Squoon
Pronounced: Ss-k-woon
Male: Boar | Female: Sow | Baby: Chip
Squoon are tree dwelling mammals that make their homes in high branches. They make nests by burrowing into the trunks of trees and fill the holes they make with leaves and twigs, making it a very comfortable space to sleep and hide their finds. Known for their scavenging tendencies, Squoon are amazing foragers, able to find fruits and fungi with ease, and can identify the highest caliber picks.
They store delicious foods in their extremely dense and puffy tails!
Known Creature Details
Varieties in Appearance
Squoon's pelts vary in colour only in one sectional area and it seems that these colour differences are purely superficial. It is not entirely known why their colours vary as they do, but four variants have been documented to exist, all of which can be found living on the Isle of Xaaida. All four variations live in the same habitats and display the same behavioural patterns. It was once speculated that their diets may be the cause of the variations, but it does not seem that different Squoon eat different foods.
The most common variant is the red, making up about 50% of the Squoon population on the island. The second most common is the grey, which makes up roughly 25%. The remaining two, tan and black, account for the other 25% of the island's Squoon population.
Breeding
In breeding pairs, Squoon produce between one to three offspring at a time. Their infants are born blind and deaf, needing several days for their eyes and ears to open and leaving them completely defenseless. It takes several weeks to a few months before babies are limber and balanced enough to leave their nests. Baby Squoon grow up under the supervision of their parents and will remain in the family troop into adulthood. Troops of Squoon are made up of several large families and live in clusters in the treetops.
Bonding with Squoon
Squoon are the type of partner a Draken or Nyulop with discerning tastes. As Squoon are able to detect, judge and determine the highest quality foods, they are fantastic for preparing the best meals. In recent years, Squoon have begun to help with salting and smoking meats to help preserve them. They have also begun to offer their services in finding fruit trees and bushes and rare fungi or mosses. They are hugely helpful in finding the best ingredients for medicines.