[Bears Armed]

Basic Conditions: Location, Climate, Geology
The region runs approximately from 20[sup]o[/sup]N to 60[sup]o[/sup]N, so your nation's location on the northern shore of the Agrimaj Ocean should give it a basic climate roughly comparable to that of southern France but with a bit more & more reliable] rain along the coast and in the west. Your eastern neighbour Malabra, however, has an anomalously hot climate (except in the mountains, of course) which is likely to make the inland sections (below the mountains) of your country's eastern end warmer and drier than would otherwise be expected.
The river-valley forming most of your border with Malabra is part of the "seam" where the proto-Malabran land-mass collided with the region's northern continent several tens of millions of years ago: Unless you object, I'd say that (a) the lower reaches of that river are deep and rather brackish, rather than mainly freshwater; (b) there's at least one waterfall some way inland, where the land drops suddenly, probably just below the lower of the two large lakes, which blocks navigation further upstream but also keeps salt-water out of the higher reaches; and © that valley is prone to relatively frequent, but [usually] relatively mild, earthquakes.
The mountain-range along your northern border is relatively narrow, as they go, but tall enough for steep slopes and for some of the higher peaks to have permanent snow & ice at their tops.

Basic Ecosystem Suggestions

Obviously these are only suggestions, and you're free to reject any of them -- or to say that some of these species were present within [what's now] your nation but have been hunted to [local] extinction -- but anyway...

Any single species that in RL is native both to Eurasia and to North America is probably native to at least part of the IDU as well: e.g. Brown Bear, ['Gray'] Wolf, Barn Owl, Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Osprey.

Any basic type of animal with one or more species native to RL Eurasia and another one or more native to RL North America probably also has at least one of those species native to at least part of the IDU, too, or has one or more other species 'endemic' to (i.e. native only to) at least part of the IDU; e.g. Black Bear, Red Fox (if that isn't just one single species, in RL, anyway), Beaver, [European] 'Red Deer'/[American] 'Elk', Bison, [European] Otter/[American] River Otter, White-tailed Eagle/Bald Eagle.

Smaller species tend to have shorter generations than larger ones, allowing faster evolution, so are more likely to be endemic.

You probably have temperate forest as the native vegetation (where that hasn't been cleared for agriculture, construction, etc.) in the west and along the coast, shading into subtropical forest in the south-east. This would be mainly "˜broad-leaved' trees, some of them evergreen (e.g. Holly, Laurel, Bay-tree, Evergreen Oak), with conifers only on the poorer soils. Magnolias and wild Lilac are likely, and Gingko/Maidenhair Tree would be a possibility. In the foothills of the mountains in the north-east you might even have groves of the 'Puzzle-Pine' which -- instead of being a "true" Pine -- is actually quite a close relative of the RL 'Monkey-Puzzle' tree. Here in RL today that family has two species in South America but is otherwise restricted to the SW Pacific/Australasia/SE Asia regions: It was far more widespread in prehistory, however, with both the semi-precious 'Whitby Jet' [in the UK] and Arizona's 'Petrified Forest' being derived from trees of this general type... and in the IDU the ancestors of this one species, at least, also survived past the Cretaceous/Paleogene transition. The seeds, similar to large 'pine kernels', are a good food although collecting them is labour-intensive and supplies are limited.
The drier areas in the eastern interior would tend more towards scrub and grassland, with reed-beds & tall grasses more abundant than trees in the lower parts of the river-valley along the Malabran border. Vegetation in the mountains would go [with increasing altitude] from temperate forest or scrub through bands of mixed or coniferous woodland to more scrub (with extensive bamboo groves in the moister areas), and then to heathers and grassland below the snow line: Bears Armed has some species of "˜Tree-heathers' among its upland shrubs, and their range could plausibly extend to here.

I would expect this nation's species of large mammals[on land] to include Brown Bear probably [Iduvian] Black Bear (in the densest woods), Puma/Cougar/'Mountain Lion', IDU endemic the 'Snow-Cat' (a smaller relative of the Puma; in mountainous areas, mainly above the tree line), possibly Tiger (as it occurs both in Malabra and in the south-east of Bears Armed; likeliest to survive in the tall grasses of the river-valley on your eastern border, I think...), 'Gray' Wolf, possibly either Coyote or Golden Jackal but probably not both of those as they have very similar ecological roles, Wild Pigs, possibly Bison but more probably Wild Oxen(related to the now-extinct Aurochs of RL Europe; maybe replaced completely by domestic stock, or surviving now only in protected parks?), Sheep/Goats/Goat-antelopes of several species [i](in the mountainous areas), possibly Musk Deer [ditto], [Iduvian] Red Deer, [Iduvian] Fallow Deer, possibly Roe Deer, Iduvian Water Deer (related to the RL Chinese species); possibly wild Horses/Ponies of one or more kinds, possibly a 'Hairy' [non-tropical] species of Rhinoceros, and maybe even a surviving species of Chalicothere. In the drier & less wooded lands of the eastern interior you might also have "” extending their ranges westwards from north-western Malabra "” Blackbuck, Nilgai, Armadillos of various kinds (possibly even a species of Pampathere), the Giant Anteater, and Ground Sloths of various sizes...
Although we tend to think of Monkeys as tropical, some RL species do live in more temperate climates instead: This area could plausibly have a species of 'Macaque' (similar to the 'Barbary Ape' & the Japanese Macaque of RL) and/or a species of leaf-eating Snub-nosed Monkey (as one such species in RL manages to survive in montane woodland in central China), even in areas where the winter weather may include snow.


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I have some ideas about smaller land mammals, marine mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and even fish, as well... if you're interested?

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Some possibilities:

Ailurus cyaneus: Blue Panda (very similar to the RL Red Panda, apart from its colouring)
Hystrix malabraica: Malabran Crested Porcupine

Chrysolophus chlorochrysos: the Gold-and-Green Pheasant (a close relative of the RL "˜Golden Pheasant' from which it differs mainly in the colouring of the adult males' body-feathers; foothills & lower slopes of the mountains)
Snowcock (further up in the mountains)
Cygnus fidelis: Swan (known further north as the "˜Loyal Swan', because unlike the other species that are found there "” which your nation probably lacks "” it doesn't migrate)
Grus tener: Dainty Crane (breeds in Laeral, then over-winters in western Malabra& so maybe also in your nation's eastern lands).
Several species of Heron, at least one of Cormorant, and possibly the region's endemic species of Pelican.

In the eastern river, and maybe elsewhere, one species of medium-sized Champsosaur (a fish-eating reptile, basically crocodile-like in shape but with "˜paddles' rather than legs, from a group that in managed to out-last the Dinosaurs by several tens of millions of years even in RL)?

One or more species of "˜Scaly Salamander', from the Amphibian order Allocaudata.

[Lauchenoiria]

I imagine Lauchenoiria as still having considerable forests, as the human population is fairly low (although historically it was higher, with a period of quite high net emigration about a decade ago which once I get around to writing up the history I'll explain), so most species living in woodland would have survived, especially in the south as most of the population centres are in the north.

The earthquakes make sense, but I'll admit that tectonic plate movement slipped my mind before now!

I would be very interested in other animals, especially marine animals and birds.

I have more to say but it's late so I'll add it in the morning.

[Bears Armed]

Oops! Not the "˜Water Deer', unless you really want it: This far south, by my previous notes, that ecological niche would be filled by the "˜Water Hare' (a distant relative of rabbits & hares, found only in the IDU) instead. In the valley along your eastern border, however, you probably have the larger "˜Marsh Deer' "” a close relative of the RL Pí¨re David's Deer, and [again] endemic to the IDU "” as well.

Three more species of cats that might be present: Iduvian Wildcat (closely related to the RL Wildcats of Eurasia & Africa, and to the domestic cat) in the north/west; Spotted Cat (another IDU-endemic relative of the Puma, comparable in size & ecological role to the RL Ocelot; anywhere that its range overlaps that of the Tiger, it prefers to spend much of the time up in the trees above the latter's reach...) in the south/east; and River Cat (a close relative, & ecological counterpart, of the RL Jaguarundi) also in the south/east.

Marine Mammals
All of the dolphins and whales to be found in the region's waters are from species that also exist on RL Earth, apart from one species of "˜River Dolphin' that wouldn't be present in your nation, unless you really want an endemic species to be present. There is one endemic species of Porpoise, however: This has a range centred on the Iapetus Sea, and so could plausibly occur off of your coasts.
There's an endemic species also centred on the Iapetus Sea that could also appear in your coastal waters "” at least in the south "” although if you want it to breed there then we'll need to add some rocky islets a little way offshore. One of the region's earlier members described three species of Sea-Lion for the region, but their data seems to have been lost when the original NSwiki went under...
The waters off of your nation are almost certainly too warm for the sort of extensive kelp "forests" in which sea otters forage, but some of your "˜river' otters probably enter [inshore] coastal waters occasionally.

Fish
If those marine mammals have spread westwards into your waters "” and maybe even if they haven't "” then the local species "˜Bull Shark' might also have done so (at least as far as the south-east) . Although its RL relative isn't as notorious as the Great White, there have been documented attacks by it on humans, and it's been known to swim quite a way up rivers...

I plan on having the more "primitive" groups of "˜Bony-finned Fish' survive here to a greater extent than they've managed in RL. So, in your nation, I would suggest:
"˜Dwarf Sturgeon'/"˜Grubbers'/"˜Mudfish': very similar to Sturgeon, but maximum length c. 2 feet; purely freshwater, feed on invertebrates on or close to the beds of rivers & ponds especially where there's not enough room for "true" Sturgeon. (They do not produce a reasonable "˜caviar', and their flesh is generally considered too "muddy" in flavour to be favoured as food by people...).
"˜Bony Sturgeon': several species that have bonier skeletons & more scales than do the "true" Sturgeons, varying from c. 1 foot to c.6 feet in length, feeding habits basically similar to Sturgeon & "˜Dwarf Sturgeon' except that these live only in the sea and feed near the sea-bed a little way below the "˜low tide' line.
"˜Whalefish': The largest members of this overall group, up to 24 feet (or even 30 feet?) in length, unarmoured; purely maritime, evolved to filter-feed on plankton and thus filling a similar ecological role to the RL "˜Basking Shark' & "˜Whale Shark' (which are absent from our waters).
Your inland waters probably have Gar where more northerly nations would have Pike, and these are also found down into coastal waters: The sea further out might also have marine relatives of the Gar, filling a role as fast predators, too. Close relatives of the RL (North American) Bowfin occur in suitable freshwater habitats across the region.

[Bears Armed]

Also, of course, butterflies...
... and what's the IC story behind their selection as your national animal?

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The pair of moderately-sized islands off of your western coast could have been connected to the mainland & maybe also to each other back when sea levels were lower due to an Ice Age (although most of this region apparently doesn't show signs of heavy glaciation...) some thousands of years ago, and consequently are likely to have had a natural fauna similar to the one that the nearer parts of the mainland would have had then. However they'd probably have lost [or never acquired] some of the larger species, even without any losses due to human activity. One or more of the surviving herbivores might exhibit "island dwarfism"... Wild ponies that are only three feet or so tall at the shoulder, perhaps?

^_^

[Lauchenoiria]

There is meant to be many, many species of butterfly in Lauchenoiria, mostly on Butterfly Island (as it is aptly named). I'm not sure how best to explain why there is so many different kinds of butterfly. Lauchenoiria chose it as their national animal due to the abundance of them across the country.

During the unification of the various provinces, there was this expectation that the larger state would be more successful and those trying to encourage unification would tell the more sceptical that the unified Lauchenoirian state would be able to "soar like a butterfly" together rather than struggling apart. So partly nature, partly propaganda (though most Lauchenoirians would be offended if someone mentioned the latter).

Aeluria, the other island, is meant to have a large amount of trees, the local religion considers one species (haven't decided which one yet, but it should be fairly common across the island) to be symbols of the divine and people are not allowed to chop them down. Therefore the Aelurian wildlife will be mainly forest dwelling creatures. There is not much agriculture on Aeluria either, the native population remained hunter-gatherers for much longer than in other parts of the country, and when the island was settled by others they mainly imported farm produce.

[Bears Armed]

Do you think that one species of butterfly that's present, probably one of the larger & more spectacular kinds, might be just a summer resident that migrates into the warmer Malabra to over-winter (c.f. the RL 'Monarch Butterfly' of North America)?

[Lauchenoiria]

Sorry for the delay, was on holiday and then forgot.

Yes, that works, and also from your June 12th post I like the idea of small ponies on the islands.

I've been imagining locations of forests and rivers but have yet to draw a map of their locations. I will get round to that at some point and then share it!

[Bears Armed]

For the ponies, having checked in the 'Latin Motto Help' thread on the NS forums (where I'd already received help with taxonomical Latin in the past), I suggest the species name Equus parvulus. The specific designator there, "parvulus", is a diminutive of parvus which means "small": We could use parvus itself for this species, if you want, but I'd rather save that label for the subspecies of larger pony from which this species was derived.
Also, I think that the populations on the two [main] islands might have diverged into separate sub-species from each other by now. If so, then I suggest that they might also have developed a difference in [usual] colour as an adaption to differences in the local vegetation: How does having one population greyish-brown (E.p. griseus) and the other reddish-brown (E.p. rufus) sound to you?

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Re the migratory butterfly: This should probably be a fairly large and well-known species. Do you have an identity for the white[ish]] one shown on your flag? If you don't object, I think that maybe that might be it? One species of butterfly that occurs in the RL UK is called the 'Purple Emperor' in English: How about calling this species of yours, because of its pale colour and the fact that its migration would parallel the RL Monarch Butterfly's, the 'Ghost Emperor' butterfly?