Lesser Skonk

Artwork

Length:
10'3"

Weight:
900lbs

The **Lesser Skonk** (*Skonk secundus*) is an original species created and designed by TheAgent41. The Lesser Skonk inhabits the *The Hole* universe, an original universe created by TheAgent41.

## Appearance and Anatomy

The lesser skonk, named so for its loud honking calls, is a large pseudotheropod closely related to the aurantica and more distantly related to the suneater. The second largest species of its genus, the lesser skonk stands just under five feet at the shoulder, stretches ten feet in length, and weighs approximately 900 pounds. The skonk's epidermis is wrinkled like that of an elephant and is a deep navy blue in color. This dark blue coloration is broken up by a series of irregularly sized stripes running down its back and tail; these stripes are a medium teal color towards the spine but gradually transition into a bright cyan. The tail ends in a large shovel-like appendage.

Like all members of its class, the lesser skonk locomotes using two large, powerful, digitigrade legs. The thighs are thick and muscular while the calves are comparatively thinner. Millions of years ago, the toes of the skonk's ancestors evolved to form a broad, paddle-shaped foot like the flippers of a manatee. Like the manatee, the lesser skonk possesses remnants of its ancestors' hooves in the form of three large toenails, the same number as other members of the suborder Cavusfacius.

The lesser skonk's head is similar in shape to the aurantica's but with one major difference. The lesser skonk's mouth is composed of a large keratinous "pseudobeak" that is incapable of closing. Jutting from the bottom rim of this pseudobeak is a long appendage similar to the aurantica's bayonet. This appendage is shaped like an Earth spoon, complete with a concave side on the top and a convex side on the bottom.

## Ecology

### Behavior and Intelligence

Lesser skonks are docile creatures that display a human-like amount of intelligence, a trait shared by most pseudotheropods. Living in small family groups of four or five, skonks live in the dense azure rainforests of Achlys. The oldest member of the group is generally considered to be the leader. They have been seen engaging in altruistic behavior, even going so far as to willingly share food with other family groups. They display what have been described as human-like emotions, similar to Earth animals such as elephants and apes.

Like elephants, skonks appear to understand the finality of death. When an infant skonk dies, the adults of the troop have been observed hanging their heads and emitting long, drawn-out calls that have been compared to crying. Skonks of all species are the only Achlysian animals that have actually been observed burying their dead. There are four recorded instances of skonk families that have recently lost a member using their tails and facial shovels to dig large pits, push the deceased into the hole, and cover it with dirt.

### Diet

Lesser skonks are foraging herbivores that primarily eat small subterranean floravites, colloquially referred to as "dirthuggers". Using their tails and facial shovels, skonks can dig for dirthuggers much like a pig digging for truffles. A single adult lesser skonk can consume as much as 60 pounds of floravites per day.

### Reproduction

Lesser skonks are polyamorous creatures. While numerous species, like marleyfish, can receive sperm from multiple partners at once, each individual is largely a competitor with every other. With skonks, the relationship is a consensual polyamorous relationship between three or four adults, each one mating with the others. When a skonk has reached sexual maturity, it leaves its family group behind and searches for other "bachelor" skonks, usually by emitting loud honking calls to signal its desire to mate. When multiple individuals meet, they will take turns mating with each other by exchanging sperm via tube-like spermipositors concealed with their mouths.

## Trivia

* The scientific name *Skonk secundus* loosely translates from Latin as "second Skonk".

## Gallery

Artwork