Diet: Herbivore
Danger Level: 8
Social Ability: 10
Observation: It’s a bipedal in the technical sense, but the location of the two legs are very interesting. One leg is located in the front and the other leg is located in the back. Its walking is described as having a see-saw rhythm. When the front leg is on the ground, the back leg lifts to move forward. When the back leg is on the ground, the front leg extends in the direction the creature wants to go. This makes the creature somewhat slow, as coordinating a sprint in order to get away from predators is probably very taxing on a creature with such an abnormal anatomy. It has no trouble turning at sharp angles, however.
In order to compensate for its slow movement, it has evolved a shell to protect all but its head and underside. The file reports that it tries to defend itself by immediately lowering itself onto the ground to protect its legs and exposed underside. This leaves its head and neck exposed.
Most predators will try to attack its back, only to find that that they cannot break through the thick bone structure. Slightly smarter predators will notice the head is exposed and will try to attack that only to find that it has its own defenses. The nostril on its snout is a spitting gland that fires a sticky mucus that emits an odor when it is mixed with the oxygen and nitrogen in the air. This mucus doesn’t necessarily have to land on the predator in order for it to become a victim of its effects. The blast radius of the gland is able to cover the area surrounding this creature’s head. In order to not become a victim of its own defenses, it has evolved essentially a filtration system into its side nostrils. The mechanics of this system must be very specialized, as it takes the shape of soft flesh tubes located on either side of its snout.
The main kill-point for this creature, however, is its neck. It is only thick enough to house the backbone and the esophagus, which means a strike to that region will kill the creature instantly. Extremely intelligent predators will aim at the part of the neck just above the shell due to the fact that the mucus it fires cannot travel that far.
The actual diet of this creature is made up of leaves and flora that low to the ground. After successfully defending itself using its special mucus, it will consume large amounts of mushrooms found growing on tree bark.
It is a solitary creature. The only time that more than one was ever observed was after a female gave birth to a fawn. For three weeks, she would show the youngling what to eat and how to fire their special mucus. Once the young are able to walk and their shells have harden, they are left to fend for themselves. The mothers show no emotional attachment to their young any more than the males show any kind of attachment or obligation to be around to help raise their offspring.
~Zeek Slider
