Gelidian Fauna

Gelidia, a frigid planet in Barnard's star system, is widely regarded as one of the most straightforward terraforming projects ever undertaken. Though Gelidia was mostly covered in ice and snow the planet could still sustain life in all but the highest latitudes, with temperatures at the equator tending to hover around 55°F but dipping below -180°F at the poles. In spite of the inhospitable polar regions, this still left a sizeable habitable zone on the planet for a prospective terraforming company to work with and when Stellavita Applied Genetics won the bid to develop Gelidia in 2112, they immediately set to work populating the planet with various flora and fauna.

The flora on Gelidia mostly consists of mosses, lichens, shrubs, herbs, and grasses, though trees can be found between the tropical latitudes. Coniferous trees such as pines and spruces are the most common variety of trees though small numbers of angiosperms, the group that includes aspens and birches, can also be found closer to the equator. The vast majority of plant species found on Gelidia are imported from the Terran Arctic and are largely unmodified, rather unremarkable considering the typical Stellavita propensity for the outlandish and sensational. As mundane as the flora may be however, the fauna does not disappoint.



Stelladinosauria - Artifically synthesized by SAG and incorporating genetic information from both birds and crocodilians, the clade stelladinosauria is a recreation of the dinosaurs of old. The first members of the group were small carnivores sold as pets throughout the Sol system, but it didn't take long before larger and more grandiose forms were developed soon afterwards, intended for sale to zoos, hunting outfitters, and private collections. As popular as they were, SAG had yet to test their viability in a living ecosystem so when the Gelidia contract made itself available they immediately set to work creating new species that were acclimated to a polar climate. Most members of stelladinosauria that can be found on Gelidia are loosely based on finds from the Prince Creek Formation in Alaska, with a few other species based on Antarctic dinosaur species.


Frost Tyrant (Nixtyrannus haida) - Around 10 meters long and a little over 2 tons in weight, the Frost Tyrant is the largest terrestrial predator in human space as well as the first member of the family Astrotyrannidae to have ever been purposefully released into the wilderness. Surprisingly, given their large size, they are actually quite nimble predators and can reach speeds of up to 30 mph over short distances. As fast as they are, they tend not to make much use of it when hunting as they prefer to hunt during the frequent snow storms on Gelidia as the storms mask their presence until it's too late. This is part of the reason that being caught outside in a snow storm is a finable in most Gelidian cities since packs of juvenile Frost Tyrants are rather infamous for stalking through the streets during them, hunting stray animals and even people if they have the numbers. Even fully grown Frost Tyrants have been recorded silently stalking through Woolly Bully herds and snatching up calves before the adults were able to react.

Frost Tyrants mate in October and November and nest in late November, the bull staying with the sow until the eggs hatch in late March. During the incubation period, the sow sits on the eggs during the day while the bull does the same at night. When March rolls around and the eggs begin hatching, the sow will run the bull off and care for the hatchlings on her own, though if the winter was particularly hard it is not unheard of for the sow to kill and eat the bull. Frost Tyrant usually lay 8 eggs, but typically only 5 of them will actually hatch. For the next 2 years the hatchlings will stay with their mother, learning to hunt by copying her and play fighting amongst themselves. This is a dangerous stage for Frost Tyrants as they aren't strong enough to fight other predators off and typically only 2 of them will survive their first 2 years. After 2 years, their mother will chase them away and leave them to fend for themselves and it is at this stage that they can be considered juveniles. At this point they will head away from their mothers territory and seek out other juveniles so they can form a pack. Packs typically consist of around 7 members and will last until the pack members reach 10 years of age.

At 10 years old, a Frost Tyrant is usually around 7 meters long and weighs around a ton. At this age they are considered an adult, albeit a fresh one, and will set off on their own or in pairs depending on what kind of prey is present in their area as they can no longer afford to share food with several pack mates. This is also the age when they reach sexual maturity and some of the more intrepid fresh adults will attempt to establish their own territories as well as mate once October rolls around, often being injured or killed in the process. Frost Tyrants reach their full size at around 16 years old and can live nearly 40 years if they're lucky, though a life span of 30 years is more typical.

Frost Tyrants have no qualms preying on humans, and many miners during the Mining Rush lost their lives to them as humans proved to be easy prey for them. Bounties on them proved ineffective as they proved rather elusive when actively being hunted, sometimes even turning the tables on their hunters. Due to these traits, Frost Tyrants are considered the ultimate dangerous game animal and hunters from all over human space come to Gelidia to test their mettle against them. It has gotten to such a point that Gelidia has even began to see a minor economic resurgence due to hunters coming after these animals. Frost Tyrants have a very healthy population on Gelidia and this combined with their elusiveness ensures that they will be a popular game species for centuries to come.


Woolly Bully (Kainopachyrhinosaurus revita) - At 8 meters long and weighing just over 4 tons, the Woolly Bully is the largest member of the Helioceratopsians, the family of stelladinosauria that mimics the ceratopsians of old. The Woolly Bully is meant to be a copy of the Pachyrhinosaurus, a ceratopsian that lived in Alaska during the Cretaceous period. It is unknown if the prehistoric animals had down coats but SAG theorized they did and created Woolly Bullies with thick winter coats, hence why they are referred to as woolly. The bully in their names comes from their tendency to destroy motor vehicles unprovoked, likely because revving engines sound similar to some Spade Bill calls, Spade Bills being a herbivore that competes with Woolly Bullies for food.

Woolly Bullies are herd animals, usually living in groups of around 20 led by a bull, with the rest of the herd consisting of cows or subordinate bulls that don't breed. Bulls without their own herds tend to live in groups of fellow bachelors, usually consisting of 5 or less members. When the rut comes in February, these bachelor herds will break up and try to find herds of their own, usually by challenging the lead bull of another herd to a fight. These fights are always impressive as the 2 two bulls slam into each other over and over until one of them gives up or gets injured. In March, after having either defended or taken over a herd, the victorious bulls will breed while the unlucky bulls will return to their bachelor herds. After having been bred, the cows will make a nest and lay a clutch of 2 or 3 eggs which will hatch sometime in July.

Newborn Woolly Bullies grow quickly and are able leave their nests and stay with the herd after only a month. They will stay with their birth herd for 5 years, after which point the lead bull of their herd will kick out any young males and breed any of the females. The males will form bachelor herds and usually stay in these for another 3 to 5 years until they're strong enough to usurp a herd of their own while the cows will continue having calves until they finally die. Over the course of their 50 year lifespans a single cow may have up to 40 offspring that survive to adulthood and if it weren't for predators like Frost Tyrants and humans they could quite easily become overpopulated.

Woolly Bullies are a staple food on Gelidia, being so numerous and so large that buying meat just seems like a waste of money to most people considering an adult Woolly Bully can feed an entire neighborhood or apartment building for over a month. Large caliber rifles are necessary for hunting one properly, with cartridges like 9.3x74mmR or .375 H&H usually considered the bare minimum for hunting one. Hunters must always remember that they have to be kill them with the first shot, as wounding them only serves to anger them and make them charge. A charging Woolly Bully is an especially deadly animal as most rounds have a hard time penetrating their thick skulls, and even if they do, brain shots are difficult to make. Most hunters aim for the heart as it is a fairly large target and almost always drops them wear they stand. Woolly Bullies aren't as popular of a game animal with off world hunters as they aren't quite as dangerous as the Frost Tyrants or as sporting as Snow Striders.


Spade Bill (Inupiaqsaurus thule) - A fairly standard member of Neohadrosauridae, except for their down coat, the Spade Bill is a fairly common herbivore across the Gelidian wilds and is the Woolly Bullies main competition. At 10 meters long and 4.5 tons, they are a bit larger than Woolly Bullies, but aren't built quite as sturdily or as well armed and so they tend to lose 1 on 1 fights with them. Woolly Bullies know this and will often kill them unprovoked. Spade Bills return the favor by killing Woolly Bully calves and destroying nests when they can. They also tend to travel in large herds of around 50 to 100 members. These large groups allow them to gang up on single Woolly Bullies and tips fights between herds in their favor, though it also ensures that they are constantly on the move. This level of interspecies warfare was not part of the original SAG plan for the Gelidian ecosystem, but they decided to let it continue once it became apparent as it fit the theme of their project.

The Spade Bill ability to sound like an engine is well known and is thought to be the reason why Woolly Bullies attack vehicles, but that is just a small part of their stunning call repertoire. In their breeding season, which they share with Woolly Bullies, the males are known to produce long and haunting bugling calls so they can attract a mate. Some of these calls can be heard over a mile away and they are often quite beautiful. When threatened they can also make high pitched screams which are often loud enough to burst ear drums and drive predators away or stun them long enough to allow the Spade Bill to either run away or stomp them with their powerful legs.

Spade Bills can be successfully tamed if raised from a young enough age, with a few people even having used them as riding animals. Because of this, a few ranchers have started trying to domesticate them in the hopes of using them as livestock. Due to the sheer abundance of game animals on Gelidia this is unlikely to see much success, but ranchers argue that domesticated Spade Bills could become a major export in the same way that mammoths did many years previously.


Kigatilik (Rhomphaiasaurus thrace) - A member of Astrosegnosauridae, a group the replicates the Therizinosaurs of the Mesozoic, the Kigatilik is one of the strangest creatures to be found on Gelidia, having the body of a massive goose and the claws of a ground sloth. As ferocious as they look with their machete sized claws, they are actually rather peaceful creatures and subsist mostly on fruits, tubers, and small animals. Standing 3.5 meters tall, these animals tower over nearly ever other animal and have the good eyesight to make use of their height. Kigatiliks are almost always found alone, preferring to stay within their own territories so they don't put too much of a strain on the plants they eat. Only in the September mating season do they intermingle with others of their own species, though they won't tolerate each other for longer than a week before they chase their mates away.

Female Kigatiliks lay large clutches of eggs, usually around 30 or so, and will sit on them until they hatch in January. She will then watch over her chicks until the end of winter at which point she will kick them out of her territory and return to her solitary life. The young Kigatiliks will stay in groups of 6 or 7 for a year, after which they will be large enough to not require the safety of a group. For the next few years they will be nomads, staying to the edges of other Kigatilik territories and trying not to get killed. Eventually they will grow large enough to hold their own territories and will also be eligible to breed. At this stage they are nearly invulnerable as few animals prey on adult Kigatiliks, their claws and eyesight being too difficult for most predators to get around. Even a fully grown Frost Tyrants will ignore them unless it's starving to death and humans rarely hunt them since Woolly Bullies and Spade Bills are much more prevalent sources of food.


Snow Lemur (Lemuremimus igaluk)
Lesser Keelut (Cryoraptor hayha)
Stilted Keelut (Cryoraptor ibis)
Keelut (Cryoraptor mannerheim)
Druzhina (Astroceratops sisko)
Svyatogor (Nixtitan nootaikok)
Trash Dragon (Ursidimimosaurus procyon)
Snow Strider (Cygnimimus struthio)
Lesser Crowned Tyrant (Coronasaurus tlingit)



Stellapterosauria
Darthead Dactyl (Kainoanodon arctica)
Oarhead Dactyl (Kainoanodon aurora)



Stellatemnospondyli
Ice Snapper (Neokoolasuchus tupilaq)



Cetacea
Tizheruk (Neobasilosaurus aumanil)
Akhlut (Suchocetus akhlut)