Australishrog
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
|---|---|
The encroachment of rising seas and the reconfiguration of their coastal ecosystems compelled some seashrog to split off and seek refuge in the southern polar realms of Mnid. In these snowy stretches, the australishrog adapted to the harsh conditions, developing unique traits to conquer the cold.
Habitat
Their habitat spans the Mnid region, a harsh and extreme environment where temperatures can plummet far below freezing. The Mnid realm is characterized by vast expanses of sea ice, coastal islands, Kosemen and the southern fringes of Wallace. Occasionally, during colder months an australishrog can be found wandering into more temperate terrestrial and coastal environments searching of wood and food. This is a sign of malnutrition or a stressed polar environment, as the more temperate climates are full of predatory competition that australishrog will preferably avoid. While an australishrog can often take on most of these challenges, their resource poor natural habitat has given the australishrog a risk averse mentality, and they will more often than not chose to not engage.
Diet
More carnivorous than their ancestor, they require at least 90% of their diet to be meat based. Much like their ancestor, while out at sea they will hunt by standing at the edge of their nest and stabs at their prey with a spear of obsidian wood. then pulls the catch out of the water and onto the deck. While on land, they are indiscriminate hunters, attacking anything above a certain size that they can get ahold of. While they have a meat requirement, they will take the opportunity in the brief summers to eat edible fruit as a source of extra vitamins and resources to help build blubber for the winter weather. They stores edible flora and scavenged carrion gathered at the shore or found out at sea inside their nest for later consumption.
Anatomy
They are distinguishable by their considerable bulk compared to their ancestor, with adult males weighing between 650 and 900 kilograms and females approximately 600-800 kilograms. Their elongated neck and narrow skull contrast with their long limbs and robust body, an adaptation for both heat retention and streamlined swimming. Additionally, their large, padded paws are not only adept at navigating snowy terrain but also serve as efficient tools for breaking through ice to access food sources.
Thermoregulation
In order to survive in this region they have had to develop many new physiological adaptation to minimize heat loss and maintaining core body temperature amidst the icy waters and freezing air temperatures they regularly encounter. Their thick, double-layered insulated fur, while appearing white and serving as excellent camouflage against the snow and ice, is actually translucent and hollow. Consisting of a short undercoat and longer guard hairs, this layering traps air close to the skin, serving as an insulating layer that reduces heat loss. The neck region is enveloped in a dense layer of fur and subcutaneous fat, providing insulation against the frigid temperatures to the more vital blood vessels that feed the brain.
The vascular system of the australishrog exhibits counter-current heat exchange mechanisms, particularly in the limbs and tail, which are crucial for minimizing heat loss in the cold waters. Arteries carrying warm blood from the body core run in close proximity to veins returning colder blood from the extremities, allowing for the transfer of heat and reducing thermal gradients. This ensures that the core body temperature is maintained, while extremities are kept at a lower temperature, minimizing overall heat loss. Their nasal passages and respiratory system are adapted to warm and humidify cold air before it reaches the lungs, reducing respiratory heat loss. The nasal turbinates, highly vascularized structures within the nasal cavity pre-warming the air and recovering heat and moisture from exhaled air. The australishrog has developed a slower metabolic rate during rest periods and an increased body size, which reduces their surface-area-to-volume ratio, conserving warmth. Underneath their fur lies a thick layer of fat, up to 11 centimeters thick, providing insulation in the freezing Mnid waters.
Skeletomuscular
The skeletal structure of the australishrog is characterized by increased bone density and length, particularly in the appendicular skeleton. Forelimbs exhibit elongation beyond proportions seen in their ancestors enhancing reach and facilitating tool use. The vertebral column is reinforced with enlarged vertebrae, supporting the organism's mass and serving as an attachment site for substantial muscle groups. The cervical vertebrae of the australishrog are notably more robust and flexible compared to their ancestor, supporting a thick neck that is essential for powerful swimming strokes and manipulating prey. The neck muscles, particularly the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius, are highly developed, allowing for swift lateral movements and stabilizing the head during forceful biting and protecting the neck from large tai swings. This muscular and skeletal arrangement not only aids in the capture and consumption of prey but also in the execution of precise movements required for spear use. The caudal vertebrae, while reduced in length relative to their ancestors, provide balance and aid in locomotion. The caudal muscles are partitioned into distinct segments that allow for a graded response. These muscles facilitate the flexion and extension of the tail, allowing the Australishrog to wield its tail axe with greater precision and force than their ancestor, allowing it to cleave through flora up to a meter thick in one swing.
Lumbar spine flexibility is retained to a degree, facilitating undulatory swimming motions. However, this flexibility does not compromise the structural integrity necessary for terrestrial locomotion and load bearing, such as transporting prey or nest materials. As their tail axe has grown in proportion to the rest of their bodies, the muscles surrounding the pelvic region, including the gluteal muscles and deeper pelvic musculature, have become reinforced to not only supports the direct attachment points of the tail but also enhances the australishrog's ability to generate powerful tail swings without compromising the structural integrity of the pelvis. Along the spine, particularly in the lumbar and caudal regions, there has been an increase in both muscle mass and tendon strength. Furthermore, the intervertebral discs and ligaments have adapted to become more resilient, providing increased flexibility and shock absorption during the rapid movements associated with tail axe use. To effectively transmit the force generated by these muscular developments to the tail axe, the australishrog possesses a highly specialized tail musculature to ensure efficient force transmission. The erector spinae muscles, which run along the vertebral column, have become particularly well-developed. Forelimb muscular development in the australishrog is focused on the deltoid and biceps brachii, supporting force generation in spear thrusting. This hypertrophy is consistent with required predatory behaviors, including the penetration of prey integument and ice breaking. Hindlimb musculature, particularly in the quadriceps femoris and gluteal muscles, supports rapid acceleration in terrestrial pursuit. The forepaw structure feature non-retractable claws optimized for traction on ice and handling of tools, which while functioning as fingers do not provide much fine dexterity making fine tool use difficult. This feature is essential for both prey capture and environmental interaction, such as ice excavation. Despite aquatic ancestry, the australishrog exhibits reduced webbing between digits, favoring claw utility over swimming efficiency and reducing tissue susceptible to frostbite.
Skull and Dentition
Their faces are characterized by a broad, somewhat shortened snout, reducing exposure to frigid air while enhancing their olfactory capabilities. The australishrog's eyes are adapted for the bright, reflective landscapes of their habitat, capable of detecting subtle movements across vast expanses of ice and snow and in aquatic environments. The skull of the australishrog is robust, with a pronounced sagittal crest indicative of powerful jaw musculature, specifically the temporalis muscles. The frontal region of the skull is slightly elevated, housing enlarged olfactory bulbs that significantly enhance the sense of smell, enabling the australishrog to pick out potential prey even beneath snow or sand.
Dentition in the australishrog is highly specialized for their obligate carnivorous diet, featuring large, conical canines designed to grip and immobilize prey. The premolars and molars exhibit a complex occlusal surface, enabling the efficient processing of both flesh and the occasional floral material. The mandible is reinforced, possessing a broad ramus and an enlarged coronoid process with well-developed masseter and temporalis muscles to provide additional leverage and strength during biting. This development is essential for generating the bite force necessary to penetrate the thick hides of their prey.
Osteoderms
The australishorg has a much lower number of osteoderms when compared to their ancestor. This is mainly a result of both resource conservation and their larger size making them less needed to protect themselves. Their joeys are born lacking osteoderms but will quickly grow them of the course of a few weeks to protect themselves from potential predators. As they grown the number of osteoderms decrease, but are maintained as a means of mate displaying, as the number and arraignment of them show the australishrog is fit and capable of providing for themselves and a potential mate or young.
Psychology and Behavior
Intelligence
While demonstrating the significant intelligence that is typical of descendants of the seashrog, the australishrog lacks the sophisticated communal organization and language systems seen in some of their relatives. Unlike the more socially inclined shrogs, the australishrog exhibits a solitary nature, with temporary associations formed mainly for mating or collaborative hunting. This social structure necessitates a nuanced system of communication, primarily non-vocal, involving body language and subtle auditory signals of instinctive grunts and barks, which is incapable of communicating ideas and learned behavior. Any skills being passed down to their young are done so through observation, so while there is some notable trends in cultural variation, their smaller populations and harsher climates precludes them of any sort of cultural development to even the level of their seashrog ancestors. Even so, their interactions, particularly during cooperative activities like hunting or raft building, suggest some understanding of social dynamics and teamwork, albeit less complex than in more socially oriented species.
Risk Aversion and Phobias
The australishrog, despite their formidable size and generally indiscriminate carnivorous nature, exhibit psychological responses shaped by their environment and interactions with other species, notably in a pronounced aversion to risk. Among these behaviors, certain aversions and fears stand out, significantly influencing its dietary choices and interactions within its ecosystem. As resources are scarce in the polar evironments they inhabit, unproductive expenditure of energy on fruitless tasks can lead to serious risk or even starvation if they are unable to obtain more food. When foraging and hunting, they exhibit a preference for prey that offers a favorable risk-to-reward ratio, opting for smaller, more accessible targets over larger, potentially more nutritious but defensively equipped ones. An exception to this is when they form a temporary association with one or more other members of their species, allowing them to confront prey significantly larger than even their bulky mass. This selective approach to hunting emphasizes energy conservation and injury avoidance, critical for survival in their unforgiving environment. Similarly, despite their formidable size and the scarcity of natural predators as adults, australishrogs remain vigilant, avoiding areas known for potential threats and preferring evasion over confrontation. When territorial or reproductive disputes arise asustralishrogs often resort to posturing and non-violent displays rather than direct confrontation, resolving most territorial disputes without physical altercations. Even reproductive behaviors are influenced by their risk-averse nature, with mating and nesting sites chosen for their safety and abundance of resources to ensure the well-being of their offspring.
A pronounced expression of their risk aversion is the presence of genetic phobias within the species, particularly towards not just ancestral predators like waxfaces or shrogsnappers, but to seemingly innocuous species like the shell-riding shocker. In the later case, while their size in insulation protect them from any major damage from the defensive shock, their sensitive paws and muzzle make them particularly susceptible to the pain of the shock. Coupled with the occasional harassment on australishrog joeys, the australishrog has developed a psychological aversion to them, going so far as to avoid objects close to the shade of blue of the shocker's back membrane.
Nest Building
As they have drifted to colder climates, the preferred nest building material has changed as well. They have switched primarily to black flora like bonespires and in particular snowflake obsidioaks, with their hollow heartwood make them ideal buoyant nest material. Utilizing their robust tail and strong limbs, it gathers and shapes ice, snow, and black flora wood to construct dome-shaped floating shelters. The floral skeletons of these nests are built throughout the warmer seasons, utilizing the flora and strategic pockets of water to allow ice to form, increasing buoyancy. The interior is lined with a mix of fur sheddings and flora material, providing insulation and warmth. The interior is sectioned into different areas for sleeping, food storage, and even areas for nurturing young. The use of additional floors and ramps, convergent with wolvershrog nest architecture, allows for efficient use of space and easy movement within the nest. The entrances are strategically positioned and often camouflaged to protect against rivals, which are a common occurrence in the winter seasons, as australishrogs will not hesitate to scavenge off of nests if they feel they can win in a confrontation. In some cases, the australishrog may use sharp ice shards or wooden spikes around the nest perimeter as a deterrent, to prevent any unwanted guests jumping onto the nests while at sea.
Reproduction
The reproductive behavior of the australishrog is intricately linked to their harsh environment. Much like their ancestors, mate selection usually occurs on the beach, though potential mates can also be met out at sea. Males and females engage in elaborate courtship displays, showcasing strength and nest-building skills. Males will compete for a particular female, typically engaging in ritual combat where they try to throw one another to the ground, with the female usually picking the winner of the ritual combat unless he is visibly unhealthy. If out at sea, the male will attempt to court by sharing their food stores and elaborate nest defenses, with the females choosing those that seem capable of providing for themselves. If either one already has a nest they will move into it, usually the one which is in better condition if they both already have nests, transferring supplies stored in the other. If neither already has a nest, such as with young shrogs who have only recently left their parents' nest, they will build one together. Once a pair forms, they mate and the female gives birth to live young. The offspring, typically one or two per litter, are born in mid-spring and reared in the safety of the fortified nest. Parents demonstrate a high level of care, teaching the young essential survival skills like hunting and nest construction from an early age. Though australishrog joeys have a fairly high chance of surviving to adulthood, their massive range and lifestyle means significantly fewer will ever find a mate, and since mating most often occurs during the brief subpolar summer when food is abundant, this leads to populations being rather low.
Relationships with Other Species
Due to their large size and preference for more polar climates they lack few predators, though that does not mean they are free from predation. They are occasionally still susceptible to attacks by pirate or hypnotizer waxfaces, though these attacks are rare as their bulk and only seasonal ventures into temperate climates mean that the waxfaces prefer to attack the smaller shrog species and will only go after young and inexperienced australishrogs. In addition, rafts that drift into the more temperate waters around Kosemen or Wallace are susceptible to attacks by shrogsnappers, which are unable to distinguish them from their more preferred shrog prey nests. If they are sunk and brought into the water the adults are often an even match for a fully grown shrogsnapper, but younger adults or joeys may be an easy target.
Their interactions with other shrog species are limited to their rare travel into temperate zones, and when they do occur there seems to be no love held for their relatives, viewing them simply as any other prey item in the local habitat.
Distributions
Thanks to their spores, a few divergent of snowflake obsidioaks have been spread throughout their range. This has resulted in a few new species arising, including the notable Chameleumbraquercus kurti; the first indigenous tree species found on the Vonnegut archipelago.
Bonespire, branching bonespire, and bonegrove, while not extending to all of the range of the australishrog, have gained a foothold in the Morokor coast and beaches, as currents from Fermi direct the rafts most often towards Wallace.
Hanging necarrow are a not uncommon sight on the underside of the floating nests. While not actively encouraged, they are typically left alone, as they discourage scavengers picking apart at the raft. They have taken advantage of the rafts to spread throughout the southern polar waters.
Like their ancestor, they are known for their recreational use of poisonous flora, particularly hallucrastrum for its hallucinogenic effects. This has led to them spreading throughout their range.