Cows
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Research
Creature Name: Cow
Observations by: Deider of Pelar
Creature Type: Animal ((various))
Creature Subtype: Bovine
CTS trainable: Not yet (under Team review).
Introduction
Cows were one of the last animals to be domesticated, and one of the few animals not to have been domesticated by humans. When the dwarven hero Fegall rose to godhood and his followers formed the nation of Deglos, the dwarf and gnome citizens were free to venture aboveground to the mountains above their home, unlike the dwarves of their northern neighbor Galdos, whose cities are completely underground. One of the creatures they came across in their exploration of the mountains was the auroch, known in Common as the dire ox, one of the largest herbivores to ever exist on Negaria. These explorers decided to tame and domesticate the aurochs, and eventually formed a clan devoted to doing so. They captured and selectively bred the animals to make them smaller and more manageable, with the idea of eventually shifting them to a diet of mushrooms and moss and moving them underground. This plan was halted when rothe were discovered in the deep Underdark. Unfazed, Deglosian traders saw an opportunity, and began selling domesticated cows to the surface nations of the south, such as M'Chek and Ferrell. In Deglos cows are no longer kept, though pack oxen are still used to pull caravans.
Feeding Habits
Cows are herbivores. They will chew a cud, and have four stomachs so that plants can be fully broken down and digested. They typically eat grasses, though domestic cows are sometimes fed hay, beans, corn, grains, silage, and even beer.
Disposition and Social Habits
Cows form a herd, as their ancestors the aurochs do. Domesticated cows usually have a loose hierarchy that only becomes more pronounced when food is scarce. Dominance is usually determined by size, weight, and horn size.
Habitat
It is thought that aurochs originated in the wet grasslands of northern Jechran, and proliferated across Negaria from there. Similarly, cows are most often kept in grasslands or similar areas where they can graze, though they are better suited to drier climes than their ancestors.
Fylgia
Most compatible: Dire Boar
- see specific entries
Other notes
Though cows were one of the last animals to be domesticated, they have been selectively bred for a long time into specific breeds for different tasks. Some breeds are designed for strong males than can be used as oxen to pull plows, and even more specialized breeds to carry packs for caravans. Dairy cows have been bred to produce an abundant supply of milk for drinking or to make cheese and butter. Beef cows have been bred to be slaughtered for their meat and hide, which can be used to make leather. In some cases calves are slaughtered for their meat, known as veal.