Purotora

Bearhogs have had a hard time: at around the beginning of the ice age, many species lost their habitat and died out. Though many lineages did take to various cave systems for refuge, most would only then succumb to various diseases like the golden plague. In the end, only the blind hoofplent would eventually return to the surface world and diversify into a wide range of species. Despite this, it's not the only surviving lineage of bearhog, with one other group having made it through. That lineage comes from the snowprint, the only species of bearhog to have survived by not taking to caves, instead surviving by toughing it out on the surface world and adapting to live in the tundra. Having lived as a kleptoparasitic scavenger, the snowprint did fairly well for itself, until the solar flare occurred. After that, virtually all of the megafauna had gone completely extinct, including both predators and prey. In this time frame, the snowprint suddenly found itself being the largest carnivore in the region, but there was also not that much large carrion being provided by very large carnivores anymore. As a result, this forced the snowprints to mostly abandon their ancestral lifestyle and switch to actively hunting down whatever game they came across. Over many millions of years, these snowprints would split off and give rise to a whole new species, known as the purotora.

The purotora and its direct ancestor are the only living bearhogs that have never once been herbivores, having at most been generalistic omnivores and primarily having had a diet of only meat throughout their history. As such, the purotora’s dentition is well suited for shearing meat and crushing bone, with well defined carnassials of calcified wood that slide against each other, which means they can self-sharpen and remain in prime condition. These adaptations still suit the purotora well with processing every part of a carcass, which the bearhog can still track down using the barbels on its snout to pick up any odor trails from the wind. While the ancestral snowprints that share some of the same areas as the purotora strictly rely on this, the purotora will often not sit and wait for something to die. Instead, the purotora primarily gets its meat by actively hunting down prey, using its coloration and patterns to remain camouflaged against the snow as it stalks potential prey. When they get close to something like a cottencoat or lizardworm, the purotora will then quickly rise up and sprint towards the target. This is where the smaller feet come into use, as while they are still large enough to spread its weight out when walking on snow to not sink in, they are small enough that the purotora will not trip on itself when chasing after prey. If the purotora catches up to its target, the bearhog will try to knock it down using its own bodyweight before then moving in to deliver a killing bite to the head or spine.

The larger size of the purotora not only allows it to tackle larger prey, but it also helps it better retain body heat compared to the smaller snowprint. This is further assisted by a particularly important adaptation to its cold climate, a coat of trichomes which in turn traps air against the skin and keeps the purotora warm. The trichomes are absent between the hindlegs below the butt nostril, as that is where the bearhog will urinate through its skin. A larger size additionally helps the purotora with scaring smaller carnivores off of a kill, such as sprinting bubbleskins and flunerigas, though it will back down if it comes face to face with predators such as the polar baron. If it is threatened by such large carnivores, the purotora can certainly get into a brawl, however it will first try to intimidate its opponent. For this, the creature will unfurl its pair of sails, which normally lie flat against its back to reduce exposure to the chilly winds. The wood spine of their ancestors is now fully encased within the flesh of the sail minus the very tip. Helping act as attachment points for strong muscles, the wood spines help the sails open up and display the large and vibrant patterns, which are useful in intimidating threats or competition. The species can also still rely on photosynthesis for some energy through these sails, allowing them to effectively fast for periods of time until they smell the scent of carrion or detect prey. The purotora still has a powerful immune system to deal with any potential diseases it might contract from consuming carrion. When it comes to reproduction, the puratora has little to no mating ritual during their breeding season (which occurs when the winter comes to an end in the areas they live). A male will seek out a female and track her down, after which the two will immediately get into combat. In this duel, the female is testing the male’s fitness and if he is a willing partner. If he is deemed so, she will begin to act receptive and cease her fight with copulation occurring soon afterwards. After that, the two will go their separate ways. The female will give birth to about one or two offspring at a time, which she will guard and rear for about two years before forcing them away. By that point the young are well developed and experienced enough to strike it out on their own.