Aquaovium schnorchelii - Water Sheep

The water sheep (Aquaovium schnorchelii) is a mid-sized herbivorous gomphiobian native to Media Insula.

## Etymology

Its common name comes from its eating habits and its love of water.

The genus name comes from Latin aqua "water" and ovium "sheep." The species name comes from the German word Schnorchel. a breathing tube used for submarines. Dr. Bob Smith categorized them during the second expedition to Wallace II.

## Terminology

Male water sheep are called rams, females are called ewes, and the young are called lambs. The collective noun for water sheep is a herd. Typically, a herd contains perhaps twenty individuals.

## Classification and phylogeny

Paleontological classifications initially classed both bouncers and boomer bugs as descendants of water sheep. In recent years, fossil evidence has strongly hinted that the ancestral line that produced water sheep, bouncers and boomer bugs split from the one that created bugs about 75 MYA. Molecular phylogenetic studies have supported this hypothesis. This supports placement of this genus in a subfamily of Planacorporia.

## Description

The water sheep has a heavy, barrel-shaped body and short head with two proboscises that is distinctly planacorporian. They lack the external ear flap common of boomers bugs and bouncers.

Adult water sheep grow to 2 meters in length, stand 50 to 70 cm tall at the withers, and typically weigh 40 to 70 kg. They are hexapeds, with six feet on the ground. The second pair of feet are usually visible but are vestigial and are useless. Their forelimbs that are shorter than their hind limbs. Unlike any other planacorporian, females are slightly heavier than males. The top recorded weights 101 kg for a wild female and 81 kg for a wild male.

Like bouncers, their dental formula is 1.0.1.3 and their incisors keep growing throughout their lives. Unlike any other Planacorporian, their cheek teeth also continue growing for life. Captive specimens must be given tough materials to gnaw on to keep their teeth short or they will injure themselves.

Water sheep have distinctly webbed feet. Relative to their size, they have short, thick tails. They have four toes on their rear middle feet, three rear facing claws and one spur claw. They have three toes on their front feet, facing forward in a modified ancestral claw. Their rostrums are blunt, with eyes and long proboscises near the top of their heads. They can raise their proboscises almost straight up, allowing them to breathe under water. Because their mouths are not connected to their respiration systems, they frequently eat while completely submerged. It is from this that the species was given its name.

Although they have an almost comic appearance, water sheep are extremely powerfully muscled and have long claws. They will fight when cornered or when protecting their young, and can inflict deadly kicks and savage bites.

Despite lacking external ear flaps, their hearing is excellent. Their vision is not acute, but it is nearly 360 degrees and they can perceive motion very rapidly and can see in very dim light. This helps them evade predators. Their sense of smell is phenomenal. They have 300 million olfactory receptors in their sinus. Inhaled air splits into two different flow paths, one for respiration and one for olfaction. Their olfaction center is a labyrinth of scroll-like bony structures called turbinates. The turbinates sieve odor molecules based on different chemical properties. Olfactory receptors within the tissue that lines the turbinates, in turn, "recognize" these odor molecules by their shape and dispatch electrical signals to the brain for analysis. The flow through the turbinates is one way, ensuring a continuous stream of new smells. Past the turbinates is the vomeronasal organ, a second system of olfactory system. This specifically detects chemicals unique to each animal species. Both the turbinates and the vomeronasal organ have their own path to the brain and to massive olfactory bulbs. More of their brain is devoted to the sense of smell than all other senses combined.

The skin of water sheep has the same form of tough denticles as the rest of Saburramhabitatoria, but it is extremely thick. In the thickest part, over their brain case, it is 2 cm thick. Their coloration is a mixture of mud browns, greens, tans and greys in well camouflaged patterns.

Like bouncers, water sheep have a three chambered stomach. The first chamber is the gizzard. Gastroliths that the water sheep swallow grind and break down their food. Material that the gastroliths can't sufficiently break down are returned to the water sheep's mounth for secondary chewing. The second chamber is the rumen. It is the largest stomach compartment. Microbes ferment the food and produce volatile fatty acids, which are the water sheep's main energy source. Finally, food travels to the abonasum or true stomach. The abomasum is lined with glands that release hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes. These secretions break down the water sheep's food.

The Planacorporian system of respiration and circulation was retained without change. Their hearts have only two chambers, they have four hearts. Each lung has a heart that pumps unoxygenated blood in and a heart that pumps oxygenated blood out.

Tests showed water sheep to have little intellect. Learning is limited and behavior is both instinctual and predictable.

## Ecology

Water sheep are semiaquatic gomphiobians found throughout Media Insula They live in densely forested areas near bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, swamps, ponds, and marshes, as well as flooded savannah and along rivers in the tropical rainforest. They are superb swimmers.

## Behavior and Lifestyle

Water Sheep have a semi-aquatic lifestyle. With six webbed feet, they are powerful swimmers. They highly sociable animals and live in herds which are comprised of 10 to 20 individuals. The heaviest male dominates the herd. A herd of water sheep usually occupies a stable home territory. Males will scent mark their territory. They may overlap with another herd sometimes, and they usually chase intruders. The alpha male, on being challenged by another male of the group, is obliged to enter a fight that continues until one of them escapes the place.

Their common pattern is to rest close together at water's edge in morning. Then they rest in water or mud during the heat of the day. It is during this rest time that they typically chew their cud. Most grazing is done in late afternoon and evening, but they will often graze in short sessions at night.

## Reproduction and Life Cycles

As with most gomphiobians living in herds; it is only the dominant male that has the right to breed with their females in their herd. They become sexually mature around 250 Wallace II days old.

Water sheep reproduce once a Wallace II year. Breeding usually occurs during the monsoon rains. The female whistles to attract the male's attention. They will follow a courtship ritual in water. Copulation takes place in the water. Usually the Alpha male of the harem sires all young, although infidelity has been observed.

Water sheep are ovavivaparous. After 125 Wallace II days of gestation, female Water Sheep will go to some place private that is on land and give birth to one to eight young pups. The newborn will weigh around 1 kg, and are precocial. They can see and can walk with a few hours of birth, and can run and swim after only a few days of birth.
The female Water Sheep rejoins the main group a few hours after birth, along with the newborn. All the females in the herd provide care and protection.

## Diet and Predation

Water sheep are herbivores, grazing mainly on aquatic polyspeculata, with mud striders being a favorite. The water sheep's jaw hinge is not perpendicular, so they chew food by grinding back-and-forth rather than side-to-side. They may also regurgitate food to masticate again, similar to cud-chewing by cattle. The front teeth of water sheep grow continually to compensate for the constant wear from eating tough bone trees. Unlike bouncers, their cheek teeth also grow continuously.

In captivity they have a lifespan of 8-15 years, but generally live less than three years in the wild. This is because they are dietary staple of quetzals, boomer bugs, climbers, sand dashers, daemonium, armed sickle crocodiles, fleaboscises, and saw-birbs.

If a herd member is attacked by a lone predator, the others will defend it. Water sheep herds have been documented severely injuring and even killing attacking predators.

## Communication

Water sheep emit different sounds to express their changing moods. A feeling of satisfaction is expressed by a monotone humming sound, whereas a two tone hum means they are submissive submissive mood. The males emit a deep rumble while flashing their teeth to reveal their aggressive mood. On sensing danger, the male members give out a high pitched howl to warn the clan. If they are on land, all will rush to the nearest water body, keeping the young ones at the center. If they are in the water, they will rush onto land.