Aggelads are large, mammalian, bovine zoan that are domesticated by many Phoviverse races. They are heavy, lumbering creatures, reaching heights of up to 1.9m at the shoulder and weighing up to 800kg. Their bodies are covered in thick, shaggy hair, with leathery skin underneath and vast amounts of both blubber and flesh. An aggelad’s body is put under a lot of stress from its weight, to it is surprising to see that aggelad bones are rather thin, even if they are incredibly dense. Their legs are particularly thick, ending in dense hooves made of bone. Male aggelads have three horns on their head, one above each ear and one above their nostrils. Females only have the horn above their nostrils. These bones are made of keratin, with a bony core, and slowly grow back if broken. Aggelads have floppy ears, and often have a large tongue sticking out of their mouths. They also have a small, fluffy tail.
The majority of their bulk comes from their herbivore diets – aggelads will eat almost any vegetation, especially stinging plants which most animals avoid. Aggelads will tend to avoid anything too woody, but will resort to eating bark and roots if they are hungry. Because of this diet, aggelads can live in a large variety of environments, including snowy plains and swamplands. They prefer alpine regions, as their heavy fur coats protect them from the cold elements.
All aggelads, domesticated and wild, live in large herds for safety. These herds consist of about a hundred members on average, although some herds may reach sizes of over 400, especially in mating seasons. Females and babies gather in the middle of the herd, with the strongest males leading the herd to fresh grounds. Weaker or older aggelads will hover at the back of the herd, regardless of gender, and are often the first to get picked off by predators. These are also the first to be slaughtered in domesticated herds, as to not affect the younger, more fertile members.
The mating season for aggelads begins in September. Males will lock horns and tussle to woo females, with the loser backing down. Fights between males are often rough and dangerous, and being gored from their horns is common, but deaths are rare. One male may mate with up to as many as ten females, but most will only mate with one or two. Females are pregnant for six months and give birth to up to three live young, called beks or kids. Beks will stay with their mothers for up to a year and slowly distance themselves over the next two years. They reach full size at the age of 4. Wild or domesticated, male aggelads live up to twenty years, while females can live up to thirty years if treated well.
Wild aggelads have many predators, particularly Chaoshar, Banikans and Thanatians, although the Banikans and Thanatians tend to have semi-domesticated herds which they partially hunt for sport. Due to their size and weight, they are often ignored by smaller predators, who are not large enough to get past the vast amounts of fur they have.
Domesticated aggelads are shaved every year for their fur, which is made into wool. They are also milked regularly, although they produce more milk in the spring when they have beks. Leather, bone, fat and flesh are all products from slaughtered aggelads.