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Description
The ariga (Japanese and Korean words for “ant puppy”) is a small burrowing eusocial creature that acts as a keystone species in the plains of Giyudi, providing food for predators, and allowing more grass development with their mounds, similar to Earth’s prairie dogs.
It is especially known for how it lives in a colony that functions similarly to Earth’s eusocial animals (termites, ants, bees, wasps and naked mole-rats), with its colony being organized into castes which are divided into two sub-castes.
This includes the following:

The Monarchs: The matriarch and the patriarch, namely the king and queen, are the largest members of the ariga colony as well as the only members that breed. With a gestation period lasting over a month and a half, a 7-inch long queen can produce a litter up to 11 babies. Baby monarchs are called “reproductives” and are guided to a new territory.

The Associates: These arigas in this caste do their job securing the monarchs and the offspring. The sub-castes in which the caste is divided into includes groomers, which look after the monarchs, and nurses, who provide care for the monarchs’ young.

The Soldiers: These two sub-castes of this male-centric caste consists of offensives, who fends off invaders from an opposite colony from setting foot into their territory, and defensives, whose role is to, of course, defend the monarchs’ nest. The soldiers also take part in helping the reproductives (the young forms of the monarchs) find their new homes in which they’ll depart to.

The Diggers: This is the only caste that is devoid of any sub-caste and instead consists of one. The diggers are responsible for creating a network of tunnels and chambers that extend to 6-8 feet underground.

Description
The ariga (Japanese and Korean words for “ant puppy”) is a small burrowing eusocial creature that acts as a keystone species in the plains of Giyudi, providing food for predators, and allowing more grass development with their mounds, similar to Earth’s prairie dogs.
It is especially known for how it lives in a colony that functions similarly to Earth’s eusocial animals (termites, ants, bees, wasps and naked mole-rats), with its colony being organized into castes which are divided into two sub-castes.
This includes the following:

The Monarchs: The matriarch and the patriarch, namely the king and queen, are the largest members of the ariga colony as well as the only members that breed. With a gestation period lasting over a month and a half, a 7-inch long queen can produce a litter up to 11 babies. Baby monarchs are called “reproductives” and are guided to a new territory.

The Associates: These arigas in this caste do their job securing the monarchs and the offspring. The sub-castes in which the caste is divided into includes groomers, which look after the monarchs, and nurses, who provide care for the monarchs’ young.

The Soldiers: These two sub-castes of this male-centric caste consists of offensives, who fends off invaders from an opposite colony from setting foot into their territory, and defensives, whose role is to, of course, defend the monarchs’ nest. The soldiers also take part in helping the reproductives (the young forms of the monarchs) find their new homes in which they’ll depart to.

The Diggers: This is the only caste that is devoid of any sub-caste and instead consists of one. The diggers are responsible for creating a network of tunnels and chambers that extend to 6-8 feet underground.