Bovids: Bovids are a diverse group that is somewhat informally grouped into the bovines (cattle, buffalo, and bison), caprines (sheep and goats), and antelope (everything else). They are ruminating herbivores with cloven hooves and perennial horns. They have keen senses with long, mobile ears and eyes set on the side of their head with horizontal pupils. Males use their horns to battle each other for dominance and mates. Males can get cranky, especially during the rutting season, and can sometimes pose a danger. Most bovids are social animals, gathering in herds ranging from pairs to millions. They are primarily diurnal, although the diversity of day-night cycle lengths on different planets can influence their habits.

Shown here are (left to right) a giant eland, gemsbok, addax, and dorcas gazelle.

Giant elands are large antelope with robust bodies, humped shoulders, and spiral horns. They inhabit dry, open areas such as scrub, grasslands, woodlands, and near deserts where their keen senses allow them to detect danger from far away. Elands are active primarily in the morning and evening, and both browse and graze. Eland are found in herds numbering in the hundreds. Often, several males will accompany a herd of females. Young elands will typically form herds with others of their own age.

Gemsbok are a kind of oryx. These mid-sized antelope are strikingly colored with black and white markings. They have long horns, with those of the gemsbok and Arabian oryx straight while the scimitar oryx has horns that curve back in a slight arc. These horns can be dangerous weapons, and a threatened oryx can use them to impale its attacker. Oryx are creatures of the desert, and can obtain all the water they need from the food they eat although they will drink if given the opportunity.

Like the oryx, the addax is a desert antelope, and does not need to drink. Addaxes tend to be rangy, gangly beasts with large hooves and spiral horns.

Gazelles are small, dainty, and agile antelope known for their high speed and nervous disposition. They are browsers, selecting easily digestible parts of plants. Gazelles are usually found in large herds, which keep a wary eye out for predators.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and saiga, blackbuck, kudus, impalas, waterbuck, and wildebeest can all be found within the Verge.

All caprines of both sexes have backward-curving horns. The horns of the males are larger and can be spectacular. They use their horns in vigorous head-to-head ramming contests to establish dominance. They are usually eager to bash anything nearby with their heads. Females' horns are much smaller.

Shown here are (left to right) the Siberian ibex, the desert bighorn sheep, and the mountain goat.

Ibex are primarily browsers, selectively eating the tips of shrubs and trees, vines, and leafy forbs. They can thrive on even sparse and coarse vegetation due to their broad diet. Males have long tufts of hair - beards - on their chins, and have a rank smell.

Bighorn sheep tend to dwell at lower elevation, warmer temperatures, and drier climates than many other caprines, although they still prefer cliffs, steep slopes, and rocky areas. They both graze and browse. The huge curling horns of the males can make nearly a full circle in breeding adults.

Mountain goats, while still caprines, are not true goats. They are white and very wooly inhabitants of high elevetions and cooler temperatures, generally above the tree line. Unlike many other caprines, the horns of both males and females are relatively modest sized and spike-shaped. They are primarily grazers munching on the carpet of grasses, moss, ferns, and lichen that covers the ground. Mountain goats can be very agressive – they are bad tempered and will often stand their ground and fight if threatened. The females spar and scrap over dominance in their herd, and will not hesitate to gore any threats to their offspring. The males, of course, battle each other for mating rights as with other bovids.

Dromedaries are a species of domestic camel that has gone feral. This species has a single hump on its back that is used for fat storage. These camels are well adapted to live in harsh arid climates. They can go for over a megasecond between drinking, can survive up to 30% water loss, and can make do with brackish water when they do drink. It is adapted to tolerate high heat, allowing its body to super-heat while keeping its brain cool enough to avoid death. Dromedary nostrils can seal shut to keep out wind-blown dust and sand; long eyelashes provide a similar function for the eyes. Their main diet is thorny desert plants.

The wild camel has a similar appearance to the domestic Bactrian camel, but is a separate species. It has two humps on its back for fat storage, and thick, shaggy hair. Like the dromedary, the wild camel is adapted to harsh desert conditions, but can tolerate colder temperatures and temperature swings from well below freezing to over 50°C. They can eat snow for water, and are one of the only mammals that can directly drink the hyper saline water of San Agustín's seas. Their nostrils can be sealed shut as protection against blowing dust and sand and a double row of long thick eyelashes to protect their eyes. Their primary food source are desert shrubs.

The guanaco is a smaller wild camelids, and the ancestor of the domestic llama. They have a wide range of habitats, including steppe, scrub, and alpine areas. Less desert adapted than other camelids, they can nonetheless survive in even the most arid regions if given regular access to water – such as drinking fog and dew. They are grazers and browsers, eating grasses, lichens, fungi, and cactus. Guanacos can tolerate high altitudes, and are often found well above the tree line.

Two species are shown here, the wild boar (left) and javelina (right).

Wild boar are the ancestors of domestic pigs; feral pigs are the offspring of escaped domestic pigs. Both ancestries of this species are present on most planets of the Verge, where they are common agricultural pests. They require thick vegetation for cover. Pigs will make simple nests by cutting grass and spreading it into a mat. They then crawl under the mat for shelter. They are fond of wallowing in mud. Pigs are mainly active at dusk, dawn, and at night. When young, feral pigs are striped; as many as a dozen piglets can be seen following their mother in their herds. The males have a strong smell as of musky sweat.

Javelinas, also known as collared peccaries or musk hogs, are a small variety of swine. They are cosmopolitan animals that make use of a broad variety of habitats, including drier lands such as deserts and scrub. They make their homes in burrows, under the roots of trees, caves, and under logs. Javelinas are usually active during the day, but will sometimes come out at night as well. When scared, they will release a strong scent and may give a barking sound.

The most common social arrangement of equiids is groups of one stallion, several mares, and their young (although some zebras practice alternate social behavior). The mares stay with the group throughout their lives, stallions are replaced when they can no longer fight off rival stallions. The group is led by a single experienced mare. The group usually travels single file, following the lead mare with the stallion bringing up the rear. Stallions that are not associated with a group of mares group together in bachelor herds of a few animals, with a similar social structure.

The most commonly found equiids found on the verge are domestic horses (left) and donkeys (right) and their feral conspecifics, although other species of wild ass, wild horse, or zebra can be seen on some worlds. Horses are specialized grazers of grass, and are found in open plains and scrub-plains. Feral donkeys and wild asses are tough, hardy creatures that thrive in desert and semi-desert environments. They get most of the water they need from the coarse vegetation they subsist on, although when their diet is dry they need supplemental water (which can include brackish water).

The species of cat shown here are (clockwise from the top) the leopard, housecat, and bobcat.

Leopards are large cats that are easily identified by their spotted coats. They prey on large animals, such as boar and antelope as well as the occasional domestic animal like dogs or cattle. Leopards are adept climbers, and are frequently seen lounging high in the boughs of large trees. They have a curious habit of dragging its prey up into the branches.

Of all the cats, housecats are the most frequently seen. They are commonly kept as pets by Humans, and are often allowed to spend considerable time outdoors coming and going as they will. In addition, many feral populations of housecats have been established. Housecats are a small species as far as cats go, and prey upon various small animals ranging from rodents and birds to small lizards and insects.

Bobcats are adpatable wild cats of intermediate size. They are notable for their short tails and the long tufts of hair at the tips of their ears. They will eat a wide variety of small prey, including rodents, rabbits, hares, songbirds, lizards, pheasants, grouse, and turkeys.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and other species such as lions, Canadian lynx, pumas, cheetahs, and sabercats can be found in the Verge.

Homotherium is rather atypical for a cat in having long slender legs, a short, stiff back, and a relatively long and flexible neck. Their claws are not retractable, and are used for traction when running. Large paws help them traverse snowy ground. They live in open habitats and are primarily active during the day. These are specialized endurance hunters, using pack tactics to chase down large prey to exhaustion. They will use their enlarged dewclaws to trip and grab smaller prey; and will attempt to weaken or cripple larger prey by slashing with their serrated teeth at the flanks, belly, and legs.

Smilodon, often called the "saber-tooth", is a large and powerful cat with the longest teeth of any Earth carnivoran. It is a pack hunter, working in and around cover to ambush large prey. Smilodons are excellent jumpers. They are exceptionally muscular and robust, an adaptation to leap on to camels, bison, elk, horses, juvenile mammoths, and other huge beasts and then wrestle them to the ground. Only after subduing its victim with its strength and claws will it bring its fangs to bear, puncturing and then severing the throat with a precision bite.

Meerkats are found in arid, open habitats. They are highly social animals, foraging in groups of between two and thirty individuals. One pair is dominant; they form the nucleus of the group and are the only meerkats in the group to breed. The other meerkats help to care for the young. Meerkats are good burrowers, and excavate a nest of twisting tunnels in rocky areas. During the day, meerkats forage widely in their territory for insects and scorpions – along with the occasional egg or small vertebrate. At least one individual will be on watch at all times, ready to sound the alarm if danger appears. The foraging meerkats trade off on this watch duty to allow all members to find food. Meerkats are highly territorial, and will fight viciously with meerkats from other groups. However, they often share their burrows with animals from other species, such as ground squirrels or other herpestids or mustelids.

Slender mongooses are lithe and solitary hunters. Diurnal, they will often climb trees in pursuit of birds but are primarily terrestrial. As befits a true mongoose, they often prey on venomous snakes. They are found in a wide range of habitats, from forests and scrub to plains and arid lands.

Shown are two smaller canids, the red fox (left) and coyote (right). Both primarily take prey smaller than themselves, and are known to be fast, cunning, stealthy, and adaptable. They adapt well to urban environments, where they scavenge trash and catch small urban animals (including, in the case of coyotes, the occasional cat).

The red fox is the smaller of these canid species. They usually have red-orange fur, but may range from grey to silver, black, or brown, often with a darker stripe along the spine. They have a distinctive musky odor, and can use their musk to mark territory or leave "stink bombs" when upset or frightened.

Coyotes are larger, and will occasionally hunt in small packs to catch some of the smaller antelope species. Coyotes keep in touch with other members of their pack with their eerie yipping howls, the same howls also helps to warn other packs off their hunting territory. Coyotes and badgers often team up to hunt together; the coyote scares prey down into their burrows, badgers flush them back out again, leaving nowhere for the prey to hide.

The dirt weasel is the American badger, a stocky animal with distinctive black and white face markings and the powerful front legs and large shovel-like claws that make it such an accomplished digger. Badgers make a living digging up prey animals in their burrows. They will also eat carrion, and have a habit of burying large carcases to protect them from other scavengers.

The tunnel weasel is the long-tailed weasel, a tiny carnivoran with a long flexible body that enters the burrows of its prey to kill them in their dens. Although most of their food is made up of small rodents, long-tailed weasels are known for occasionally killing prey much larger than they are such as rabbits or seagulls. If given the opportunity, long-tailed weasels will kill far more than they can eat immediately, and stash the remainder away to consume later.

The tree weasel is the pine marten. This agile animal scampers up trees and leaps between branches. Much of its diet is composed of squirrels and birds along with other small animals, but it also feeds on fruit, berries, honey, and eggs. The San Agustín population of pine martens has become adapted to urban habitats, where they make homes in parks and backyard trees.

The water weasel is the Canadian river otter. Powerful swimmers, they can be spotted moving in small groups through rivers and lakes, foraging for fish and shellfish. Many river otters carry some lontra genes, making them more intelligent, more dextrous with their forepaws, and friendlier toward people.

New Carolina has several species of fruit bats, which disperse the seeds of various fruit trees.

Various worlds of the Verge have feral colonies of Guinea pigs descended from escaped pets. These chunky rodents scurry around through networks of tunnels made in thick brush. They are social creatures that live in herds consisting of a male and several females and their offspring. Guinea pigs eat grass, leaves, flowers, and buds.

Long tailed chinchillas are stocky gray rodents with dense soft fluffy fur. They live on cliffs and rock piles, easily hopping from rock to rock or ledge to ledge, and nesting among the cracks and crevices. Chinchillas live in large herds of several dozen individuals. They eat leaves, seeds, fruit, and insects. Populations of chinchillas can be found on San Agustín and Zhǎngshān.

Capybaras are the largest rodent. They are semi-aquatic, found along rivers and in marshes, lakes, ponds, swamps, and flooded fields. They eat water plants, grass, and fruit. Capybaras are usually found in herds of one to two dozen individuals, although sometimes they gather in groups of as much as a hundred. They can be found on Gateway, Žemyna, and New Carolina.

The North American porcupine is a large, slow, lumbering rodent covered in long hair and sharp quills. The quills are used for defense; they lodge in the skin easily and are difficult to remove. These animals are solitary except during mating and females with young. Porcupines spend much of their time in trees, where they eat leaves, buds, berries, nuts, twigs, and insects. Porcupines are common on Homestead.

Tree squirrels are arguably the best known of the squirrels, and likely what one thinks of when the word "squirrel" is mentioned. These animals are highly arboreal, scampering among the branches as easily as on the ground. They feed on nuts, seeds, fruit, flowers, buds, herbs, bark, mushrooms, and occasionally insects and other small animals. Tree squirrels hoard their food for lean times in numerous small caches; in doing so they can be critical for spreading seeds that help to regenerate forests. They nest in tree hollows or in the forks of trees. The most familiar tree squirrel in the verge is the eastern gray squirrel, which can be found on all human inhabited worlds. Shown above is an eastern gray squirrel.

Flying squirrels are gliding mammals, capable of soaring between the tree tops. They require mature forests for habitat, and thus are rare in the Verge where few forests have had time to reach maturity. Homestead has a small and closely monitored population of flying squirrels in its oldest forests.

Marmots, including the groundhog, are large burrowing squirrels with short legs and powerful digging bodies. Many species live among rocks, boulders, or talus; others prefer grassland and meadows. In either case, they generally dig a set of tunnels for a home. They eat grass, herbs, roots, moss, lichens, and berries. In areas with a prolonged season of low productivity (such as freezing winters), marmots will hibernate until the growing season returns. In the picture above, a hoary marmot is shown.

Prairie dogs are ground squirrels that live in "towns" consisting of an extensive interconnected network of underground tunnels that, in the largest cases, can house millions of individuals. These highly social squirrels are cooperative, with some individuals standing watch for predators while the others forage for food. They eat primarily grass and seeds, but also occasionally dine on herbs, roots, fruit, buds, or insects.

Chipmunks are small, agile squirrels boldly marked with black and white lines running down their otherwise rusty-tan bodies. They live in burrows but readily climb trees and other structures. Chipmunks eat seeds, nuts, buds, and mushrooms; but are also quite omnivorous and will happily eat insects, spiders, worms, frogs, eggs, and hatchling birds. Food is often carried in cheek pouches. They hoard food in their burrows in preparation for seasons of low productivity. The eastern chipmunk is shown above.

Assorted other ground squirrels can be found in the Verge. These generally live in burrows; eat grass, seeds, and herbs; and hibernate or aestivate during periods of low productivity. Shown above is the Uinta ground squirrel, common on San Agustín.

Dormice are agile nocturnal and arboreal sciuromorphs that are not true squirrels. They have sticky feet that they use for climbing. Dormice eat nuts, seeds, flowers, buds, fruit, and insects. During productive seasons they pack on fat, and then hibernate for as long as 16 megaseconds (half an earth year). Edible dormice are a species common on Žemyna, and like the name suggests are often hunted for sport and form part of the planet's cuisine. This species is generally solitary, but mothers often cooperate to raise their young together in creches.

Pocket gophers are agricultural pests, and so have only been deliberately introduced to Homestead. However, they have spread to New Carolina and Prospect. They live most of their lives undergound, making an extensive system of tunnels. From underground, they collect roots and vegetables in their fur-lined cheek pouches. These are taken to their larders to add to their food hoard. Pocket gophers are solitary except for breeding or females raising their offspring. They are capable of rapidly scurrying backward, using their short tail for sensing, as fast as they can run forward.

The kangaroo rats and mice and the closely related pocket mice are nocturnal desert dwellers. They feed primarily on seeds and do not need to drink. They dig an extensive network of burrows for their homes and to act as larders for their seed hoards. Of these, pocket mice primarily run around on all fours while kangaroo rats and mice stand bipedally and move by hopping. The largest of the kangaroo rats can leap nearly 3 meters in one jump.

Beavers are the largest of the castorimorphs; second only to the capybara in size among the rodents. They are valued for their role in water management. Beavers are semi-aquatic, excellent swimmers that spend most of their life in or near water. They eat primarily the bark of trees growing near the water, along with some marsh plants such as cattails and water lilies. Aspen, poplars, and willow are common food trees. A beaver will instinctively wedge branches, mud, and rocks into places where they hear running water, forming a dam that creates a pond ideal for growing their preferred foods. These ponds form rich habitat for other aquatic species; but importantly slow down rushing water during heavy rains, reducing or eliminating flooding, and provide a reservoir of water that helps to prevent or alleviate droughts. Beavers will build a lodge of sticks and mud for a home and to store larders of food. In places that get freezing weather, this allows them food to over-winter. From their ponds beavers will dig a network of canals that allow them to gather food over a wide area without ever being far from water, and to transport food back to their lodge in the water.

The most commonly encountered rabbit species in the Verge is the Eurpoean rabbit, either from deliberate introduction or feral populations from escaped pets and livestock. The European rabbit is a highly social rabbit. Their colonies dig extensive warrens, or networks of tunnels, to live in. They prefer to live in short grasslands with cover near feeding areas, with well-drained soil so their warrens do not flood. They primarily eat grasses, although they will take other vegetables and leaves. European rabbits give birth to large litters of helpless young in burrows separate from the main warren; they can get around on their own after 1 – 1.5 megaseconds, and are mature at 10 megaseconds.

Cottontails are rabbits that, while tolerant of other cottontails, are not particularly social. They live in burrows made by other animals, although they will also rest in shallow scrapes made in the ground. Cottontails mostly eat grass, with the occasional twig, leaf, scrap of bark, or fallen fruit. Their young are born in a burrow, helpless and with their eyes closed.

The black-tailed jackrabbit is a kind of hare. It lives in arid and semi-arid regions with brush for cover, where it browses on grass, shrubs, and forbs. Hares are generally solitary. They nest in shallow scrapes in the ground underneath brush, and give birth in similar nests. The young are born fully furred, with eyes open, and able to get around from birth. Hares are fast, powerful runners and rely on speed and good senses to escape predators.

Ground sloths feed by hooking branches with their long arms and enormous claws, and pulling them down to mouth's reach, where they eat the leaves. With their enormous fermenting gut keeping their center of mass over their hips, they can rear up on their hind legs to reach high into trees, keeping balance by resting on their muscular tail.

Ground sloths have thick, tough skin embedded with plates of bone. The largest of the sloths have bare skin to help them better shed heat. Smaller varieties, on the other hand, often have shaggy fur.

While slow on the straightaway, they can turn in place very quickly. When harassed, they stand their ground, swiping at their antagonists with their powerful limbs. One blow from a sloth's claws can disembowel a sabercat or crush the skull of a dire wolf. Meanwhile, the sloth's armor skin and thick hair help armor it from the attacks of most predators.

Perhaps the most impressive of the cingulata is Glyptotherium, a giant grazing armadillo that has been de-extincted from genes found in Pleistocene fossil remains. Large individuals can grow to over two meters long and nearly half a ton in mass. They are creatures of the plains and primarily graze on grass, although they often venture into swampy or marshy areas to munch on softer aquatic vegetation. They do not move quickly, but rely on their armor and blows from their knobbed tail clubs to ward off enemies. Males compete by bashing each other with their tail clubs in fights over females or territory or just general crankiness.

The rock hyrax, or dassie, is a common resident of rock outcrops where they live in groups of several dozen individuals that forage for plants up to 50 meters from their home. Some will keep watch, and sound the alarm if danger appears. Dassies have unusual tusk-like front teeth and the feet have large pads that help them cling to rock faces.

Several species of sengis, also called elephant shrews, have been introduced. These are fast-moving small animals with long legs and an elongated snout. They feed on small invertebrates.

A number of tenrec species have established populations. The most commonly encountered is the tailless tenrec, which is also the largest tenrec species. It has a long snout and spiny hairs, lives in burrows that it digs, and eats a variety of small animals ranging from insects, spiders, and worms to mice and frogs as well as fruit and vegetables. Tailless tenrecs can hibernate for extraordinarily long periods of time – over 20 megaseconds – to wait for favorable cliactic conditions.

The golden moles are burrowing animals that spend almost all their lives below the ground. They lack external eyes and have no obvious ear opening, but have very powerful forelimbs and large shovel-like claws for burrowing. One species lives only in sand, through which it swims as it searches for food by the vibrations of its movement. Other speices live in soil in which they construct networks of tunnels. The main diet of all golden moles is termites, although they will eat other insects and even small reptiles.

Proboscidians are herbivores that eat a variety of plant matter. The females live in family groups led by the oldest and wisest matriarch. Adult males live apart, either singly or in small bachelor groups. While any given group will generally keep in close proximity, separate groups and lone individuals keep track of each other over enormous distances through infrasound rumbles, which they hear using their feet. On average, males will be significantly larger than females. Adult males will enter a state called musth every few tens of megaseconds (about an Earth year) and lasts between under a megasecond to many megaseconds (a few months). In this condition they become irritable, restless, energetic, aggressive, unpredictable, and interested in mating. They will seek out herds with receptive females, and can be very dangerous to people they encounter.

Proboscidians reproduce slowly, and take a long time to reach adulthood. Consequently, there has not been enough time to establish large populations of any species of proboscidian anywhere in the Verge. While present, their numbers are generally small and are expected to remain small for some time. The Heritage Genebank used genetic samples from La Brea Columbian mammoths, permafrost mummy Woolly mammoths, and remains of American mastodons from sites in Wisconsin and Illinois to make clones. The first generation were grown inside vat-wombs, but as the population grew the elephants started reproducing naturally. With a sustained effort at reintroduction, these are some of the largest proboscidian populations in the Verge. Meanwhile, escaped Asian elephants have become established in Gateway, San Agustín is some semi–wild herds of African bush elephants, and African forest elephants have been deliberately introduced to New Carolina and Solace - in the former case so they would maintain elephant paths and so the jungles could be better navigated by people.

The African bush elephant lives in tropical climates in environments ranging from desert to grassland and savanna. They are well adapted to high temperatures, with mostly bare skin and large fan-like ears for dissipating heat. Both sexes have tusks, although those of the males grow larger than those of females. They are both effective grazers and browsers, eating grass, leaves, woody branches, herbs, fruit, and seeds. They often knock over trees when feeding, helping to keep the landscape open.

African forest elephants strongly resemble African bush elephants, but are considerably smaller. As their name implies, they live in humid tropical forests. Their diet primarily consists of leaves, branches, bark, seeds, and fruit. These elephants will maintain a system of trails that allow them to pass through the dense jungles they call home. They often gather in wetland clearings to feed, drink, bathe, and socialize.

The Asian elephant is the closest relative of the mammoths, although it is significantly smaller and has only sparse hair. It is a generalist herbivorous feeder that can be found in a wide variety of habitats, from grassland to forest, and is most active at dusk and dawn. Female Asian elephants mostly lack tusks; the tusks of the males can reach a moderate size but often remain short (the one shown to the left is one of the individuals with large tusks).

The Columbian mammoth is the largest extant proboscidian. This enormous elephant lives in temperate and seasonally cold climates, in habitats ranging from plains through open forests. In winter it grows a thick layer of fur. The enormous curling tusks of the males are used for shoving matches as they compete for dominance. Females have smaller but still significant tusks. Both sexes can use their tusks to sweep snow off the ground to uncover food in winter, as well as to break ice to get water, dig for buried roots and tubers, and strip bark off trees. Like all mammoths, its trunk has a "mitten", a region near the end with flaps of skin that flare out like a cobra's hood. Without fur at the end of their trunks, their trunk-fingers would risk getting numb or frost-bitten in cold winter temperatures. So the tip can curl up and be wrapped in the warm furred mitten. These mammoths eat a wide variety of plant foods, from grass to brush and trees.

The other living member of the mammoth group of elephants is the woolly mammoth. This creature is adapted to arctic climates and extreme winter cold, living mainly in tundra and cold steppe environments. It is covered in a dense layer of shaggy fur, and has thick layers of fat under its skin. Woolly mammoths have small ears and short tails to conserve heat, but long hairs at the end of a mammoth's tail make it look longer than it really is. Their backs have a noticeable hump in adults. Like the Columbian mammoth, woollies have trunk mittens and the males have huge curling tusks. Woolly mammoths mostly eat grasses and sedges, but will opportunistically also eat herbs, bushes, and moss.

The American mastodon is not a true elephant, but a more distantly related variety of proboscidian. These are forest dwellers, primarily browsing on leaves, twigs, buds, conifer needles, pine cones, vines, and fruit. Mastodons restrict themselves to closed forests, and are only rarely found in open habitats, and never for long.

Phalangeriformes: Several varieties of possum have been introduced across the Verge. The common brushtail possum is by far the most successful of these. Brushtail possums are arboreal and nocturnal animals that feed primarily on leaves. They are well adapted to living around Humans, and are common in towns and cities. They are common pests, raiding gardens and damaging crop and ornamental trees. Brushtail possums can be very vocal, and their screams and other noises can be a nuisance.

Didelphids: The Virginia opossum is frequently seen in urban areas, as well as in forest and shrublands. It is an opportunistic omnivore, taking insects, eggs, small vertebrates, fruits, nuts, and vegetables; and will frequently raid trash cans, gardens, compost piles, and pet food left outdoors. They are, however, valued for their ability to control ticks, as they consume these bloodsucking pests in abundance whenever they find them. Opossums are skilled climbers, aided by their prehensile tail and opposable big toe. They are rarely seen during the day, mainly emerging at evening and night. Females with young will carry their offspring clinging to their their back.

Patagonian conures, also known as burrowing parrots, are an arid land parrot species that is notable for digging burrows in cliff faces for nests rather than relying on pre-existing tree hollows. They can even dig into soft rock like sandstope or limestone. They are green-grey about the head and shoulders, grey-brown chest and neck, a light colored collar mark, with yellow legs and rump, a red patch on their lower abdomen, bright green-blue on the upper part of their flight feathers, and a white ring of bare skin around their eyes. They prefer dry, open habitats near water sources.

Galah cockatoos are striking pink, crimson, and grey birds. They live in open habitats with scattered trees or brush, and thrive in urban areas. The crest of feathers on their heads indictes their emotional state – raised if excited or surprised, or flattened when scared or angry.

Cockatiels are small parrots, found flying in moderate sized flocks around arid and semi-arid lands, usually close to water and often in scrub or brush. They are nomadic, moving with the availability of food and water. Like galahs, their head crest indicates their emotional state.

Yellow-shouldered amazon parrots are bright green birds with yellow markings on their faces and wing-shoulders. They are commonly found in scrublands and dry forests.

Thick-billed parrots are green birds with a red face mask and red and yellow feather patches elsewhere on their bodies. As their name suggests, they have particularly powerful beaks. They are generally found in dry forests at high altitudes, and can tolerate cold temperatures and harsh winter weather. They primarily eat the seeds of pines and other conifers, but will occasionally also take other nuts such as acorns. Their calls are reminiscent of Human laughter.

Budgerigars, also called budgies and parakeets, are small parrots. Their wild-type coloration has a green belly, yellow and black markings on the head, back, and wings, and blue tail feathers. However, as most wild populations in the Verge are descended from animals in the pet trade, many budgies lack yellow pigments and thus have blue in place of green and white in place of yellow, with the occasional white and black or pure white individual cropping up. Budgies are found in huge flocks living in open scrub and woodland near water sources. They feed primarily on grass seeds, and can be a pest when they consume cultivated grains.

Keas are large mountain parrots known for their inquisitiveness, clownish antics, and destructiveness toward anything they can pry apart with their beaks. They are more omnivorous than most parrots, and predate small animals and scavenge carrion in addition to digging for roots, nipping leaves, pluching berries, and sipping nectar. They have drab coppery to olive green plumage; but in flight reveal brightly colored red patches underneath the wings, a red rump, and irridescent blue-green flight feathers.

Magpies are strikingly colored black and white birds, with a chattering call. They can be found in a wide range of habitats, including urban areas, but require trees for nesting. They often associate with large herbivores, picking off ticks and other parasites.

Red-billed choughs are black birds with a bold red-colored downward-curved beak. They are highly acrobatic fliers. They are primarily found at high elevation. They nest in caves or fissures in cliffs and crags, or occasionally in old buildings, mineshafts, or quarries. The main component of their diet is invertebrates, particularly ants, which are preferentially foraged in fields with grass grazed short by herbivores.

Ravens are the largest of the corvids, with a jet black color. These birds will predate small animals, plunder nests for their eggs, and scavenge at carcasses. They often gather around the kills of large carnivores, waiting for a chance to snatch a tasty morsel. Ravens can survive across a wide range of climates and from high altitude to sea level, although they prefer highly contoured landscapes and rarely enter urban areas. They will nest in both cliffs and trees. The voice of a raven is a harsh croak, although they can mimic other sounds including the voices of sapients.

American crows are all black in color, and is often confused with ravens. They are adaptable birds, found in a wide range of habitats, and often live in towns and cities near sapients. They require trees for nesting, so are absent from treeless environments during the breeding season.

Scrub jays are small blue and white corvids. As their name suggests, they inhabit scrub as well as woodlands and open forests but are also found in urban and suburban areas. Scrub jays are known for cacheing food at a large number of sites around their territories. With their remarkable memories, they can keep track of the hundreds of places they have hidden their grub. Scrub jays will often steal food from each other or other animals, and will make efforts to conceal their caches and ensure they are not observed while secreting away their morsels.

Shown is the terror bird Titanis, which stood approximately 1.5 meters at the hips and with the head often at 2 or more meters in height in a neutral pose.

The griffon vultures specialize in eating the internal organs and softer muscle meat. They have long, flexible necks that let them stick their heads deep into a dead animal's body cavity; and mostly bare heads and necks to make it easier to keep themselves clean of gore.

Lappet-faced vultures have powerful beaks for ripping in to tough food. They specialize in eating the skin, tendons, gristle, cartilage, ligaments, and other rough body parts. Other scavengers at an intact carcass often need to wait for lappet-faced vultures to show up in order to rip through the skin and open it up so everyone can feed.

Lammergeiers are huge eagle-sized birds that fill out San Agustín's scavenger guild. They are specialized to feed primarily on bone. However, they are more predatory than most vultures and will kill animals ranging from tortoises (which they drop to break open) to goats and sheep (which they knock off cliff sides). When faced with a bone too big to swallow whole, a lammergeier will pick it up, soar high into the sky, and then drop it on a rock to crack it into more manageable bits.

Of the pictured cuckoos, starting at top left and going clockwise, we have the chestnut-breasted malkoha, an inhabitant of tropical moist forests. This cuckoo has a fairly typical reproductive strategy, with the breeding pair constructing a nest in a tree and raising their young.

The great lizard cuckoo is a large and adaptable species that inhabits a variety of tropical habitats, from scrub and savanna to forests and agricultural areas. This species likewise builds a nest and the breding pair cooperate to raise the young.

The common cuckoo is a migratory species found in open land. It eats primarily insects, including various noxious caterpillars. This species is a notorious brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other birds. When the egg hatches, the newly emerged cuckoo throws the other eggs out of the nest so that it may have the undivided attention of its unwitting adoptive parents. The common cuckoo's colors mimic that of smaller accipiter hawks, which might help the female to scare off nesting birds for long enough to lay her eggs.

The greater roadrunner is a primarily ground dwelling cuckoo. While capable of limited flight, it prefers to walk or run – although it will fly to escape predators. It is found in hot, arid climates. In addition to the usual cuckoo diet, roadrunners are also well known for their habit of killing and consuming venomous snakes. Roadrunners are monogomous nesters who usually raise their own young, although they are occasional brood parasites.

The groove-billed ani is a tropical bird of open and semi-open lands, including pastures and orchards. It feeds more on fruit and seeds than many other cuckoos, but fills out this diet with a variety of insects. Anis live in groups of several breeding pairs. They lay their eggs in a single nest, and cooperate to incubate the eggs and care for the young.

This is but a sampling of the diversity of cuckoo species.

Terns are smaller lari, which commonly catch small bait fish by hovering over the water, then diving to catch their prey.

Skuas are large, powerful lari. These aggressive birds will catch and eat fish, but they are as likely to predate other birds or small mammals, scavenge, or act as aerial pirates by harrassing other sea birds until they drop their catch.

Skimmers are small lari with an unusual appearance for an unusual hunting technique. Their lower beaks are significantly longer than their upper beaks, and are thin and blade like. Skimmers fly just above the surface of the water with their lower beak slicing through the water's surface. When they run into a fish or other small aquatic animal, they snap their bills shut to catch the creature for their dinner.

The awks are a group of diving lari, which includes the guillemots, murres, and puffins. They fly from their roosts on land out to sea, then dive after bait fish using their wings to swim.

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