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Tapir
Groups are called: Candle
Amount Raised: 67
Average size of Wolf Bred: 39 inches at shoulder
Rate of birth: 1-3 children every two years approximately


In the wild, Tapir are not incredibly social, often only being mother and child or occasionally male and female pairs.

The Wolves of Ra'kari island have been slowly breeding and introducing wild caught stock to prevent inbreeding to create a tamer, easier to manage and raise Tapir, though their numbers are small enough that they are not a primary food source as a meat, but rather will occasionally tap them for blood as a renewable food source, only occasionally eating their captive tapir when they go past breeding age or, on rare occasions, when they have more than one child and are incapable of raising them.

The Ra'kari raised Tapir have the distinct separation from wild tapir due to not only having pierced ears marking who in the Tribe owns that specific Tapir, and paint often put on their rumps, but they also retain the dapple markings they were born with and occasionally are born piebald.

Template PSD: GETCHUR TAPIRS HEEEAH!
Ra`ak Tak Font: Official Font of the Ra'kari wolves
Tapir Tag (uses Ra'ak Tak Font)


Coloring Original Studs/Dams

• There are 67 Original tapirs -- Each of the original wolves can own up to three Tapir, while 7 belong to the Tribe all together. If any others are added, they are captured wild tapir that have not been domesticated, thus are limited to color. (Note: Canonly some were set loose and escaped into the jungle during the attack, so more first gens CAN come later on on an occasional basis)
  
• Each of the first generation Ra'kari wolves get Three Tapir to start off with: they can have one male and two girls or all girls.
  
• You MUST own a Wolf of the Ra'kari Tribe to own a Tapir unless an RP gifting an existing Tapir occurs in Island canon (however this should not be done to the Original 67)
  
• Please use the guide in the second post to see the color limitations and marking inspiration points. No unnatural colorations or markings.
  
• Paint can be used to mark ownership on the Rump, Stomach, or shoulder of the tapir. Colors tend to be Red Ocher, White, or yellow ocher. Ownership symbols are something of a personal name glyph, something symbolizing the wolf (or Parrot). Some individuals may brand the Tapir, but as it mars the leather it is rarely done.
  
• A leather, copper, or ivory earring carved with the naming glyph is also used to mark ownership. Feathers are frequently added to the earring, the color also used to help identify from a distance should the painted markings be rubbed off.
  
• Minor Edits are allowed -- Notches in ears, a ridge of hair down the spine, custom earrings, even some additional simple decorations added by their breeder, simple and natural things that do not change the base template. These wont breed down unless you provide the template
  
• These are not spirit touched creatures, so things like glowing, feathers, wings, skeletal markings (though paint can let you get away with a lot of things), tentacles, ghostly transparency etc is not allowed
  
• There are SOME Miniature Tapirs, that are 4-6 hands tall
  
  
  

Inbreeding
Not being a sentient species (nor an official part of soquili), inbreeding sometimes happens really closely since sometimes you simply cannot stop these animals sometimes if they catch you off guard or you're simply keeping them together in a herd. However, when actively choosing pairings, typically there has to be at least one bull (Or cow) of separation between the breedings (Example: Bull A and Cow B create Cow AB. Bull C Is bred with Cow AB to create Cow CAB. Bull A might actually be purposely brought in again. This is a relatively common method in cattle breeding to emphasize certain traits.

Studs and Dams
Some Tapir Owners don't breed for themselves most of the time, and instead simply offer them for others to use for a fee.

Fees are either..

• Rped
  
• A Tapir Trade/beneficial breeding where both get a tapir calf from each other desired.
  
• Actual Gaia gold (to symbolize the trade) ranging from 100 G to 100k G
  
  
  

In Addition, Communal Tapir cows only have a 1 month cooldown automatically -- regardless of whether or not you RP, a Rancher will either give the wolf that wanted them bred the calf to take care of OR can be 'paid' to raise them themselves. However it is good manors to RP taking care of/giving away their calves since then you can wipe the month away immediately, but not a necessity.

"Overly" Popular Cows and Bulls will occasionally be put on a hiatus


Breeding New Stock

• Females can only breed once every two IRL Years. Males can breed however many times they want. (exception: your Gen 1 Cow's first breeding and ONE First Gen Cow breeding from the Communal Pool -- Timewise its possible they could have already been pregnant or with a calf when the war happened, and storywise it makes sense)
  
• ------Don't want to wait 2 years to be able to breed your Tapir Cow again? Have an RP of the wolf (or your character bartering with a wolf to do so for you) hand rearing tapir calf currently giving you the cooldown to the mother, freeing the mother up to reproduce again!
  
• Calves require a month Cooldown before you can breed them (The exception being from your Gen 1 Cow's first breedings)
  
  
• Females USUALLY only have one Calf, but on Rare occasions a second child is born - if you want the chance to color two from a breeding roll 1d100: 1-50: 1 calf, 51-80: 2 calfs, 81-100: 3 calfs. If you've RPed the wolf breeding the Tapir You can add a full +30 to your number, and +10 to every additional RP you add to it (need to use new ones for each breeding you wish to have)
  
• For Gender you can either 1) Roll 1D20 per calf. 1-25 is a male and 26-100 is female OR 2) You can manually gender them but can only have 1 male for every 3 females you create. You CAN reserve the stored up males to get a stud later on.
  
• Calf Trade and gifting is an IC Thing -- your character gifts or trades the young, uncerted tapir to another individual who lives on the island.
  
• Rogue breedings can be done, but they can only be from Naturally colored Tapir Bulls from the wild (So the father will not provide any markings, just colors) or by a randomized bull from the Candle
  
• You can post a request to have someone else color your breeding for you.
  
• Calfs can only be kept by IC Characters on the Island, gifted to them: So they either belong to the owner of the Female Tapir, To the Tribe, the individual who requested the breeding ICly, or to the individual gifted (Meatcutter Parrot, Blooded Finch/Songbird, Moon Herd etc)
  
• To breed a new type of naturalistic marking (Such as different styles of spots and stripes) or edit (longer/softer manes, floppy ears, longer body fur etc) please Roll 1d100. If you get 1-10, The baby can be born with leopard spots, tiger stripes, etc not on the parents/ancestors. These markings must still be somewhat natural so you can't introduce Henna or Tribal markings. If you opt to go for edits instead of markings, please share the lineart modifications here/on the tapir's profile on the directory so breedings can be done easily.
  
• To add a new naturalistic color to the mix (Such as as a cheetah's yellowy coloration or a creamy white base - Something that occurs naturally in Mammals) please roll 1d100, If you get 1-5 you can breed in a new color.
  
• A wild Tapir (aka an "NPC"/Rogue Tapir) is sometimes brought in (or manages to sneak in) to bring new stock -- while the offspring tend to lean more toward the common colors and markings, this is a way to get some kids without
  

Breeding And Creation Bonuses
Some Wolves, Parrots, and Finches have Different Bonuses to breedings! A Wolf can Officially choose up to Two Professions, and if it is a breeding between tapir owned by two wolves, you can add up to FOUR BONUSES to the tapir. These bonuses Can Stack between two wolves, but not within one wolf (So a single wolf being a Rancher and a Teacher doesn't reduce the cooldown to 3 months, but a Rancher and a Teacher breeding their tapirs together Can!)

Other Professions Allow for First Gen Tapirs to be brought in with greater Frequency.



Please tell me of a profession I may be missing and what you think their bonus might be!


Officiating ownership of a Tapir

• Use the following Cert to make ownership of a Tapir official!
  
• Name is the name given to the Tapir (Can put N/A If you'd rather keep The Tapir unnamed)
  
• Hands is height at shoulder -- you can figure this out by how you sized them on the cert.
  
• Sex is their biological Sex (Whether they are Childbearing or a Sire).
  
• Breeder is the Wolf that owns them and owns the rights to breed them -- ICly the Bartering to breed them happens with them, Oocly the bartering goes to that characters owner. Typically name and Name Glyph is included.
  
• Colorist is who colored that Tapir.
  
  
  

FAQ

Q: .... Why?
A: It's a fun little side game stress reliever that also promotes RP, and allows people to play with a limited design selection to create unique but still natural looking things they can trade in character. Plus, it ads a little depth to the pack.

Q: Why Limit it the color and marking types?
A: These are not Familiars, but instead partially domesticed creatures -- much like cows IRL. Because of this, inspiration is taken from some of the keystone markers of domestication: the keeping of markings that may have existed from childhood (natural tapir-child markings) and Piebald markings.. This is an experiment of creativity with a limited style, AND, with the dice rolling allowing the occasional new marking into it, its its own little biology game!

Q: Why does RPing your character hand rearing or hiring someone else to hand rear a calf suddenly remove the mothers cooldown?
A: One: Cause this rps your character and part of this is to give an additional benefit to familiar rp of course! Plus, this is a common tactic in animal husbandry (and the same reason why its really bad for the cubs if a new lion takes over the pride.) -- if you remove the children and raise them yourself, the mother can go off and have more kids since they're no longer putting their resources into the current ones.



Q: I don't have an Islander, but I would love to color one of these to give out or color someone elses breeding. Can I?
A: You are allowed to color other breedings if the person getting the breeding is cool with it. As for making one of the first gen ones it has to be for one of the ones owned by a Wolf, working WITH someone who has a Wolf! HOWEVER We may also have a little contest for the remaining 4 pack owned Tapir to be voted on by Pack members: If we end up liking more than four of them, we may allow more in And you canonly can get the first breeding from them to a Meat Cutter Parrot or The Blooded "Vampire Finch" (Songbird) NPC (or for when you get your own wolf or that character) so you can own your own tapir (as part of the contest prize)

Q: I own a wolf... But already have my Three Tapir.. How do I color more?
A: Same as above! You can help others, OR make some for the contest when it comes around.

OKAY SO I ALREADY MADE SOME OF MY FIRST FREE BREEDINGS KIDS BUT I DIDNT GET A CHANCE TO ROLL CAUSE I WAS INTERNETLESS and the highest dice I had was a D20.


KAYBOK'S FREE BREEDINGS

Arakeen x Yikin :
Arakeen x Shishi:
Arakeen x Loké (Communal cow):

QUAKARI'S FREE BREEDINGS

Yao x Kiakia (Communal cow):
Yao x Tooshi:
Yao x Kipyip:

Lets see what that Bonus Calf's sex is: (Edit) another cow!

Gonna roll for my free breeding <3

Tapir (1) x Ucu'i (Communal)
Baby number: 2 Calves! =D

Edits/New markings? =0

Calf 1: Nope
Calf 2: Nope