The five ungulate species found in the plains Wardin overlaps with, with average regional human height (5'4'') for comparison. Not including feral cattle and khait, which are also significant actors in these ecosystems.
Wild horse- It resembles shorthair domestic horses (to the point that their common name is just 'wild horse', that or 'dwarf horse' for being shorter and about half the weight) but they are not closely related enough to interbreed; even sterile hybrids are unknown. They are also much less gregarious than domestic horses and have an unusual social structure for an ungulate in general, generally living in monogamous pairs with a shared home range. They are non-sexually dimorphic, and unlike domestic horses both males and females usually possess cuspid teeth, which may be utilized in territorial disputes. It is a preferential browser and is found most abundantly in savanna, shrubland, and riparian habitats with good browsing opportunities, though will expand out into plains if they can find home ranges with plenty of cover. They are notable for tolerance of very dry conditions and populate areas of true desert within their range. It is a common pest in agrarian contexts.
Hibimeti antelope- The buck has tall, nearly vertical horns. It is shorter than the gazelle but stockier and heavier, and can maintain its top running speed for longer. They form large herds in the winter, potentially consisting of a few hundred animals (though most are much smaller), and break off into smaller bands and bachelor herds during the rest of the year. All highland and some lowland populations migrate seasonally between winter and summer pastures, but many 'resident' populations occupy year-round home ranges in places where food sources are dependable. They preferentially browse on forbs and shrubs, and on the tops of grasses. These antelope are relatively easy to tame and hold in captivity, and are captive reared for their meat in some contexts, though these are not domesticated animals.
Jaimeti gazelle - These are true open plains specialists, and the most tolerant of short term dehydration of any even toed ungulate pictured here (though the wild horse beats them on that front). They have the most dramatic seasonal migrations as they seek out fresh pasture, with some populations traveling hundreds of miles and accumulating into herds that are a few thousand strong, though they will break off in smaller bands of 10-20 individuals when settled at a grazing site. Smaller herds of antelope often associate with the gazelle's migratory movements for better cover from predators. They prefer open habitats at lower elevations and are rarely found in the mountains. They cannot maintain their top speed as long as the antelope, but are extremely fast and agile and make for challenging prey, making them favored pursuits in forms of sport hunting throughout their range.
Barking deer - This is a pretty big deer. They are heavily adaptable generalists and can occupy a wide range of habitats. They are primarily grazers rather than browsers, though change dietary preferences depending on the season, browsing more during the dry late summer-early winter and grazing more in the late winter-early summer when the grasses are still fresh. They do not typically migrate long distances, aside from some populations changing elevations in response to winter conditions, and will readily occupy a year round home range with sufficient graze availability. They are more gregarious than most deer and may assemble into herds of 150-200 animals during the early spring-mid summer months, though break off into smaller harem bands during the breeding season. Their common name refers to the loud warning bark that hinds produce when spotting a potential predator.
Wild cattle - the aurochs is gigantic. An average bull is as tall as an average man (about 5'6'') at the withers, outstanding individuals can approach 6'. Cows are shorter and a good deal smaller, though still outweigh and stand over domestic cattle with a height of around 5'. Both sexes have lunate horns, with those of cows typically being smaller and thinner. They face pressure in parts of this range from both feral and managed domestic cattle, and some populations are heavily 'hybridized' with their domestic cousins, usually the result of breeding between domestic bulls and wild cows (wild 'hybrids' can only be reliably identified by the presence of lyrate horns, long dewlaps, and fatty humps). This subspecies fares well on open plains and scrub but requires close proximity to water sources, and does not typically migrate great distances and rather switches up its diet depending on the season. Its preferred habitat is savanna, and in other parts of its range it can thrive in woodland. They live in small herds of ~5-20 individuals, and full grown bulls are mostly solitary. They typically flee from contact with humans, but can be exceptionally dangerous if provoked or sufficiently irritated.
