Gashants are upright quadrupeds that have powerful legs and impressive endurance. While still found in the wild in large numbers, the domesticated gashant is also ubiquitous, being the principal draft animal and the exclusive cavalry mount in use by Martian troops.
The tough, wiry gashants of the Nilosyrtis Hills are particularly prized by troops who have to operate in difficult or arid country, and are the only gashants used by The Meepsoor Lancers.
Although these giant vegetarians are native to the wetlands of Mars, they have proven surprisingly hardy when used in the dry canal caravans. Now, wild ruumet breehr herds are fairly common in the desert as well. The domesticated version is used in many caravans and ruumet breehr can be seen from a great distance pulling giant carts or majestically carrying the weight of a large howdah on their backs.
Unaggressive for the most part, ruumet breehr will attack if they perceive a threat to their young and will usually charge rather than flee if they are attacked.
This flying plant eater, which appears to subsist off of the leaves of liftwood trees and bushes, grows to be quite large and has sufficient lifting ability to carry a man.
Domestication of the skrill has proven elusive, however, and only the highland folk known as the Queln have thus far proven successful.
Red Manakin
The semi-mythical creatures inhabit the Steppes of the Southern Polar Region, especialy in the Electris region south of Villa Real. They are said to be a multi-species co-operative collective of animals that live in extensive underground warrens. While unusual in itself the main reason that they are notorious is their ability to nullify the anti-gravity effects of liftwood and of the High Maritans, with catastrophic results. This was scoffed at by many till the Spanish crew galley San Hermenegildo crashed whilst exploring the Steppe beyond the Electris Mountains. The survivors described seeing a large group of small red furred creatures starring up at them immediately before the galley dropped like a rock.