Saturday, September 8, 2012

Sturdy background info



Well, this post may be boring to people who aren't me... But this is a bit of the writeup that I am doing for each creature. As usual, details are subject to change, but this is the gist of it. I have more, but I figure this is enough text block for one update. 

1.   "Sturdy" Sturdy Ungulate - titanocamelus polydentis
a.     Main food source: small fungus
b.     Main predator: hopper


            Sturdy is an herbivore, and gets its nutrients from scraping fungi from the undersides of plants, rocks, and debris, so it has evolved to have an under-slung double jaw, with one part where its upper teeth and molars meet, and a secondary part that has become elongated and has extra teeth angled up for scraping. The head is heavy and held low to the ground, and the neck is thick and powerful to allow it to swing its head back and forth in a powerful defensive motion. 

      Much like a camel, it stores extra fat in a hump on its back. To compensate for this extra weight, it has an additional pair of legs situated in the middle of its body. The ribcage has remained much like a buffalo or oxen, but there is a secondary shoulder girdle and set of shoulder blades for the front set of legs. The legs move in a wave pattern so they don't hit each other when walking. Due to the heaviness of its body, sturdy is generally quite slow moving. Its forelegs are longer to allow it to raise its head if necessary to search for food or scan for predators, since the head is too heavy to be raised up by the neck alone. The loose skin on the neck accommodates a wide range of motion and also is used to attract mates or intimidate predators. The neck skin has a series of small air bladders underneath it that can be inflated to give an impressive appearance. 

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