Disasterxata

Following the attack of the argusraptors, some biomes were left completely devoid of any large herbivores, as they had all been eaten to extinction. The disasterxata replaced its ancestor and quadrupled in size, becoming a large herbivore in a very short amount of time due to a complete lack of competition in a significant portion of its range. The still-extant xatazelle remains in the niche it left behind. It has become bulky once more and has a large gut which helps in digesting all kinds of small flora. It can even eat spiny flora because it has thick saliva to protect its mouth and tongue. For protection against predators, its armor is more extensive. However, it is slower as a result. Its chin spike and upper incisors come together as a bizarre mismatched beak for clipping flora.

The disasterxata has very poor hearing, mostly because its ancestral eye-hearing method is very ineffective at actually picking up sound. It mainly detects predators by sight instead, and its ear crests have been modified into a pair of antler-like structures. The “antleyears” are somewhat longer and more elaborate in males than females. Its main predators are argusraptors, but unlike the woody armor of plents, the disasterxata’s armor contains mineral bone, which is far more difficult for argusraptors to bite through.

Though it lacks any kind of fibrous integument, the disasterxata is nonetheless an endotherm capable of regulating its own body temperature. Its large size keeps it warm in the cooler parts of its range. Disasterxatas move in herds for protection and nest communally. To avoid crushing their eggs, and so that they may walk away to eat, they use decaying flora piled on top to incubate them rather than sitting on them directly. Though small, hatchlings are precocial and can run soon after hatching, though they largely depend on their parents to bring them food. Adults may employ older juveniles as “babysitters” for younger ones while they leave to find food, similar to the Terran Psittacosaurus. They reach full size in 3 years and can live for around 25.

Through incidental consumption of spores which passed through the disasterxata’s gut unharmed, the puffgrass has been spread to Dixon Savanna and Dixon Tropical Scrub.