Crowned Treeshrog

This species of Shrog has split from their ancestors to move into the trees of Maineiac, with its main population dwelling in the Boreal forest, though some populations have grown in more temperate areas. The trees have given them a further field of view, and their eyes and ears have developed to give them a wider range of senses. They prefer to function as ambush predators, and have harnessed their intellect to better ambush prey

Anatomy
The Crowned Treeshrog’s immediate change from its ancestor is the larger number of “horns” on its head. These are specialized osteoderms and are mainly ornamental, though they do have a simplistic use in determining hierarchy among cooperating nests. If a Treeshrog has bigger horns, it is assumed to be better at hunting to get enough food to support the weight on its head. For this reason in stalemates Treeshrogs will follow the Shrog with more ornaments. The osteoderms on their backs meanwhile have become fewer in number but larger, giving them mild protection against unlucky blows.

Their hind feet have also adapted to life in the trees, the toes separating and lengthening for a better grip. Their hands are elongated too, and the fur on their fingers is less dense. They are a bit more balanced on two legs, they are not true bipeds, but they still can stand upright and can walk on two legs when they have support. However when chasing prey they will still run on all fours, their spears gripped tight in their hands or teeth. Gripping their spears in their hands while walking has encouraged some of them to knuckle-walk, though it is still not an ideal posture for them. They are no longer good swimmers, though they still are buoyant. They have also adapted for a smaller size than their predecessor, as the Four-Prongions are their preferred tree to nest in, and those trees cannot stand much weight.

One pair of their eyes are larger now, and mostly is used to see in front of them. The other two pairs of eye search the immediate area around them, looking for potential prey or dangers. Their head is a bit proportionally bigger now, in part because their brain has become more complex to handle not only its intelligence but it’s stronger senses.

Behavior
The Crowned Treeshrog typically live in small family groups of two parents and their current joeys. However they have inherited the ability to cooperate with hunts from their ancestor, and improved it. To this end they have developed two calls “Rah” meaning “chase” (prey) and “ikka” meaning “wait.” (for prey) When they are hunting, one family will harass and pursue prey, driving them towards a Treeshrog nest. As they draw close a second family will wait in the trees or bushes, and as the prey hurried past the second group will assault them with their spears, using surprise to cripple them. They have developed a slight hierarchy to better coordinate these hunts too, with Treeshrogs with the most horns typically given priority to assign roles.

Treeshrog nests still are far apart, but there is less of a gap than in the Rivershrogs. This is because Treeshrog homes are smaller, and are built into a tree, typically a Four Prongian but some nests will use Repeating Treebions when lacking options. They will use fallen sticks to support and mold the trees’ branches, encouraging them to bend and form a large hollow ring around the tree. These will be tied together with roots and baebula branches, with other branches used as support beams below the nest, a leftover from their ancestors’ stilts. These ring shaped nests will have a few simple rooms, places to sleep, store food, and store spears and nest repairing supplies,

Most Treeshrogs get impatient while waiting in ambush, so they will grind their claws down on their spears as a sort of fidget. This leaves a multitude of shallow gashes in their spears, as well as trimming their claws. They mostly use their tails just to sharpen spears and cut branches, and rarely ever will saw down a whole log.

Relations with their ancestor can be difficult, as Rivershrogs will enter the Boreal to harvest Four-Prongion and Repeating Treebion logs to make their nests out of. When Treeshrogs suspect Rivershrogs plan to knock over their homes they will begin to bark aggressively, and will hurl small sticks and twigs down at them. They have not figured how to throw spears, this is merely a territorial display. On less hostile occasions, Treeshrogs and Rivershrogs will cooperate on hunts, with Rivershrogs leading prey into Treeshrog ambushes.

While they can live up to roughly thirty five years, their life expectancy is roughly fifteen. Their ancestors have also passed down their “bisexuality,” with the number of horns and size of their big horn making a mate more desirable, regardless of sex. This does extend to any Shrog with large horns, and Rivershrogs and Treeshrogs will interbreed on occasion. This can lead to sterile hybrid, though multiple species nests are functionally impossible given their very different lifestyles. Treeshrogs will not typically breed with Wolvershrogs despite their overlapping ranges.

Camobacks can compete with Treeshrogs in the Temperate Woodlands on rare occasions, as both are ambush predators. Their strategies do differ as Treeshrogs are arboreal hunters deliberately lead their prey into an ambush using simplistic cooperative hunts, while the Camoback are solitary ambush predators who pursue their prey to catch them. Treeshrogs on occasion will accidentally disrupt a Camoback’s hunt by startling a herd, and while this sometimes can work in a Camoback’s favor, the larger predator is aggressively to the Shrogs. Treeshrogs for their part are aggressive towards Camoback’s, and will throw twigs at them to drive them off if they get too close to a nest. Logcrushers much like Rivershrogs could destroy their nests, so they try to drive them away as well.