Karkodann
| Karkodann | ||
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| (Gigasacoronatus camporumafermi) | ||
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| Information | ||
| Creator | Nergali Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/168 | |
| Habitat | Fermi Steppe, Fermi Plains, Fermi Bush, Fermi Temperate Volcanic, Fermi Subpolar Volcanic, Fermi Prairie | |
| Size | Bull: 10.5 m Long; Cow: 7.5 m Long | |
| Primary Mobility | Adults: Quadruped, Erect Legs; Tadpoles: Lateral Undulations, Laterally Compressed Tail | |
| Support | Endoskeleton (Bone) | |
| Diet | Adults: Herbivore (Lesser Steppespire, Sootplume, Kernel Cornucopia, Ashblades, Poorbion); Juveniles: Herbivore (Fermiblades, Sunstalks, Supershrooms), Scavenger; Tadpoles: Omnivores (freshwater Marbleflora, Chainswarmers, Swarmerweed, larval Mudfish, larval Sruglettes, Minifee, decaying vegetation) | |
| Respiration | Active (Lungs) | |
| Thermoregulation | Gigantotherm | |
| Reproduction | Sexual, Two Sexes, Frog-like Eggs Laid into Large Bodies of Freshwater | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Kingdom Phylum Superclass Clade Class Order Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Carpozoa Spondylozoa Anisoscelida Tetrapodes Saurochelones (info) Acanthomoi Fortimaxillidae Gigasacoronatus Gigasacoronatus camporumafermi | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
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As the interior of the continent of Fermi transitioned from hot deserts and freezing tundras over to temperate, bountiful plains, many of the continents herbivores inevitably began to spread into them. The karkodann is one such example. Already descended from the giant snapjaws, from which they split, they only grew bigger when they encountered the much more abundant surpluses of food that could sustain their new growth. Now the largest herbivores in all of Fermi, they shape the land around much like other native megafauna do - young trees are toppled and/or consumed, while other tall flora and tripped back beneath a powerful beak, thus allowing other flora a chance to move in. Males and females now possess similar color patterns, though males tend to be more vibrant and possess a larger crown of horns compared to the females.
Generally solitary by nature, though with juveniles forming small herds of related pondmates, adults only come together when it is time to breed. Males will either find and take over ponds or, if none are to be found, dig up their own. They will guard them fiercely, chasing off potential rivals that would otherwise take them for their own. Their loud, bellowing calls echo across the plains from these occurrences, and many males are marred by scars where beaks bit deep into their flesh. Should a female come by them, however, the attitude of the males shifts considerably. They will strut about their ponds, drawing attention to rich abundances of pond flora that would nourish many offspring. Should the female be receptive, they will mate and she will enter the water to lay hundreds of small, frog-like eggs. She will leave after this, though other females may arrive and mate as well, with the most successful males with the largest ponds tending to have upwards towards a dozen mates in a single breeding year.
For a time the males will guard their ponds, chasing off predators and occasionally dropping in vegetation to supplement the diets of their offspring over the span of two months, only rarely eating himself during this time. He will rely on his fat stores during these times, but only for so long. When it is time for the young to leave the water, the fathers, now exhausted and thin, will take their leave in order to feed and regain the weight they lost in preparation for when they'll be ready to do all this again in a year or two. Their job is done now, and it is up to their offspring to take the next step.
As adults, karkodanns have no natural predators, and roam the grasslands uncontested in their search for fresh grazing lands. Juveniles, however, are not so lucky. Starting off fairly small as a consequence of the lineage's reproductive style, they are prey for pretty much anything larger than themselves. Just short of half a meter long once they leave their birth pools, and with no parental protection to keep them safe, they must rely on their numbers and spines. Gorgodohves have little trouble snapping them, with some populations even gathering around pools in preparation of the feast to come. Wolverbacks are also a source of major mortality in young karkodanns, as they can quite easily restrain and incapacitate them. In order to survive, karkodanns must rely on their sheer numbers - hundreds leave the pools all at once, far too many for their predators to consume, but of which only a dozen or so will ever reach maturity. They will stay close together, forming herds until they become too large for predators to threaten them, after which they will go their separate ways.
While growth rates in karkodann start off rather fast, with juveniles nearly tripling in size by the end of their second year, it slows down immensely by the end of their first decade of life. Sexual maturity is achieved at around twelves years of age, during which they've reached just short of half their maximum potential size. Should they persevere through every threat and hardship that life can throw at them, a karkodann can potentially live up to eighty years. Many, however, never achieve this. Particularly elderly individuals are more prone to debilitating illness or injuries, and without a herd structure to support them, they often times fall prey to coordinated packs of gorgodohves.