Phian Griffins

Description
Griffins are usually slightly smaller than a riding horse, though can usually carry two 200 pound people. They have the body of a lion with the head, talons and wings of an eagle. They an have quite the diverse plumage in the wild, though tend to have duller colors to them such as brown, white and black. Most griffins in captivity tend to be white, though some have developed speckles on their feathers. Their females are around 10% larger than males.

Habitat
Griffins tend to make their nesting burrows in the highest points they can reach in the hills. However, human expansion on Phiah has forced them to lower areas, closer to the swamps.

Diet
A great majority of the griffin diet consists of fish, mostly salmon and trout, though they have also been seen hunting hares, raccoons, muskrats, beavers, deer, lizards and rarely humans. They are not above scavenging, though appear to only scavenge when there's a shortage of other creatures to prey on.

Behavior
Griffins tend to be reclusive creatures for most of their lives, though more often than not they will live in mated pairs for the majority of their lives. They were once thought to be fiercely territorial due to their habit of attacking humans, though recent studies have shown that they are willing to share hunting ranges quite well and sometimes can even be observed sharing their kills. There is a theory that some strange artifacts found in griffin nests are used for mating rituals, though the actual giving of these items has never been observed. Some people collect these gifts due to their uncanny similarity to people and other creatures found in the wild. They will lay one to five eggs, raising their young to their adulthood age of two years. Over all, a griffin usually lives to be about 20.

It has been observed that many griffins have the ability to use wind magic, though there has been little success in coaxing griffins raised in captivity to use their magic. Some theorize that it's their diet that causes this to happen, others believe there is some interference from humans that causes them to lose their ability to use magic. Both theories have holes in them since their diet in captivity is extremely similar to their wild counterpart's and they appear to retain the potential to use magic in their aura.

Relationship with humans
Wild griffins seam to be quite hostile toward humans. There have been several attempts to tame a wild born griffin that have failed tragically and usually with the death of the person making the attempt. However, when a griffin is raised in captivity, they tend to be much calmer and easier to train. In fact they have been used as as front line fighters during wars in the past. They have also been served as a delicacy.

There are strict regulations put on what can and can not be taught to a griffin due to past experiences. After an experiment in teaching griffins to read, several flew away into the wilds. Another attempt to teach griffins how to use tools lead to an entire factory having to be shut down when their machines kept mysteriously breaking. Yet another griffin related disaster occurred when a griffin tried to take in a human baby and raise it.

On Phiah, the griffin is both feared and revered. Their dangerous nature is quite well understood, though their grace and ferocity brings many observers to attempt to find their nests and see their hunts in action.