Bushdeer

Last updated Nov 3, 2024

• Fauna
• Deer

Bushdeer (Type Species spp. Floricervus Floricervus), native to the steppes of the 2nd and -1st realms, are a type of deer related to the Sika deer of Earth. They are herbivores and browsers, consuming leaves and moss. The most striking difference is their antlers, which feature ’leaves.'

At first, the descendents of Sika deer which had undergone essential shift began to experience swift evolution due to the effects of alucinara on their bodies. One of these changes was the development of folate, vascularised protrusions on their antlers.

These ’leaves’ initially served as areas for heat exchange in the steppes. However, due to the increased consumption of photosynthetic organisms aided by the new ecosystem they had found themselves in, these ’leaves’ began to also serve as dumps for chlorophytes, which the deer couldn’t metabolise.

Bushdeer appear brown, white, and black. Their leaves can vary from green to yellow to pink depending on their diets. Their sides are painted with long, white, vertical streaks, reselving ribs, and their tops feature dappled white spots.

When under threat, they undergo the reflex to go limp and play dead. This is aided by their ribcage-esque fur patterns, which make them appear to be rotting and already scavenged.

The arboreal bushdeer (spp. Floricervus arborealis), a dwarfish relative to the common bushdeer native to the forests of Tséireph, is seen as sacred by the Morellic minikin, who collect their antlers when they are dropped. These antlers are generally put on display or ground into a powder for medicinal purposes.