Koroglets! Baby lizards!
“…Modern evidence indicates that tundra korogi did not go extinct rapidly. The oldest oral traditions among Tabulan steppe korogi date to the beginning of the Second Act, 55,000 years ago. Such tales hint at the existence of 'fair feathered' strangers- thousands of years after the as-yet unknown cataclysm that ended the First Act and was thought to have killed off the tundra korogi. It is likely, then, that the dwindling subspecies was absorbed by their sympatric cousins, existing today in the genes of Tabulan steppe korogi. This explains, among other things, the far larger manes of Tabulans relative to other steppe korogi populations. Why the Tabulans of old described tundra korogi so favorably is unknown, but it is thought to be the advantages of long integument for child rearing. For the first few years of life, a steppe koroglet is a bit useless. Effectively a chirping stomach with legs, they are built to keep up with their parents' habit of large and infrequent meals while also maintaining the highest early-life growth rate of any canny species. For a nomad in the cold Tabulan steppe, this means carrying them near constantly. Tabulans already carry quite a bit on their backs in day to day life, and typically need their hands free; one frequently sees modern Tabulans draping or wrapping young family members in their manes to easily carry and keep them warm. Often times they are distributed among multiple family members, as fresh hatchlings may not recognize their siblings and attempt to eat one another. One can then see why the late tundra korogi, with their extensive plumage, may have been unanimously seen as appealing parents and life partners by the inter-act and early Second Act korogi of the Tabula Steppelands. Having effectively bred tundra korogi out of existence, some canny taxonomists are unsure whether or not Tabulan steppe korogi themselves should now be considered their own subspecies."
-Excerpt from The Monitor Next Door, By Corrul Okstrot




















