Polystomatatherium

Polystomatatherium
(Many-Mouthed-Tank)

Descendant of Ambulospeculida.

Length: 20 ft (6m)
Width: 7ft (2m)
Height: 5ft (1.5m)
Weight: 3,500 lbs

Inhabit the dry “Plains” of the continent Occidentis.

Disclaimer: All references to lengths of time is to be interpreted the same way time on Earth is interpreted.

Basic Biology:
Polystomatatherium or "Poly" for short, possess a cartilage skeleton supported with muscles and internal tubes filled with body fluids.
Their external skin is hard but flexible and accompanied with large thick armor plates on its back and legs. The back armor plates are covered in strong pointed spikes that act as a second layer of defense from attackers.
The front of the Poly is the end with the primary eye and both forms of feeding mouths. The three feeding proboscises are also joined with five other appendages that act as feelers and simple manipulators. The three feeder limbs are tipped with digging plates that specialize in quickly digging through the ground but also in sensing prey movements.
The back of the Poly is the one with the smaller secondary eye, limbs ending with bony spikes used for defense, reproductive organ orifice, and waste orifice. The spiked “tails” can strike with deadly force and is the primary form of defense the Poly will use when threatened.
Polys live for up to 120-170 Earth years, reaching Maturity at age 17. Their lifespans mainly depend on how plentiful and predator fee the environment is.

Dietary Habits:
They mostly opportunistically feed upon the subterranean inhabitants of Wallace II (pray size between 1.8-2.7 meters).
To boost it's nutritional intake the Polys will commonly steal the kills of other predators by scaring them off with its size, spiked back limbs, and deep vocalizations.
If an [animal] non-threatening approaches the Poly, it will mind its own business until the unsuspecting prey lets its guard down and gets close to either its feeding proboscises or its defensive back limbs. At that point Poly will quickly strike, kill, and then consume the prey item.

General Behavior:
Polys are solitary creatures. They spend their time eating and moving from place to place. They do not go out of their way to interact with other species. When two Polys encounter each other and it isn't for breading they engage in a duel of whipping each other with their spiked tails and vocalizing. The fight ends when one either leaves -whether it because of its injuries and/or fear- or one of them succumbed to their wounds.
Polys can stand for extended periods of time when needed, but they will lay down to "sleep". They sleep by slowing most of their brain's functions but allowing their eyes to still detect symbol stimuli.

Reproductive Biology and Behavior:
The sexual differences between male and female Polystomatatherium is impossible to determine from their external appearance, the only way to identify their sex is to listen to their vocalizations then two of the species meet. The difference between them is:
Males make a loud deep bass that drones on as it ends.
Females give a loud deep bass that then shifts to a high pitch "chirp"
Poly reproductive organs are located inside their body and behave similar to earth fish.
When a male and female meet during the mating season, the male will do a type of "dance" with his front proboscises and "sing" along with displaying their spinal air intake. If the female is pleased with the display; she will do a "dance" with her proboscises as will, and the two of them will spend up to 3 days looking for a place to build a nest. During these days the female will gorge herself on food, preparing for the nesting period.
Once a suitable spot is found (near water and natural shade) the female will use her back limbs and shovel away the ground to from a shallow pit. After the pit is dug the female lays 2-3 eggs (850 grams each) that have a soft shell in the early moments of being laid. The male would then quickly "mist" the eggs while they have their soft shells allowing his sex cells ti enter. Soon after being laid the egg's shell rapidly hardens and turns opaque upon prolonged contact with oxygen. The male then gathers several small dead "bone tree" shells to cover the nest with and then departs. The job of guarding the nest rests with the female, where she will stand above the eggs constantly watching over them and will fight to the death to protect the nest. She will not eat for two months as the eggs gestate, relying on her internal food reserves and slowing of her metabolism.
Once the hatchlings (each 26 cm long) being vocalizing the female will immediately pick them out of the nest with her manipulators and carry them off with her to a source of food. In rare instances the mother's hunger will overwrite her instincts and she will consume one or all of her young. For the next 3 years the mother Poly will watch over her young and help feed them subterranean prey while they grow the strength to dig for themselves. Rarely do any more than one hatchling survive to adulthood due to intense predation. Once the surviving hatchling has grown in size to fend for itself (3-3.6m long), the mother will leave it.