Scaled subterranean Fihhi

General introduction

The scaled subterranean Fihhi is a subspecies of the surface dwelling Fihhi, a creature found in the Moiyeli Swamplands. Fihhi are fur-reptiles that have entered the Eastern Erana Cave-tinent (EECT) through the Kalon Korkaks opening and became very successful in the EECT, radiating into four subspecies, one of which is the highly specialised scaled subterranean Fihhi from the Mukebahari chamber.

These Fihhi are smaller than the other subspecies and show some adaptations to the hot and arid environment they live in. They are also most distantly related to their surface dwelling brethren, which live in a very humid environment, teeming with predators.

Appearance and distribution

Scaled subterranean Fihhi are only about one metre high and weigh about 15 to 18 kilograms. As their name suggests, they are rather scaly, having specialised ceratin-plates instead of fur, that cover the skin. Although these are technically not scales, they are called so due to their appearance. The skin is light grey and the scales are brown with some faint and irregular green-coloured spots in the males

Like other Fihhi, this subspecies is also bipedal with forelimbs reduced to small stumps. They are fast runners on their muscular rear limbs though and scurry around searching the detritus for food with their short proboscises.

As living conditions are harsh in the Mukebahari chamber, the scaled subterranean Fihhi do not exclusively live there, but venture there regularly in search for food. To bring up their young, though, they wander into the transitional areas between the Mukebahari chamber and the Moiyeli chamber. When the Fihhi reach a certain age, they are able to venture deeper into the Mukebahari chamber. Sometimes groups or individuals stay there for up to two months, given they find protected areas to retreat to.

Ecology

Being fur reptiles, Fihhi have less issues with dry environments. They excrete solid feces and urine from their cloaca, enabling them to save water easily. Unlike other Fihhi, though, the scaled subterranean Fihhi also does not have to drink as much in the first place, since it has a specialised colon extracting the majority of the water out of the consumed food. They are omnivorous and very versatile, eating all kinds of insects, plants, mushrooms, small vertebrates and slime molds. The main staple of their diet, though, is the rogora beetle, which lives in the Mukebahari chamber and feasts off carcasses, animal droppings and sometimes succulents. The rogora beetle is drawn to the Fihhi's droppings, which provides the harsh Mukebahari chamber with nutrients.

The Fihhi itself is preyed upon mainly by Moiyele in the transitional areas to the Moiyeli chamber and by ash vipers in the Mukebahari chamber.

Behaviour, cultural role and use

The scaled subterranean Fihhi is a lively creature, being very active and ever searching for its small prey and scarce food sources. When in the Mukebahari chamber, it gets less active as to not produce too much body heat with its muscles. In the areas closer to the Moiyeli chamber, they move around more, to keep their body heat up. A scaled subterranean Fihhi very much resembles a chicken in behavious, stalking about and looking for small food items. Other than chicken, they do not paw the substrate, but rather feel around with their proboscises to catch a smell or to catch movements with their vibrissae.

They are sometimes hunted for food by the Dzel Luak, who only recently began to explore the areas to the north, where numerous tunnels and ducts lead to the Mukebahari chamber. Other than that, though they can be bonded with, no uses for this animal are known and in fact no individual who ever bonded with one is know as well, probably because they are similarly skittish as the surface dwelling Fihhi.