Physical

The Ifrinn are large canine like animals who come in a variate of different sizes, shapes, and colors.
Standing any where from 5 to 8 feet tall once full grown the Ifrinn can reach weights of up to 2000 pounds (the largest recorded one being a young male weighing 2030 pounds).
There is very little physical difference between the genders as both males and females sport the pair of horns that adorn the Ifrinn's crown.
It has been observed that the Ifrinn have pupiless eyes although there ability to see is un hindered by this fact, and it is even suspected that the Ifrinn can see more than just the physical realm with their odd eyes. Ifrinn also have abnormally long tongues that, when fully extended, can reach the length of almost half the animal's
All Ifrinn have three digits on their forepaws and two on their back paws with a thickly padded sole that seems to aid the creatures when they roam terrines of all kinds.

Diet

The Ifrinn are omnivores animals, and equal opportunist. They have been known to both hunt down and scavenge prey (it has been observed that they have no aversion to carrion no matter what the state of decay). It seems that Ifrinn are more content to sustain themselves off vegetation and various fruits when young, and get more of a taste for meat once they hit puberty (which is around the age of 35) and beyond.
Pregnant Ifrinn and rutting males will become completely carnivorous for a time, while nursing females seem to resort to a herbivorous diet.

Social

Ifrinn are, by nature, rather solitary animals.
However, Ifrinn mate for life, and will form small family groups that consist of the parents and their younger offspring, although once offspring reach puberty they are normally driven out of the family group by their parents.
It has been seen that some Ifrinn parents will allow their matured offspring to stay within the family territory and claim a small area as there own before they become mated.

Lone Ifrinn are, under normal circumstances, cautious when confronted with another of their kind. However when it comes to defending territory or food the Ifrinn can become extremely violent, and territory deputes as well as mating deputes have been know to end with the death of one and sometimes even both animals.

Ifrinn are a highly intelligent and cognisant species that communicate with a variate of chirps, bark like sounds, and body language. It is also suspected that most of the communication between Ifrinn is on a level not understood by conventional methods.
Ifrinn are also skilled mimickers, and can mimic a wide range of sounds that include human speech.

Breeding and Age

Ifrinn go though a 24 month gestation period and give birth to small litters of live offspring (litters ranging from 1 to at most 3 young). An Ifrinn newborn will weigh ten pounds on average, and are normally much shorter in length than their adult counterparts, looking much more like dogs than anything else. Ifrinn will steadily gain weight and increase in length thorough youth until reaching adulthood.
As of yet there has been no recorded natural deaths of Ifrinn, thus their natural lifespan remains unknown (although the oldest one in existence is a female who is though to be over 2,340 years of age).

Species History~

The Ifrinn where first discovered by Welsh settlers and where deemed Cú Ifrinn, meaning Hell hound. It was thought that these creatures served the Celtic God of Death, Angau, because of their uncanny habit of gathering around those that are soon to die or recently passed. The species odd affinity for certain natural elements also lent to peoples belief that they where on some level supernatural beings.
Although the Ifrinn stayed creatures of myth and legend for several hundred years a sudden boost in sightings of the animals in increasing numbers around the globe lead to the a conserved effort to learn about and document them more thoroughly. The first Ifrinn was domesticated about 500 years ago. Although notoriously hard animals to domesticate once you have tamed an Ifrinn they are extraordinary useful guardians and, hunters, and have even been used as mounts.