Finally, I got around to making a sketch of a shashi and posting it! How long have I been talking about them, again?

Anyway, shashi are nera (which also contain nerakai and tagnira), closely related to other canids, especially foxes. They share several traits with the other nera, including the overall shape of the skull, and most of the proportions and internal anatomy. In most ways, they are more comparable to the nerakai--they have poison glands, large ears, and a thin tail--but they have a build comparable to or heavier than the tagnira, as well as the second layer of eyelid known from the tagnira.

The most notable feature of the shashi is the plates. Most shashi have keratinous plates along their back, typically surrounded by tougher skin or rows of smaller plates, and often plates on their shoulders and/or hindquarters. In some individuals, the plates are ossified, though they are usually not as strongly overlapping in that case. Some shashi have the fused vertebrae in their tail as most nerakai do, but this deformity is uncommon and may be attributed to interbreeding or a recent common ancestor.

While shashi inhabit similar arid areas to the nerakai, they have a tendency to burrow to form their dens instead of relying on naturally-occurring crevices and other forms of cover to escape the daytime heat. They will eat just about anything, and are immune to a number of poisons found in desert creatures.

Shashi (and all nera) are my creations. In other words, copyright to me, Anomalous Fox. If you want to draw them or whatever, please ask before doing so!