Department of StatisticsHello, I am Tal, the Head of the Department of Statistics! This department was founded in 2519, a few years after Winty founded our conservation society! Here at the DS, we aim to learn about the Tvetyal and spread our knowledge in order to, hopefully, expand the growing love for this species! We have many programs to divide the work between all of us in order to better understand the different aspects of the species. Whether you want to know about Tvetyal temperament, mating behavior, diet, habitation, care, or any such statistic, well, that’s why we’re the Department of Statistics! We won’t be able to see all of the sections today, but we’ll be looking at several important aspects of Tvetyal life nonetheless! Now, moving along!
Growth/Research and Development Hall:Alright, our first section here is the Research and Development Hall (RDH). Basically, this is where we study the development of Tvetyal infants, or fledglings, and its growth into adulthood! Not much is known about the initial development, but we are continuously studying fertilization and embryos. However, we do know that fledglings are live born, and typically the mother will only birth one fledgling; the mother does not lay an egg. From this we have learned that although Tvetyals take a dragon-esque appearance, they are more like mammals, at least when it comes to birthing.
All fledglings are born blind for about two weeks before their eyes open. They are typically about the size of an adult Maltese dog and only weigh approximately five to ten pounds (or 2.3 to 4.5 grams). It largely depends on the size of the parents; I’ve seen a newborn fledgling that was the size of an adult beagle! Until their stomachs are mature enough to digest solid foods, the mothers will regurgitate earlier meals, similar to penguins or wolves. The maturing of the digestive system will vary from fledgling to fledgling, but normally they will be eating solid foods by about one month old. However, Tvetals in general mature fairly slowly. While they may be eating small bits of fish at one month, a fledgling won’t be considered an adolescent until it is one year old.
Until that first year, though, a fledgling will typically stay close to the mother or father. Fledglings grow slowly and can sometimes be easy prey to larger predators. One year is approximately when a fledgling reaches the peak of its adolescence, and by then, it would be about the size of a German Shepherd Dog, though larger ones may be about as big as a Great Dane. It’s already exploring the world, testing its boundaries, and just generally being little rebels like most creatures go through!
Then, finally, when the fledgling reaches about two years old, it is considered an adult. Though adolescence is typically when Domestic Tvetyals are judged for riding, it is not until they are adults that they begin training. You’ll hear more at the Training Service Program (TSP), but as adults, small Tvetyals may only be a little larger than their adolescent size. However, large Tvetyals, the ones we train for riding, can be the size of a horse. By then, it’s full mature, ready to mate, and ready to leave its family. If anyone is interested, I have some charts that show the size of Tvetyals as they grow. Here, why don’t you take one?
General Behavior/Behavior Studies Hall:Next we have the Behavior Studies Hall (BSH). This is where we study adult Tvetyal and their behavior. Most of the study we do are Tvetyals in their natural habitat, so most are Wild Tvetyals. Unfortunately, there isn’t so much we know about their behavior and habits because they can be quite territorial. With the sudden increase of hunting, they’ve gone further into hiding, too. However, we are lucky to have some loyal Domestic Tvetyals that we are able to gleam some aspects of natural behavior from, even if they are Domestic.
Tvetyals are pack animals, so they do tend to travel in large groups called bevies, or a bevy. However, unlike many mammals, a “family” of Tvetyals may live separately. If it helps, you can think of them like people! We all interact with and live in close approximation with each other, but we live with our families. A bevy of Tevetyals may have as few as seven or eight individuals, but a large group may have well over forty! Unfortunately, there’s only one bevy that has a bevy as large as that, what with the increase in hunting. However, that particular bevy just so happens to live on the grounds at the ICT! If you want to see them, you can check them out at the end of the tour!
Diet/Dietary and Nutrition Program Hall:Finally, the last stop on the tour—but certainly not the last department—we have the Dietary and Nutrition Program Hall (DNPH). As you may guess, this small section of the ICT was created to study the dietary habits of Tvetyals. For the most part, while they are territorial, they are not actually dangerous to humans in the sense of the food chain. Tvetyals have a strict diet of fish including sandeel, herring, and capelins. When fledglings are old enough to eat solid foods, they will start straight on eating fish and will continue to do so their whole lives.
Aside from educating ourselves and the public about the diet and nutrition needs of Tvetyals, we are working to create healthier, more nutritional meals for our Domestic Tvetyals. Of course, fish has been an age old diet, and we don’t expect that to suddenly change. However, certainly we can work to mix fish with other spices, flavors, and styles of cooking to help our Tvetyals receive better nutrients. We have come a little way, but for now, our work in creating an essentially new food for Tvetyals has certainly been a challenge!
