A Paper on Unicorns

Introduction

“Don’t they have some sort of special power?”

That’s usually the first thing they ask. I am a unicorn specialist/forest guide. Mostly my job consists of taking tourists through The Forest, hoping to see a unicorn herd, or at least a maverick looking to start his own herd.  People have all kinds of misconceptions about unicorns, I’ve found. There are a few common ones, such as “magic” powers, always being white and being gentle/attracted to “innocents”. Let me tell you, none of this is true. They don’t have magic powers anymore than you do. Most are white, but there are exceptions, just like you’ll occasionally meet somebody with green eyes. And just like everything else in these forests, unicorns are wild animals, not some tame pet. If you stumble onto a herd, and approach them slowly in a non-threatening manner, the stallion will most likely ignore you, whether or not you’re “innocent”. If you don’t… well, let's just say, those horns aren’t just for decoration.
         

I’m not surprised how little is known about unicorns outside of Neraidia. After all, there aren’t any left elsewhere in the world. No, what surprised me is how little native Neraidians know about them. I mean, the unicorn is our national symbol. Yet, it was someone who lives in the town just east of The Forest who asked me “So, why hasn’t anyone ever tamed a unicorn?” Belive me, people have tried.


So it is because of all these misconceptions and false beliefs that I am writing this. There aren’t many unicorns left in the world. Wheras they used to flourish in forests across the world, with hundreds and hundreds of thousands of herds, now there are only about 30 herds left in one little corner of the globe. Of course, it’s hard to know exactly how many there are. Unicorns are very shy creatures, even towards one of the Winged Folk who has knowledge of such things. (There’s another misconception: that just because I can fly, it means I can control/communicate with unicorns. I wish.) While it is true they seem to fear Winged Folk less, that does not mean they welcome us into their herd. Studying unicorns can be dangerous and unfruitful work, due to their dislike of strangers and formidable natural weapons. However, there is a certain amount of information that is known and a greater amount that is guessed at.


                                      Behavior and Social Structure
Unicorns are similar to horses in that they live in herds with a clear hiearachy, which are led by an alpha. However, unlike horses, unicorn alphas are always stallions. Experts speculate that this may be due to the male’s horn enabling him to better protect the herd from danger. Each alpha will have a harem of mares who give him alone breeding right and look to him for protection.


Males usually challenge the alpha to a horn-fight sometime after four years of age.  The winner of this contest becomes the new alpha, with the loser being driven out. Young males driven out in such a manner often seek to form their own herd, and are called mavericks. Young colts almost only ever defeat stallions who are extremely old and/or sick. When such a stallion is driven out, he rarely survives longer than a week or two.


Occasionally, though, a colt will defeat a healthy stallion. In such cases, the stallion is called a loner, and will strike out on his own to reform a new herd. A female foal can expect to live out her life in the same herd as her mother, unless she joins a maverick or loner’s new herd or bonds with a particular stallion. Occasionaly you will see a mare and stallion mate for life, in which case, they drop to the lowest rank in the herd, just above the colts and fillies. Bonded couples are often kicked out of their own herd, and join a maverick wishing to start his own. Often these couples perform the work of childcare for the entire herd.


When a unicorn herd is threatened, the colts and young stallions form a protective ring around the females and young ones, facing outward. The alpha stallion will confront the danger if it comes from one source, or lead the herd away if it is many in number. Thus, if you travel with a group, you are less likely to see unicorns, but much more likely to go uninjured if you should see them.
 
     
The place to see unicorns is a sub-tropic woodland. They usually live near a stream or some other steady supply of water, as an adult unicorn will consume 12-15 gallons of water a day. They tend to avoid climates which regularly reach above 100°F, or below 10°F.


Very little is known about unicorn mating habits and rituals, other than that almost all foals are born in early spring. This leads many authhorities to believe there is a specific “mating season”, and if gestation is similar to a horse’s (that is, about eleven months) this mating season would be during mid-late winter. It is noted that most colts challenge the alpha stallion just a few months after birthing season, thus allowing about 5-7 months for mavericks and loners to form a herd before mating season.


                                        Anatomy and Physical Description
Unicorn anatomy is similar, though not identical to, horse anatomy. Perhaps the most notable diference is the spiraling horn so coveted for jewelry and untensils. Overhunting for unicorn-ivory greatly reduced the unicorn population and is largely responsible for the scarceness of these creatures. Unlike what is commonly believed, only adult males posess horns. These horns probably start out as a lump at birth, developing into a spiral of soft tissue during childhood, and hardening into a horn during puberty. Most horns are somewhere between ¾ and 1¼ the length of the unicorn’s neck. Male unicorn’s eyes are closer to the front than females’, and it is believed this enables them to see better when using their horn in defense.


One should be careful not to mistake a unicorn mare for a large white horse. Another major anatomical diference between horses and unicorns is in their tails. A horse’s tail consists of long hairs which are mostly useful in swatting insects. A unicorn’s tail is most similar to a lion’s, being fleshy and muscled down its length, with the end terminating in long hair. Thus a unicorn’s tail can be used as a sort of arm almost, as well as being used for communication.


Unicorns’ hooves, unlike horses’, are cloven. That is, they have two toes on each foot, rather than one. Also, males and some females have a bushy growth of hair on their chin, similar to a goat’s beard. As mentioned earlier, most unicorns are white, although occosianlly you will see one with black or brown stripes or splotches. Unicorns’ eyes mostly are a clear blue, although some of those with colored coats have brown eyes.


Unicorns generally are taller and propotionatally heavier than their equine cousins. Male adults usually weigh about 1500-1800 lb, with adult females weighing about 1200-14000 lb. There have been a few sightings of a unicorn "pony”; that is, an equine weighing about 600 lb. with a horn on its head. However, it should be noted that these sightings are not verified.


This is all the information I have gathered regarding unicorns which I have ascertained to be pertitent. Researchers are currently out in the field, studying herds from above to try and learn more of their behaviour, and by the time this is published, some of the information may be obselete or outdated. As it is, a modern guide to unicorns is desperately needed, as currently the best sources of information seem to be legends and myths. I can only hope that my efforts have helped to preserve one of the most magnificent creatures in The Forest.