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Post by AuraGuard on Jun 16, 2016 4:24:49 GMT -6
Anatomy Some parts of a kanatli's anatomy are very flexible. Namely, their necks can bend to the point that they are capable of comfortably resting their heads on their backs, or under a wing after moving the head and neck over the shoulder. They can also comfortably position their heads and necks in any place necessary for them to be able to fully preen their feathers. The head feathers and most of the neck feathers are still unreachable; however, communal preening (with two [2] xinthrī helping each other preen their feathers) solves that problem. A kanatli typically lays down by folding their legs up against their body, then folding the arms under the chest. If they are laying down to sleep, then they usually position the head to rest either between the shoulders or under a wing. Kanatli normally stand while sleeping, however, and aren't bothered by standing for hours on end (and may well do so willingly without it being necessary). When sleeping while standing, the wings are folded over their arms, supporting the arms for comfort. The wings themselves can be 'locked' into place with small barbs that are on some of the feathers (it is easy for them to 'unlock' their wings rapidly, as well). Diet The majority of a kanatli's diet is made up of small to medium sized avians, both the non-sentients and beastfolk. Pigeons and house sparrows are a particular favourite. Kanatli may eat small, smooth pebbles found on river banks to aid with digestion. These pebbles are typically either vomited up or otherwise passed out of their system the next day, and don't normally cause problems. The digestive purpose of the pebbles is to provide the gizzard with something to grind food against, and thus important in maintaining proper digestive health. Known Infectious Diseases - Ascarids (cause: the parasite known as roundworm). Symptoms: diarrhoea, malaise (general feeling of being unwell), delayed moult, weight loss, sometimes foul smelling feces.
- Avian chlamydiosis (causes: inhalation of dust containing the bacteria, and/or contact with and/or ingesting of infected avians and/or mammals). Symptoms: swelling in one or both eye sockets, conjunctivitis (also known as pink eye, and is generally inflammation of the surface of the eye and the inside of the eyelid), rhinitis (inflammation and irritation of the mucus membrane in the nasal passages and nostrils [symptoms: stuffy nose, runny nose, post-nasal drip]), lime green coloured urates (the normally white part of an avian's feces).
- May cause endemics among both avian and mammalian races, as well as the tortoise beastfolk race. This is a bacteria, and may not take immediate effect in avians but remain latent until the infected avian is placed under stress. Once onset by stress, the disease will cause rapid deterioration and almost always death. Infections can be unapparent, severe, acute, or chronic, with intermittent shedding. It can be passed on in the eggs, and so one may be born with it. Even when not apparent, the disease can still be transmitted by an infected individual.
- Avian cholera (causes: eating waterfowl that died from the disease or drinking contaminated water [most common], close contact with an infected individual, biting insects such as ticks and fleas feeding on a kanatli after feeding on an infected individual, contaminated clothing and other physical items can be used to spread the disease). Symptoms: green diarrhoea, high fever, ruffled appearance, respiratory infection (will cause chest pain in this cause), abdominal pain, lethargy, listlessness, refusal to eat or drink, drowsiness, dehydration, erratic flight, and in late stages, seizures may also occur. This disease can result in death in about six (6) to twelve (12) hours after exposure, though one (1) to two (2) days is more common, and it can take up to one (1) to two (2) weeks for death to occur.
- Survivors usually, if not always, become carriers of the disease, unless treated by a nature elemental. Major outbreaks among the kanatli are, however, uncommon, and many kanatli can fight it off before it becomes an infection and do not become chronic carriers. Adults are more susceptible to this than chicks. This disease is typically only a problem in Aqulea, some areas of Zephrus, and Natura (especially in Aqulea, which has large numbers of waterfowl and the disease has shown immunity to water elemental healing abilities, though nature elementals can still cure it [if cured by a nature elemental, the survivor{s} do not become carriers]).
- Avian influenza (causes: caught from other live avians, from some kinds of mammals [seals, felines, elves, humans], contact with a contaminated environment, or ingested by consuming infected carrion). Symptoms: feather fluffing, rhythmic side to side head movements, ataxia, head held at an angle, loss of appetite, loss of balance and motor control, tremors, rapid weight loss. Can cause endemics and pandemics. This is a virus. The kanatli don't tend to get this, but they can be exposed to it by their prey.
- It is deadly to any avians or mammals that catch it, though it is rare outside of birds. In avians, it usually causes death in about four (4) to five (5) days. Unless healed by a nature or water elemental, the death rate is one hundred percent (100%) among avians, and at least fifty percent (50%) among mammals.
- Avian malaria (cause: parasite transmitted by mosquito bites). Symptoms: listlessness, puffy, almond-shaped eyes, difficulty with balance and/or eyesight, anemia (low levels of oxygen in the blood, causing fatigue), vomiting, high fever, dull jade green urates. Those affected usually die within hours of displaying symptoms. Treatment outside of healing by a nature or water elemental has a low success rate.
- Avian pox (causes: contact with infected individuals, consuming contaminated food, contact with a contaminated environment). Symptoms: itch, possible loss of dexterity with talons and fingers (can be permanent), possible damage to the nostrils and nasal bridge (can be permanent), superficial lesions, scabbing (scabbing can occur on the base of the beak, resulting in breathing problems if the scab is not removed).
- This is a non-fatal illness which typically resolves itself on its own, though not pleasant. It is most common during the spring. It is best to cauterize (medically burn) the skin lesions before they can form scabs, as the scabs cause the most damage.
- Clostridial enterotoxemia (causes: infected carrion, poor handling of food before and after freezing it). Symptoms: general depression, reduced appetite, abdominal pain, vomiting, soft brown feces rapidly progressing to reddish and hemorrhagic (a hemorrhage is basically internal bleeding), pastel green coloured urates, laying down (even in individuals who normally never do so).
- This is caused by a bacteria in the digestive tract that creates lethal toxins that are then absorbed into the body. It can cause death as swiftly as in one (1) day, but many can survive for a bit longer (max known survival length without recovery or treatment is unknown).
- Coccidiosis (cause: parasite). Symptoms: lack of energy, diarrhoea, dehydration, weight loss or odd changes in weight, lethargy, flecks of red in feces, food flicking, foul smelling castings, and poor appetite leading to complete lack of appetite.
- Feather lice (type of parasite) – Eat away at the white or lightly coloured areas of the feathers, causing the feathers to look ruffled and making them less effective. Can also cause irritation to the individual. Albino or leukistic individuals are more negatively affected by this than those with darker plumage. (Leukism causes random white feathers to grow in among normal plumage, regardless of age.)
- Newcastle disease (causes: being around infected individuals, consuming contaminated food or water). Symptoms: gastrointestinal distress (in the early stages), ataxia (loss of voluntary muscle movement), impaired eyesight, difficulty breathing, head tics, tremors, paralysis of the wings, arms, and legs. This is a highly infectious virus that affects a wide array of avian species and can be caught anywhere in Elemuntus.
- It has a high morbidity and a high mortality rate. It can be passed on in the egg (eggs lain while the mother is suffering from this disease are small, soft-shelled, off-coloured, and irregular-shaped), and individuals who have it must be isolated. Avian paramyxovirus (type 1) is the virus that causes this disease. Outside of healing by nature or water elementals, there is no treatment, and death is usually sudden.
- Pseudomoniasis (causes: infected injuries combined with stress). Symptoms: small circular or irregular white-yellow caseous (dead, cheese-like) masses distributed across near the back of the roof of the mouth, numerous masses of the same type distributed across the top and sides of the tongue resulting in a gross enlargement of it to the extent that the kanatli can't close its beak, reduced appetite, progressive weight loss, sinusitis.
- Raptor herpesvirus (causes: ingestion of infected prey or carrion). Symptoms: loss of appetite, lethargy, general depression. Those infected with this disease always die within two (2) to three (3) days after first showing symptoms. Death is often sudden, with few or no symptoms shown, and typically occurs in about twenty-four (24) hours after infection. Can be treated, but unless directly healed by a nature or water elemental, the prognosis is not good. Death rate approaches one hundred percent (100%) from this disease.
- Salmonella (causes: consuming infected carrion or prey, young chicks may be infected by inhaling dust containing the disease). Symptoms: diarrhoea, gastrointestinal distress, abdominal pain, general food/blood poisoning, respiratory distress (if inhaled), and hepatosplenomegaly (simultaneous enlargement of both the liver [hepatomegaly] and the spleen [splenomegaly]).
- All symptoms depend on strain, not all symptoms may be present. This disease can be passed on in the egg, and seemingly unaffected individuals who have the disease become chronic carriers (healing by a nature or water elemental gets rid of the condition).
- Sarcocystis (cause: parasite). Symptoms: None in the kanatli. This parasite has two hosts: the definite (or final) host is a predator, and the intermittent (or temporary) host is a prey species. The definitive host does not show any symptoms, however the intermittent host does. It resides in the intestine of the definitive host, and in the muscle of the intermittent host.
- Mammals known to be infested by this parasite include sheep, horses, deer, camels, goats, bovines, dogs, humans, rats, mice, and pigs, and thus consumption of these species may result in a kanatli being infested with the parasite. Prey species of avians may also become infested by this parasite. This parasite may also infest reptiles (which may be treated as both the intermittent and final hosts). Infestation may be prevented by cooking the meat before consuming it. Freezing the meat at -5ºC (23ºF) for several days before consumption will also kill the parasite.
- Thrush, also known as Candidiasis (causes: opportunistic yeast). Symptoms: whitish grey to grey-green coloured membranes in the crop without a defined form, reduced appetite, shredding and flicking of food, vomiting, progressive weight loss. This disease is caused by a fungus. It is always set off by something compromising the individual's immune system.
- Tuberculosis (causes: eating meat infected by the disease, close proximity with infected individuals). Symptoms: pain, malaise, other symptoms depend on location of the disease. Tuberculosis may affect the liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, and bones. It can be fatal, but recovery is not as uncommon as with some illnesses. This disease is caused by a bacteria.
- West Nile virus (causes: consuming prey that died from the disease, mosquitoes also spread it). Symptoms: loss of interest in food, weight loss, listlessness, weakness, fever, squinting (one [1] or both eyes), head tilt, staggering, shuffling, inability to focus, nasal discharge, voice change (due to paralysis setting in the throat), body tremors, paralysis in wings, arms, and legs, progressive seizures. Misshapen or pinched feathers may occur in individuals who've recovered from the virus.
- While often deadly, an individual may contract it and survive it without showing any substantial symptoms, only to later show impact from it after recovery (often in the loss of fine motor skills, which may be permanent). Aside from healing by nature or water elementals, the only treatment is supportive, with plenty of fluids, good nutrition, and warmth.
Non-Infectious Diseases and Disorders - Amyloidosis – This disorder mainly afflicts the liver, though it can afflict the kidneys, spleen, and even the brain. “The condition is characterized by the deposition of amyloid [insoluble fibrous protein aggregates] within the parenchyma [the functional part, as opposed to the structural] of the liver, engulfing and obliterating the hepatocytes [cells of the main parenchymal tissue of the liver, which make up 70-85% of the liver's mass].” (-quotation from avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/12/40_raptorsb2.pdf, page 942.) It can be caused by a previous disease (such as tuberculosis), or by dietary changes resulting in nutritional deficiencies, but other causes are unknown. Aside from healing by nature or water elementals, typically the only thing that can be done is support therapy.
- Bumblefoot (cause: cut on the foot where the skin healed over, but bacteria ended up sealed inside). Symptoms: begins as a small, hardened corn (spot on the foot) which develops into a fevered hot spot or open sore, unwillingness to put weight on the foot, pain in the affected foot, laying down even by individuals who don't normally do so. The skin may continue to heal over the bacteria colony, and this can develop into blood poisoning. It can be fatal, but it can also be treated.
- Cancer (causes: numerous, from genetic factors to toxins to certain kinds of viruses). Symptoms: vary, but usually only occur in late stages, pain is common. Unless healed by a nature or water elemental, this is usually fatal, but can take years to kill.
- Delayed moult – On occasion, a xinthrī's moulting may be delayed. If this continues on for more than a week, then consuming the thyroid gland of a bovine or sheep usually induces the moult, however it also causes a voracious appetite in the kanatli individual for the first few days after being treated this way. Caution must be used by those close to the individual to keep them from over-feeding and subsequently developing sour crop. The kanatli individual should be kept in a safe, clean, warm, enclosed environment until the induced moult is complete.
- Gastrointestinal foreign bodies – Often cause digestive problems, but only in large amounts, can be anything from sand, to grass, to anything else indigestible like bits of metal.
- Osteoporosis – Loss of calcium in the bones. Usually happens in old age, but can happen in egg-laying females. Lack of calcium in the diet can also cause it. Causes fragile bones, making them easily breakable. If severe enough, flying may be impossible due to the wing bones being too brittle to support weight or withstand the force necessary for takeoff.
- Sinusitis – Inflammation of the sinuses, typically by invading bacteria.
- Sour crop – When food decomposes in the crop and poisons the individual, this is usually caused by simple over-feeding, but can also be caused by dehydration, rotten food, parasitic infections, crop burns, crop lacerations (cuts), even high temperatures or bright lights. Symptoms: vomiting of the crop contents, foul smelling breath, loss of appetite, increase in thirst. Affected individuals need to be kept warm, clean, and dry, and full recovery can take several weeks.
- Sprattling – Typically only affects really young chicks (as they cannot regulate their body temperature, and thus are dependant on their parents for warmth), this is caused by the individual becoming too cold, which kills the gut flora (the good bacteria that aid digestion). If the individual still has gut motility, then the food passes through almost undigested, and if gut motility has ceased, then the food sits in the gut and spoils (poisoning the individual). Chilling causes muscle spams (shivering) in an attempt to warm the body, which inhibits their ability to process calcium.
- Toxicosis (aka, poisoning) – This can be caused by a number of different things, from heavy metals (like lead) to other poisons (like cyanide). Mild toxicosis is treatable, moderate possible to treat in most cases, but severe is often fatal to the point that only nature or water elementals can heal the afflicted individual. Symptoms vary depending on the poison. The most typical symptoms for chronic poisoning are paralysis, thin-shelled eggs, breeding disorders, and general nest failure, as well as decreased or absent appetite. Convulsions (seizures) are common with some kinds of poisoning.
- Uropygial gland impaction – “The uropygial gland, also known as preen or oil gland, is a bilobed [two {2} lobed] gland located near the base of the tail. The gland secretes a lipoid [fatlike] sebaceous [oily or waxy] liquid, thick and transparent in appearance and with a characteristic light musky smell. The oil is spread on the plumage by the birds during preening to provide waterproofing. The secretion is carried by a number of ducts to an external papilla [opening] covered by a tuft of down feathers forming what is commonly known as the wick.
- One of the most common disorders affecting the uropygial gland is impaction. This is usually characterized by moderate to severe bilateral [both sides affected] enlargement of the gland and a dry wick. Often the ducts of the wick are obstructed with hardened secretion forming a plug. The application of hot water compresses over the area and a gentle milking massage usually resolves the obstruction.” (-quotation from avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/12/40_raptorsb2.pdf, page 946.)
- This affects the kanatli in much the same way it affects non-sentient birds. (Words in square brackets added in for better understanding of the terms, but are not actual parts of the quotation.)
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Post by AuraGuard on Jun 16, 2016 4:28:28 GMT -6
Culture The kind of clothing the kanatli wear is the same between males and females, and is little more than a long piece of cloth with a headhole, a strap to go around the lower back above the tail feathers, and a strap that goes around either the right or the left leg. This is because the wings and the tail feathers don't lend themselves to clothing that covers the back at all, and pants are also out thanks again to the tail feathers. Also, fluttering cloth gets in the way when flying and adds unwanted weight. Many kanatli don't even bother with clothing most days and just rely on their feathers. The current ruling line is an exception to that; however, and wear clothing most days whenever not hunting, sparring, training, or expecting to be engaging in combat. Preening is typically done after a flight, after a battle, soon after waking, and soon before sleep, as well as occasionally done after a ground hunt (when a kanatli hunts without flying). The purpose preening serves is to smooth and straighten out feathers, remove damaged ones, and to upkeep general feather condition. Oil from a gland at the base of the tail is used to waterproof the feathers during preening. It is also a pleasurable, sometimes social activity, often done communally between parents and chicks, siblings, friends, and mates.
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Post by AuraGuard on Jun 16, 2016 4:34:25 GMT -6
Psychology
Fratricide – Also known as siblicide or cainism, this is when one (1) chick, usually the eldest, picks on and tries to kill off its younger siblings. This is an instinctive thing inherited from the kanatli's peregrine falcon ancestors, and while the parents are aware of this, they do not do anything to prevent it. Kanatli parents are; however, otherwise very caring parents.
Fratricide may start as early as the day the younger sibling(s) hatch, typically being shown in aggressive behaviour towards them. Within two (2) weeks, this usually escalates into 'beak-stabbing' – where the older chick pecks the neck or main body of their younger sibling until a gaping, often fatal wound is created. Punching and kicking is also common.
If not directly killed, the younger sibling often stops begging for food, and the parents won't feed a chick unless it begs, as they otherwise cannot tell if the chick is truly hungry or not (this early in its development, a chick is unable to communicate in a recognizable language) – in which case, the chick often starves to death. Occasionally, the older chick may push the younger sibling out of the nest entirely.
Fratricide typically ceases altogether after about two (2) months after the aggressor hatched, with the aggression dieing away entirely in about another month after that. If it does continue by that particular chick for longer, then the parents will finally step in and take disciplinary measures.
Fratricide is only considered legal by the kanatli during the first two (2) months of the chick's life, afterwards the parents can be arrested if they allow the chick to continue it for longer than that. If a third chick hatches, and the second chick is still under two (2) months of age, then the second chick may start fratricide itself. Same thing if a fourth chick is also hatched. Aggression may increase again shortly before fledging, though it does not escalate into physical violence.
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