Nobble
A non-sapient animal native to Tarsus. It has been semi-domesticated by Human colonists, on sizeable ranches.
It is classified as genus Momagi, species kenyatta and planus.
Description
This animal is a large herbivore grazer. It has a stocky body and short, stubby legs as an adaptation to climatic extremes. The popular nickname for these beasts comes from the knobby projections at the end of their 1.5-metre-long tail. Wild nobbles mass around 3 tons, ranched (semi-domesticated) nobbles about 4 tons.
Nobbles are covered all over with small feather-like structures. The inner layer is short and made of thin filaments, an excellent insulating material. The outer layer consists of long, wide filaments, which trap hair in the inner layer. The head is short and wide, with the eyes set far apart. The large mouth is filled with batteries of teeth-like grinding structures.
Habits
Nobble are indigenous to two areas of Tarsus. Both of these regions are very large, however, in order to support the animal's migratory habits. Nob Plain, site of Tarsus' many nobble ranches, is of course one; the region between the Desert Sulani An and the Great Polar Ocean is the other. The key to ranching and harvesting the nobbles is their constant migration. Understanding when and how the animals migrate is basic to the entire ranching enterprise on Tarsus.
Nobbles are extremely defensive of their herds, although ranched ones will tolerate people and machines at a closer range than wild ones. When threatened, they will form tight circles around their young, with their thrashing tails outside.