Shirshu

The shirshu is a large star-nosed mole/anteater/dog-like creature found in the southern Earth Kingdom. The only known shirshu is Nyla.

Anatomy
The shirshu is a large star-nosed mole/anteater/dog-like creature that does not have eyes, but its inability to see is made up for by its remarkably keen sense of smell. The animal's face is dominated by a large snout that ends in a collection of small pink fleshy tentacles surrounding the nostrils, which are used to detect scents in the environment and effectively "see" its surroundings. The shirshu can smell a particular scent over hundreds of miles away, making it a superior tracker. In addition to its amazing smelling abilities, the shirshu's whip-like tongue contains paralyzing toxins. Depending on an animal's size and how hard one is hit, the shirshu's tongue can stun or paralyze prey from minutes to hours.

Connection
The shirshu is said to be the combination of a giant anteater, a German Shepherd, and a star-nosed mole, which engenders rumors that it has excellent digging ability. Instead of digging with its nose, it uses it much like that of a bloodhound in the real world.

Tamed behavior


Tamed shirshu's are used mainly for their superior tracking ability, as they could detect any particular scent anywhere in the world, paralyze their prey from afar without doing permanent damage, are extremely fast and agile and could travel over great distances without tiring significantly. Shirshu saliva contains powerful paralyzing toxins, which made it highly valuable, and was so used in the production of paralyzing darts.

In combat
Despite its size and weight, the shirshu has outstanding agility, and can hold its own in close combat situations. Using its powerful claws, it can easily protect itself from most threats, though in the majority of cases, close combat is unnecessary as the shirshu's paralyzing tongue can reach up to several meters and take down opponents before have a chance to get near. Its critical weakness is its highly sensitive sense of smell which can be overpowered by strong scents, effectively "blinding" it, and in some cases induces a frenzied panic.