Phanadon

The titanous phanadon split from its ancestor, the giant hornface, and spread throughout the grasslands and forests of Javen and Darwin. Growing to over three meters in height, an adult phanadon is defended from most predators not only by this great size but by their thick skin and imposing horns as well. One pair in particular now curve forward beneath their jawlines, not unlike those of their kin, the river hornfaces, and typically used for digging up roots and finding underground springs, as well as being used by males to fight one another in bouts meant to determine who will lead the herd. They will also use these horns - but primarily rely on their great size and strength - to knock over the various quhft trees whose leaves prove too troublesome to eat, as they were growing just out of reach. A typical herd contains at least thirty to forty members of all ages, from skittish hornpups barely a few days old to elderly matriarchs and patriarchs that have seen over a hundred years pass them by. Females tend to make up the majority of the herds members, as younger males will often leave in search of new herds to either start or to fight for domination of. Females tend to leave only when their herd grows too big to sustain itself, thus they too help contribute to the formation of new herds. Once they have mated, females will give birth nearly a year later to a young phanadon, known as a "hornpup", which is roughly the size of hornface of old. They lack tusks, though will eventually begin to grow them within a two years, and within eight years they will enter adolescence. It will be another three years before they reach breeding age, though many will not successfully bear offspring of their own until they are roughly twice that age. Males also possess enlarged swellings on the back of their front legs. These contain glands that, during the mating season, exude a somewhat noxious fluid which helps spread their scent for miles in order to attract mates, and is often rubbed upon rocks and flora as a marker of sorts. While primarily encountered in grasslands and forests, phanadons are not unheard of in places such as the Jeluki and Ichthy Tropical Rivers. Occasionally herds will cross these in search of new grazing grounds, stopping only to drink and to play in the shallows. They are also known to enter the caves that dot the continent, seeking to lick salt and other mineral formations that accumulate along the walls, in order to supplement their diets.