Scogliera is a rare mammalian species that was first discovered on planet Na'arlac, which is where it's believed to originate from. Na'arlac is a planet surounded by two massive suns, so the species had to evolve to withstand the massive amounts of heat and radiation coming from them. As a result, these creatures can only survive within desert areas. They typically dig small dens in the sides of cliffs, where they sleep during the hottest hours of the day.
These creatures have developed a thick hide, and a thick coating of fur to help isolate them from the heat. While always short and sharp to the touch, the fur comes in many colors and patterns. All members of this species have large ears, a bobbed tail, and a third eye located on their forhead.
At the size of a common house cat, Scogliera Abitante is the largest species on their native planet.They have no natural predators, but high levels of radiation and the harsh heat make survival very difficult. Many don't live to be more than five years old, but it's possible to double, if not triple their life-span if they're raised in the right conditions in captivity.
This highly inteligent species has a language of it's own, and mostly tries to communicate by clicking it's tongue against the roof of it's mouth. They will whine, yelp, and bark on occassion, but have been observed trying to copy noises other creatures around them create. With a lot of patience, they can be taught to understand and repeat a massive variety of words and gestures.
Unfortunately, these creatures are not very social. Unlike other groups of canines that may be called a pack, a group of Scogliera is exclusively adressed as a "family" because of the way their society works. A "family" typically consists of two adults, and up to two kits, where females have the dominant role. The adult pair may at times have the same gender, but such pairings can not produce kits. This shows that their "families" are created for more than just the purpose of creating offspring.
While fiercly protective of their mates and young, Scogliera display general indifference to other creatures, even memebers of their own species. Aggression is usually only shown when these mammals are hunting, or defending their dens from other members of the species. A recent appearence of humans ensured that some members of the species might fear the "lanky giants".
Scogliera are opprotunists, and will scavange, harvest, and hunt for food whether they need it or not. They hunt as a pack, but males often decide to stay with the kits if they're still very young and defenceless. A Scogliera's stomach is adapted to process both dextro and levo acids, but some members of the species still get allergies like creatures from Earth do. The most common food allergy appears when a Scogliera attempts to consume beef, pork, watermellon, and potatoes. How ever, some have a natural resistence and do not suffer any ill side effects. For others, consumption of even small amounts could be fatal.
