All About the Quall
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What Are They?
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What Are They?
Quall are larger quadrupeds that have large shoulders and small hips. Their general body structure resembles a hyena with large muscular legs and paws and short tails. Their most striking feature is their unnatural quills that run along the necks and backs of the males of the species. The females only have small, stubby quills on their shoulders and backside and a trail of fur sticking up along the tops of the necks. Quall fur is always naturally colored and striped, but there are various styles and shapes of stripes that the quall can have. They live in hierarchical packs and roam, but normally settle for a time in shaded areas until they are forced to move again.
When quall are born they have no quills and very faint markings, so the exact look of the quall when it grows up isn’t certain until it is more mature. As they grow older, small bumps along their backs will signal if they are a male, and the absence of the bumps on their back will signal it to be a girl. Their eye color will display most accurately their quill color besides their growing tail fur, which would show if the quills will be more than one color. As they grow, quall are very playful and will play with one another as well as other adults. When the quills begin to grow in, it is a very itchy and uncomfortable process. Qualls’ average lifespan is about thirty years while they can weigh between 120 and 190 pounds and are 2.5 to 3 feet high at the shoulder.
Environment?
Quall live in mainly grasslands and marshes when the seasonal rains come. Due to the males’ almost universal inability to hide, the female will attempt to hunt their prey or search for carrion. Their diets consist of raw meat, although they can survive on fruit for very short periods of time if prey is scarce. The males will stay with the cubs and protect them from rival packs and hunters looking for an easy meal. The females can hide in the tall grass and run quickly for short distances, but this speed may only last a minute or two. Their hefty bodies slow them down and their strength can only carry them quickly for so long.
Quall enjoy living under trees, so large trees are a favored place for packs to raise their cubs and live although it makes them easier to spot for rivals and predators. The trees also give them a place to scratch their backs and quills against. Due to the light colors their eyes tend to be, the harsh sunlight is also obscured by the canopy of the trees and helps keep their sight sharper for longer.
Mating?
The quall mating season is during early Spring, late Winter. The males that are able to mate will prune their fur and quills for weeks in preparation for gaining a mate. In order to entice the females, the male stands their quills erect to look big and strong and raise their tails. They will hold their eyes open large and wide to show the color consistency and beauty of their colors to the females. They will arch their backs and prance about, making a distinct sound that is unique to that individual quall which is normally a series of chirps or barks. The Quall’s “Song” will be adopted by the female when they have chosen their mate, so the males will listen and hope for their call to be echoed. All Quall can see in color, so normally mates are chosen by how well their color matches with the females’ own, but rank and personality also play a role in the choice, which can be considered a “personal” choice on their part. When Quall mate, they tend to stay mates for a long time, until one mate dies or is regarded as no longer worthy of being the other’s mate (a kind of divorce, but it’s more complicated than not “love” between them anymore.)
Pack Hierarchy?
There is always a female Alpha and, if they have successfully mated, a male Beta that will stay in their respective ranks for as long as the two mate together. Due to the females choosing mates during the mating process, there is always a female pack leader who may not necessarily have a mate. If an Alpha dies, one of their daughters will take over the pack, normally the oldest. Any male Beta will be demoted immediately. Packs normally stay at a fair size due to the small size of the litters (one or two cubs on average) and if they become too large, quall may leave to create their own pack. Due to nature of quall, they normally can get along as long as territorial lines are regarded and obeyed. When a pack breaks the rules, there is little mercy by other packs towards them and their punishment.
Fighting can be used to determine rank of an individual, be it two females for Alpha or fighting over a mate between males. If females fight, their bites are the main weapon, and even one or two bites can be the extent of the battle. When males fight, they tend to use their quills and teeth. It is difficult to fight with quills, but if one is fast enough he can stick his opponent while he's attacking. If one is stuck with a quill, that color can be seen with the male, “tainting” his true colors in a way. Even if the winner of the battle approaches the female in victory, his tainted color may repel her, and she could still choose the loser even though this is not as common. It all comes down the female's decision rather than the winner of a battle necessarily.
Quall Behavior?
Quall tend to be fairly calm and content animals. Their families and the pack is very important to them, so parents are respected and regarded as friends as well as elders. Siblings can have their squabbles, but as they grow older there is normally a harmony that is reached. Fighting is considered a disharmony and can affect the entire pack if the problem isn’t settled quickly and efficiently. Outcasts, though they are rare considering the unity of the pack, can normally be taken up by another pack, but will have to earn their place in the new “family.”
Quall cubs are very playful and loud, so the Spring time is the loudest that the pack will get. Cubs learn to hunt by watching their mothers but not participating, and will learn how the pack runs by the males normally, since mothers can be gone for long periods of time while hunting. The quills on the males can be painful to the cubs, so play time can be dangerous if quills aren’t laid down properly and the cubs don’t understand them well. Spring time is also when the pack is the most chaotic, and the rate of attacks by predators goes up during this time as well. The cubs will also learn how to fight and defend their family this way.
Quall personalities vary, similar to the uniqueness of humans. Qualls don’t tend to be confrontational unless they feel that there is no other choice, but this can be part of their individual temperament or a personal choice to keep the pack cohesive. Family is very important to the quall for both survival as well as a happy life.
