Animals | Simonpet's CAArchive

The following websites are used as sources: Pern Fandom

The following lists are not the entirety of Pernese fauna. However, these are mentioned canonically or were added to fill out the world. Additionally, the majority of Pernese biodiversity occurs in the oceans and most native land animals are insects, crustaceans, and related creatures.

Native Avians

Gryphhawk: An avian that resembles a wherry but has proper feathers and is a little larger than a fire-lizard. They are trainable and are often used as hunting companions.

Wherry: An avian that looks like a downy raptor with an additional pair of limbs in the form of membranous wings. Wild wherries taste more gamy while domesticated wherries taste similar to Terran fowl.

Native Insects

Fly-by: A gnat-like insect.

Trundlebug: An insect that consumes parasites and acts as a pollinator. They have elaborate color camouflage and release a nasty smell in self-defense.

Rockmite: A water-dwelling beetle.

Roller: A wood louse.

Sandworm: An armored Thread-eating worm that lives near Igen Hold.

Scatid: A burrowing insect smaller than a human thumbnail.

VTOL: A harmless flying insect named for its ability to perform vertical take-offs and landings.

Native Reptiles

Fire-Lizard: A dragon species divided into five colors that indicate their sex and place in the hierarchy. They can go between and communicate emotions and images via telepathy. Tame fire-lizards act as pets and messengers.

Snake: A vermin with six limbs (feet or paddles) that often consumes supplies. Most are inedible and some species have a venomous bite. There are three families of snakes: the amphibious sand snakes, the land-dwelling tunnel snakes, and the aquatic water snakes.

Whersport: An unintelligent dragon species closely related to fire-lizards that are occasionally bred for food. They are larger than fire-lizards but smaller than watch-whers.

Native Sea Animals

Bordo/Packtail: A deep-sea fish covered in spines and slime that can cause infections if it gets into an open wound. It is often grilled or smoked, and its slime can be used to clean fire-lizards.

Fingertail: A fish.

Rainbow: A fish.

Redfin: A fish that is often made into steaks.

Spiderclaw: A shellfish that looks like a many-legged crab. It is often smoked, salted, or dried.

Whitefish: A fish that is often eaten fresh, salted, smoked, or picked.

Yellow-stripe: A fish.

Imported/Engineered Avians

Bird-of-prey: A catch-all term to describe eagles, falcons, and hawks.

Game bird: A catch-all term used to describe geese, pheasants, quail, and turkeys.

Fowl: A catch-all term used to describe chickens and ducks.

Songbird: A catch-all term used to describe doves, pigeons, and other songbirds.

Imported/Engineered Insects

Grub: An engineered small, gray, furry, and legless insect made to consume burrowing Thread. They also help plants grow by consuming harmful insects.

Imported/Engineered Mammals

Canine: A term used to describe dogs. The most common working breed resembles an Australian Shepherd.

Cheetah/Lion: Metasynth-enhanced cheetahs and lions are a menace created by Ted Tubberman in a failed attempt at creating a domestic feline companion but in current times, are prized for their pelts. If they come too close to civilization, they are to be killed to prevent them from attacking humans, dragons, and livestock alike.

Draybeast: A catch-all term used to describe draft ponies, donkeys, llamas, mules, and oxen. They are used to pull carts or for other serious labor.

Feline: A term used to describe cats. Most are shorthaired moggies.

Fox: Metasynth-enhanced foxes are a pest created in the First Pass. They bred on the Southern Continent and were rediscovered late in the Ninth Pass. They are easily trained and bred as hunting companions.

Herdbeast: A catch-all term used to describe bovines, goats, porcines, and sheep. They are used for their meat, milk, and hides.

Runnerbeast: A term used to describe thoroughbred horses used by Runners to carry messages and as racing animals. The most common working breed resembles the Anglo-Arabian.

Imported/Engineered Reptiles

Dragon: A dragon species engineered from fire-lizards as the primary defense against Thread. They can go between and communicate telepathically. They bond to a single rider at birth and stay with them until death.

Watch-Wher: A dragon species engineered from fire-lizards as the secondary defense against Thread. They can go between and communicate emotions and images via telepathy. They are primary used as guard beasts or as helpers in mines as they can see in infrared. They can bond to multiple riders and have been known to occasionally switch riders even though the previous one is still living.

Imported/Engineered Sea Animals

Deep Ones: A term used to describe whales. While they are presumably telepathic and intelligent like shipfish, few have been able to communicate with them.

Minnow: An imported fish.

Shipfish: A term used to describe dolphins. After some rediscoveries in the Ninth Pass, many are now accompanied by Dolphineers.