Whistling Pig

Whistling Pigs, known in Flametongue as ‘marmots’, are furry, rotund rodents weighing 4 to 12 pounds depending on season. They reside primarily in open grasslands and dry scrublands, digging burrows underground in which to live and breed, emerging to feed on grasses, flowers, berries, insects, and the eggs of birds.

Most Whistling Pigs are active during only two seasons of the year, the Air and Water seasons, when the temperatures in the Southern deserts are lower and rare rains slightly more plentiful. Their feasting during this time builds reserves of fat, which see them through a hibernation period that lasts from partway through the Earth season through the Wood and Fire seasons. However, populations of Whistling Pigs are also found in the Northern Threshold, known as Snow Pigs, where this is reversed: the animals awaken during the warmth of the Wood and Fire seasons to feast, then hibernate through the frigid Air and Water months.

Whistling Pigs are named for their high-pitched whistle, which they issue to warn of approaching predators (such as wolves, coyotes, raptors, or humans), and for their fatty, meaty bodies, which are often used widely in local cuisines within their range.