It is there it sleeps and waits for danger to pass by. Every time it returns to its hiding spot from foraging for food it blocks the exit with a rock that is stored in the burrow.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Skoulikis are herbivores, eating mostly plants growing on the ground like grass or certain flowers. Additionally, any other vegetation that has found itself in their reach, like fallen leaves or fruits, is also a good food source for them. As for storing their food, they do so only before winter, gathering plantlife that is less prone to rotting and hiding it in their burrows.

Additional Information

Domestication

Skoulikis are naturally very docile and gentle creatures, making the domestication process not very difficult. It usually involves the creature to be first approached in the wilderness and fed with more nutritious vegetation, like fruit, for a span of a month or so. By then it should already recognize the feeder and be docile towards them. The next part is bonding with it in a more physical way by reenacting the ways the young Skouliki play together - something like a very primitive ball game. They push a round object, like an apple, so that the other Skouliki can't take it from them. After a few weeks of continuous returning to the creature, it should become friendly and gentle towards the domesticator. At this point, the Skouliki can be taken home.

Average Intelligence

Their intelligence level could be compared to that of a dog, albeit a bit more faster and efficient at recognizing new patterns and adapting to them.

by Izuzuki Diver

Lifespan

200 years

Conservation Status

Since the Skouliki reproduces very slowly and is also prone to danger due to its calm and harmless way of life and the lack of any physical protection from predators, the species has been deemed as endangered and from then on it is guarded by the law. Additionally, although rarely as it is difficult to find a suitable place for this, special zones are created around the areas that the Skouliki inhabit where all predatorial creatures are eliminated for the sake of their safeguarding.