Kanecevtak
| Kanecevtak | ||
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| (Pascodromuflora acudens) | ||
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| Information | ||
| Creator | OviraptorFan Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/167 | |
| Habitat | Fermi Marsh, Fermi Mudflat, Fermi Temperate Woodlands | |
| Size | 50 centimeters long (females), 70 centimeters long (males) | |
| Primary Mobility | Biped, Erect Legs | |
| Support | Endoskeleton (Jointed Wood) | |
| Diet | Herbivore (Pioneeroots, Marbleflora, Larands, Sunstalks, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Yanisflora, Tetracone Puffgrass) | |
| Respiration | Active (Lungs) | |
| Thermoregulation | Endotherm | |
| Reproduction | Sexual (Live Birth, Male and Female) | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Superkingdom Kingdom Subkingdom Phylum Class Subclass Superorder Order Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Viridisagania Mancerxa Phytozoa (info) Chloropodia (info) Pterophylla (info) Rostrophylla Dromeophylla Dinodypta Neodromidae Pascodromuflora Pascodromuflora acudens | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
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When a small group of shorelances moved away from the beaches and settled into North Eastern Fermi, they found the area to have a great abundance of foliage and nothing close to their size as competition nor any predators besides some local species of teacup saucebacks. As such, these shorelances positively thrived, rapidly growing in size and becoming further specialized for eating foliage until they split off and became the Kanecevtak.
The kanecevtak stands out from every other species of snoa yet to have existed in that it's the first ever member of the group to become completely herbivorous. This entailed a few notable changes, such as the development of a large gut which helped retain foliage for longer periods of time. By retaining the foliage inside their bodies for longer, the kanecevtak is able to extract as much energy as they can from vegetation. The larger gut did make them a bit more front-heavy, which is why the kanecevtak has developed a sort of permanent squat analogous to terran birds. Alongside more powerful upper leg muscles to better hold its weight, this posture moves the center of gravity to the knees rather than being up at around the chest (which would result in the snoa tipping over and falling on their face). Since the species no longer lives around sandy beaches and instead often traverses through dense floral cover, the coloration has shifted away from a dark black and has become more purple and gray though the blue spots do remain. The dentition of the kanecevtak has also undergone a few noticeable changes, with those at the front having become more leaf-shaped to better strip leaves off of twigs. After that, the foliage is swallowed whole, as the vestigial back teeth are not adapted for chewing.
On the upper jaw, a pair of teeth behind the leaf-shaped ones have become long and tusk-like, poking out of the mouth even when closed. This plays in part to the kanecevtak's behavior, as they will use the tusks both for predator defense and for intraspecific combat. kanecevtaks are typically more solitary, with adults at most traveling in pairs. Additionally, the species has lost their ancestral migratory habits, since their home is fairly stable in terms of food supply and temperatures. The one time the species will gather together in groups is during late spring which is when mating season begins. During this time, females who are ready to mate will secrete an oily liquid from their forehead and rub it on various surfaces like rocks and bark. This liquid is smelled out by the males who then follow the trail towards the female. Once he does catch up with her, the male kanecevtak will follow her for several days until she is willing to mate, but during such time he must fight off any rivals that want to mate with her instead. It is at this point that the use of the tusks becomes apparent, as the males will begin to bite each other on the face and neck, often leaving many lacerations. The skeleton is still reinforced with petrolignin, which makes it stronger and in turn allows the males to deliver a stronger bite when fighting each other as well as taking such blows themselves. Additionally the wooden spines on the neck and head provide extra protection, as it makes it harder for the male's opponent to bite them. Typically these fights are pretty short with one of the combatants making a hasty retreat, but they can sometimes escalate to one killing the other.
The actual mating process itself is quite brief, with the male and female "kissing" each other before then parting ways. Females will give birth to two small chicks after a three week gestation, the chicks lacking any wooden spines at first to not make the birthing process painful. The chicks will grow in the wooden spines about a week after being born, but even then they are still vulnerable to attack by teacup saucebacks. This is why both sexes have the wooden spines and the tusks, as the spines help protect the young from a sauceback's mandibles and the tusks allow the mother to deal a vicious bite to any threat to her young. Indeed, the only real noticeable external difference between the sexes is that males are slightly larger than the females. After being with their mother for about two months, the two chicks will go their own way and start their solitary lifestyle.