Crowned brontothere (SciiFii)

The crowned brontothere (Brontochlos coronatus) is a species of brontothere that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the Patagonian Steppe and nearby grasslands of South America to help boost biodiversity, making it the only brontothere native to South America. The crowned brontothere is rather small compared to most other brontotheres, growing to be about the size of a sheep or around 1 meter (3.3 feet) tall, and are built more like tapirs or wild boars than their rhino-like relatives. Although they are able to move faster in the more open environments, their main defense is actually their highly social herding behavior, relying on strength in numbers and collectively mobbing predators, although many males are solitary animals outside of breeding season and/or when the outsider males win the right to lead the herds against the leading bulls, who are then exiled from the herds to start their solitary lives. Males also have elaborate head ornamentation, resembling mammalian versions of ceratopsian frills and horns, with ossicone-like projections on the back of their skulls as well as on their noses. Unlike most other brontotheres, the crowned brontothere is adapted for grazing on grasses. Mating season occurs between November and February, during which males often fight violently to establish dominance and breeding rights. Eleven-and-a-half months later, a single calf is born. Crowned brontothere calves are able to walk immediately after birth. Male crowned brontothere calves are chased off from the herds by the dominant males around one year of age. The conservation status of the crowned brontothere is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the crowned brontothere's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii