Fatruck

The fatruck split from its ancestor and moved north. It has begun to take advantage of ice to birth its young far out of reach of most predators. It is a carnivore capable of consuming both small and large prey using two strategies, either grabbing small prey with its tongue or biting larger prey to death. It is a social creature which basks, migrates, and hunts in groups of up to 60, which are capable of collectively taking down larger prey. It will also scavenge from carcasses that wash up on the polar beaches, particularly of huge lyngbakrs.

The fatruck’s ears have disappeared completely and it hears entirely using a layer of fat on top of its head and sound-conducting tissue in its skull. Its tail is permanently curved and bound by skin in such a way that its butt nostril has been placed much further up its back, also giving its wooden rod-like spine a distinctive J- or checkmark-shape when isolated from the rest of its skeleton. It is larger than its ancestor and adults are rarely able to stand upright for long, but juveniles will still do so. The fatruck has evolved to molt its coat all at once, similar to a terran seal. This discourages the growth of harmful microbes in its skin and coat and removes most types of external parasite instantly.

The fatruck travels to the ice sheets to breed many times per year, mostly in the late winter and early spring. A female will wait on the ice, watching males in the water attempting to court her. Once she has made a choice between them, she will slide into the water to mate. In about a month, she gives birth to about a dozen white fluffy rat-sized juveniles in a burrow dug in the ice with her tusks. Both parents take part in bringing them food until they are big enough to thermoregulate outside the burrow, which can take up to a month and a half. After this, they float on the water above their parents and the rest of their group until they are able to swim and dive well, which can take anywhere from a week to a few months. They grow rather quickly and reach full size in about 2 years, but don’t start breeding until their third year.