Banuki Viverridus garbus

APPEARANCE

Sizewise, most banuki range from the size of a small kittie to that of a large pupper.  Common brown banuki are the most abundant type, however, banuki come in a number of different appearances, some of which seem to be influenced by seasons or even by strange magics. To see the currently available different types of banuki, please visit the Encyclopedia.

HABITAT

Banuki live in almost every nation, and although they are primarily terrestrial creatures, they have found ways to survive and thrive in every habitat except the Eternal Depths.  (There are rumors of a banuki colony there, but thus far, such rumors are unsubstantiated).

Behaviors

Banuki are best known for their large and unblinking eyes.  Even in sleep, a banuki's eyes do not seem to close.  Their eyelid is completely transparent and acts more to moisturize the eye than to conceal it.

In the wild, they are known for living in large family groups that can include hundreds of members, giving rise to the term for a group of banuki - a pile.  Banuki do not typically dig dens, unlike most other similar animals, but instead, they create large nests that every member of the family group piles into for sleep.  It is hypothesized that this allows them to face their large eyes in every direction, and thus, they frighten off would be predators through this method.

The most unique feature of banuki is their ability to speak with a humanoid voice.  Most only speak in chirps and chitters, but it's not unheard of for an occasional banuki to learn to speak in a dextroluma, lockette, or human language.  Most seem to possess intellect on par with a sophont, but their priorities and interests are overall still more in line with those of a less intelligent animal.  Researchers believe that banuki as a species are more or less in their equivalent of a stone age, although there is disagreement on this.  (Some researchers believe banuki are using other sophonts to speed up their technological capabilities in order to avoid tedious activities such as hunting and gathering).

Many banuki seem to have been migrating to Haven in the Verdant Kingdom in recent decades, and have begun to be intolerant towards the use of tags for research purposes.

Pet banuki are rare, and tend to view themselves as a companion more than a pet.  (If anything, they seem to view their companions as the pets).  They do like to play, though, and are very fond of games where something is hidden and they need to find it.  That said, they possess no concept of personal or private, so it is recommended to barricade your bedroom door if you wish to engage in... 'personal' activities without a banuki staring at you.  They can pick locks.

DIET

Wild banuki typically eat a diet of whatever they can get their paws on - mushrooms, eggs, spores, leaves, other animals...  Their stomachs seem uniquely capable of digesting anything and everything, and some dextroluma businesses have contracts with less ecologically inclined planets to import their waste to be consumed and digested by banuki, and then returned in waste form to the planets to be reconstituted into new things.

ROLES

Banuki are functionally a scavenger and opportunist type of species.  Although they hunt on occasion, they tend to simply take whatever is easiest, and will actively look for solutions that make their day to day lives easier without overly compromising their independence.

REPRODUCTION

At last record almost ten thousand years ago, banuki laid eggs.  However, they now seem to take great pains to conceal how they reproduce.  The reasons for this are unclear, especially given they do not otherwise seem to possess a concept of privacy.

LIFESPAN

Banuki on their own are known to live for at least a hundred years.  The rare banuki who bond to a sophont companion enjoy the same benefit as other animals of enjoying a lifespan of roughly the same age as their companion.

CORRUPTION

Banuki can contract necrosis, however, it has been noted that corrupted ones seem to change from their original variety into something unique to their kind, as do cured ones. It is unknown why this is, but it is hypothesized to be an evolutionary adaptation to allow them to survive on a new mushroom diet, as corrupted and cured Banuki seem to need different mushrooms from their pure counterparts.