The original concept for the Kelpies of Rearing Redwoods was made in 2020, and they've massively changed since then!!

It's more of a situation where a lot was added to them as opposed to removed. I believe the only thing I removed was their old pointy ears? It was getting to be extremely difficult to draw, especially at different angles, so away it went! Their front leg hands were altered to be scaled instead of just,, not because they looked oddly bald without it. Speaking of them, they now have scales on other areas of their body!! Kelpies will always have a scaled belly and nose, but can have scales on other areas of their body too. The scale on the nose was inspired by male gharials! Their fangs changed slightly, with them now being possible to go upwards instead of just downwards. Last thing that changed about them was that some variations have shells on their back or finned tails.

As for their biology, they have an extremely different diet from the standard equine. While still being able to survive on a regular forage diet, it is fully possible for them to consume fish, insects, crustaceans, and mollusks! Their appearance can very quite a lot between individuals, with them having spikes/osteoderms of various sizes and shapes. In addition to various scale patterns! Kelpies do not give live birth and instead lay eggs around the 8th month of their pregnancy. They have about 1-2 eggs on average, with a third one being extremely rare but not unheard of. Like other egg laying equines, they do still nurse their foals once they've hatched.