"Speeryl (Side)" by Katherine Willow Moore

  This is a male Speeryl. You can tell by it's placid expression, tusks, and cool colored skin. Female Speeryl tend to have a brighter, hot colored hide and smaller teeth, while the infants have an earth toned fuzz, which falls away to reveal their skin color when they're big enough to fend for themselves. Both male and female have lines of silver scales on the soft parts of their bodies. Speeryl are interesting creatures, which live in complicated family systems consisting of both male and female, much like the common rabbit. They dwell in complex tunnel systems deep under the desert sand. The Speeryl uses the spikes on it's back both as a digging aid, and for self defense. Their large ears can pivot, making it easy to pick up the noises from their underground homes and locate possible predators, and their rectangular pupils make it much easier to see everything around them. Speeryl are a skittish breed of creature, but tame Speeryl are known to be placid, loving pets.