Mukaali

Mukaali, are a xenos species utilised by the Tallarn Desert Raiders Imperial Guard regiment's specialised Rough Rider squadrons. These mounts originate from the deserts of the Imperial world of Goru-Prime, but have since been imported to other Imperial Desert Worlds such as Tallarn. These mounts are ideally suited to arid environments.

History
Rough Riders are specialised mounted cavalry units found among numerous Imperial Guard regiments from Feral and Frontier Worlds where riding animal mounts remains a commonplace military skill. Many primitive cultures from such worlds retain the use of such mounted units in warfare. The Imperial Guard often employs these mounted cavalry units on the field of battle, where they are especially suitable for uneven terrain that is unsuitable for tracked vehicles. The Tallarn Desert Raiders utilise these Rough Rider squadrons, as they employ the same favoured strategies of the Tallarn -- stealth, swiftness, and the killing blow. The The riders of the Tallarn Rough Rider squadrons ride to battle mounted on horses, but some of the Tallarn regiment's Rough Rider squadrons ride large reptilian xeno-mounts, called Mukaali. These desert-dwelling herbivores are originally to the vast equatorial deserts of Goru-Prime. Many Mukaali have been transported to other desert worlds, including Tallarn itself, because of their superior evolutionary advantages in dry desert conditions. Part of many Tallarn regiment's battle-honours include the right to export thousands of Mukaali'sfrom Goru-Prime every ten years. Some regiments no longer exercise these rights, but many still do.

Biology
The Mukaali (sometimes locally referred to as Sand Pacers), live in huge herds. They are grazers, living on a thin diet of tough shrubs. They have multiple stomachs which can process most vegetation, this is then regurgitated for ingesting a second time. A Mukaali can survive for long periods on very small amounts of food and water. Conversely, they have very poor protection against cold climates and die quickly when exposed to sub-zero temperature for any length of time. A Mukaali's main advantage over a horse is its exceptional endurance and load bearing capability. In the driest of hot desert conditions they can keep going for days, even without food or water, and will long outlive a horse or a human rider. A Mukaali-mounted Rough Rider squadron can rang further afield and carry more equipment than a horse-mounted squadron. A Mukaali's feet are adapted to move over sand at speed. Large soft pads help spread their weight to avoid sinking in soft sand. Their thick hides generally have a mottle grey/blue colouring, running to a pink/brown underbelly.

Uses
Mukaali mounts can carry heavy loads, and are sometimes used for transporting supplies or towing other equipment. Once broken and trained, Mukaali are well-tempered and placid creatures, if rather dim-witted, but lack any natural aggression. They make superb riding beasts and beasts of burden in arid climates, as they quickly demonstrated during the Taros Campaign, but will not fight. Even Mukaali bull males show little aggression, and faced with any danger an unmounted Mukaali always flees.