Warty Snoot

Guest entry by Troll Man

Roaming in vast herds across the savannahs of Serinarcta is a variety of trunko, ecologically and morphologically changed little since the days before the great ice ages. This is a type of snoot, a category of trunked bird which has generally remained evolutionarily conservative for over twenty million years, but has nonetheless proliferated across the warm and wet hothouse world, and none are more widespread and numerous than the warty snoot, obviously named for the numerous hard nodules covering the face and neck of adults. These are a visual marking which helps members of their herds to easily recognize one another by the slight differences of wart placement, number, and colours (which is accompanied by flute-like vocalizations), a very useful attribute when their herds are among the most vast of the grazing megafauna across the northern supercontinent.

Warty snoots travel in immense congregations, frequently hundreds of thousands strong and stretching for miles, wandering nomadically, following the endless trail of fresh greenery unearthed by herds of thorngrazers or gantuans, and the species numbers in millions across Serinarcta. These hordes have a complex social structure, usually constructed of dozens of smaller and more closely-knit groups broadly tied by bloodlines, which stick together even as they move between different congregation masses. The social structure of the snoots is very complex and borders on a eusocial caste system. One reason for this is that the warty snoot is part of a lineage of snoots which has evolved paired egg pouches, which allowed them to double their breeding rate, a valuable ability as snoots are a principle prey item for countless predator species. Females of the warty snoot produce the most eggs per clutch of any trunko species, able to produce up to twelve eggs at once (although six to eight is more common). This is because not only do mother and father share egg-rearing duties, but adolescent and non-breeding adults will also help incubate a mother's clutch.

The species has a female-dominated hierarchy, and family units of the warty snoot are based around a small number of breeding matriarches (usually offspring of a previous matriarch and sisters from the same brood), dubbed "queens", which control most reproductive rights. Queens are easily distinguished by their larger size, growing up to five-hundred pounds, nearly twice the mass of adult males and subordinate females. Status is maintained through ritualistic nipping and displays, which releases hormones in subordinate females which stunts their growth and alters their maternal instincts, with actual fights being rare, as maintaining social ties and herd cohesion are vital to their collective survival. Matriarch snoots gets first access to fresh greenery, which allows their larger size and production of large egg clutches. Eggs laid are immediately taken into pouches by subordinate females and consort males, and the matriarch plays no further role in child care, allowing her to produce clutches continuously as long as grazing conditions are favourable and she remains in reasonable health. Adolescents and young adults almost always learn to brood eggs through taking up the eggs of matriarches, and have a much higher chance of rearing their own offspring successfully after several cycles of babysitting. The larger a family unit, the more queens will be present; up to fifty may be present in particularly large groups.

Males are identified from females by their more vibrant colours, but otherwise appear very similar. Males are divided between three rough groupings, consorts, bachelors, and partners, which are physically identical but differ behaviourally. Matriarches are polygamous and take several males as their mates; clutches can be fathered by multiple individuals and it is the consorts which are the primary male caretakers. Bachelor males may help care for the eggs and young, usually to curry favour with the matriarches as a second choice should one of her consorts die, but this is less frequent. Partner males form monogamous pairings with subordinate females, which are allowed to breed in favourable conditions, but will have their hatchlings and eggs destroyed by matriarches in times of stress, and generally only have one brood of up to four eggs per year. If a family unit grows large enough, small groups of subordinate females and bachelor/partner males may split to form their own units, while bachelor males and younger subordinate females may leave their group to mate with members of other units within a herd, which helps resist inbreeding.

Warty snoots breed year-round, so herds are filled with individuals of all ages. Younger juveniles, which sometimes struggle to maintain their place in the herd's nomadic voyages, may sometimes be carried around by adults as they grow strong enough to keep pace with the congregations. Older juveniles, around eight or nine months old, form creches and are free to wander from the care from adults, freeing the parents to produce more eggs, which offsets the high mortality rate. Running is the first line of defence, with adults able to reach speeds of over seventy kilometres an hour, but there are many cases where they will stand and fight against a predator, lashing out with long, blade-like claws on the first toe, most commonly adults defending youngsters or a male partner/consort defending a female. The unpredictable nature of whether a snoot is liable to fight or flight can lead to the death of many an inexperienced hunter. Mortality rates for yearlings are high due to predation, sickness, and injury, but those which survive past a year can likely survive into adulthood, with a lifespan that ranges into the thirties for lucky individuals.