Sky Dolphins

Tiberian Sky Dolphins are the distantly related cousins of the more well known Sky Whales. Biologically and physiologically they are highly comparable, though the sky dolphins are far smaller, lighter, and sleeker than the majestic behemoths of the sky.

Description

While there are dozens of species and subspecies spanning the globe of Tiber, they can be generalized into two categories, lesser and greater sky dolphins.

Dolfinni minor

Lesser sky dolphins in general, fit into these general trends:

• Average adult size between one (1) and two (2) meters.
• Massing light enough that an average adult could lift a grounded or deceased individual with no outside help, bar perhaps the awkward size some species become.
• A more playful or lax demeanor, in places where they might gather around human settlements this can extend to tamed and/or trained individuals or even subspecies.
• More sleek than their greater variant, in some cases achieving speeds that can compete with gravcars.

These traits make the lesser sky dolphins a somewhat uncommon, but not unheard of, pet owed largely to their playful nature and inclination to wander off or explore making them hard to retain. There are two specially bred subspecies that are most reliable for this, often used in equal parts as a luxury pet to show status as they are for sport, typically used in a manner comparable to the sport falconry as a hunting activity. Pods vary largely in size, as many as three dozen individuals may travel together in the wild.

Dolfinni major

Greater sky dolphins, on the other hand, are more aggressive or nomadic, with more diversity amongst their kind than their lesser cousins.

• Average adult size is often between three (3) and five (5) meters, though it's not unheard of for some individuals to exceed eight (8) meters or more, with the largest known subspecies, comparable to an orca, being as much as ten meters in the largest individuals.
• Having a mass that may require several individuals or even machinery to move grounded or deceased individuals.
• A more aggressive or predatory nature, though humans are rarely affected by this, sometimes even assisted when stranded in the wilderness by these large sky-faring creatures.
• A hardy hide with more pronounced counter-shading, in some cases even possessing limited chromatophores to blend into different, albeit similar, environments for more nomadic species or in threat displays.

While there are a few known tamed instances of greater subspecies, the difficulty of restraining and training them makes such a matter complicated at best and a logistical nightmare at worst. Pods of a dozen or fewer are common outside mating seasons, during which this can double.