Fogs
Fumis are a social species that will naturally form groups on their own accord, which are called Fogs. Fogs typically have a population of 5-15 adult fumis, and they are likely to split off if resources such as food, water, and space become scarce or crowded. The role a fumi plays in it's fog is determined by how dominant or submissive it is, although this structure in particular may have been taught to them by humans, since wild fog populations do not always share this hierarchy. Fumis don't exhibit a lot of territorial behavior towards other fumis, so it isn't uncommon for fogs to be living in close proximity to one another, even helping each other out at times! However an area can only sustain a certain amount of fumis at any given time, crowding or lack of vital resources forces fogs to keep their territories mostly separate. Territorial aggression is very rare, as mentioned before, but it can happen if too many fumis are trapped in an area that isn't large enough to support the population.
A fog's leader is usually determined by dominance (as mentioned before), which is most often a brute. If no brute is present, then the most dominant or brute-like thug takes the position of leader instead. Multiple brutes in one fog is very uncommon, since it's far more likely that the brutes will fight to the death or scare the challenger off, but it is possible if the other brute(s) are submissive to the leading brute. Multiple brutes sharing a leading position is almost unheard of, they would need to have a very close relationship to tolerate it.
A fog's leader is usually determined by dominance (as mentioned before), which is most often a brute. If no brute is present, then the most dominant or brute-like thug takes the position of leader instead. Multiple brutes in one fog is very uncommon, since it's far more likely that the brutes will fight to the death or scare the challenger off, but it is possible if the other brute(s) are submissive to the leading brute. Multiple brutes sharing a leading position is almost unheard of, they would need to have a very close relationship to tolerate it.
Classes
The classes mentioned above (nurse, thug, brute) occur for fumis in the painted and dwarf breeds. When they reach adulthood, they are categorized into one of these classes based on their physical features (which are determined by the fumi's hormones).
The information below is the same as what you'd find in the class section, the only difference being the images.
The information below is the same as what you'd find in the class section, the only difference being the images.
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Nurse
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Thug
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Brute
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Nurse Class
The 'submissive' extreme of the hormonal gradient, they typically are very even-natured and submissive. Nurse fumis are typically smaller in body, tusks, and horn size, and oftentimes have smaller feet as well. The role of a nurse in a fog is to raise puggles and rookies, as well as to protect valuable possessions. They stay in the nesting site and typically grow much fatter due to a more sedentary lifestyle, this may be to attract predators to attack and eat them rather than the puggles and/or rookies they may be protecting, and it is not uncommon for them to martyr themselves for the children. They are considered the least attractive members of the fog and are the least likely to breed (they definitely won't be breeding as the male, as that requires them to win the mating fights which they would not normally attempt, as they are very submissive) HOWEVER they are greatly respected by the rest of the fog and are protected just as fiercely as children would be by the rest of the group.
Thug Class
These fumis are what you would consider 'average', they fall somewhere in the middle of the hormonal spectrum, and can be more dominant or more submissive depending on the individual. Thug fumis are typically average in body, tusk, horn, and feet size. The role of a thug, when not filling the role of a brute when there isn't one present in the fog, is to gather food and resources for the fog, or to scout the area for danger. They may fill the role of a nurse if there is no nurse present in the fog.
Brute Class
The 'dominant' extreme of the hormonal gradient, they are more aggressive and dominant. A thug fumi becomes a brute by way of hormonal surges, which they accomplish by winning breeding fights. These hormones greatly alter a fumi's appearance over time until eventually the fumi is re-classified as a brute. Brute fumis are typically bigger in body, tusk, horn, and claw size, and they have much bigger front feet and smaller back feet, as well as a more lean/muscular build (although a particularly gluttonous brute can still be fat). The role a brute plays (other than just being leader) is also protecting the other fog members and it's territory, much like a male lion would protect it's pride, they generally stay around the nesting site.