Trunkodonts

This species of proboscoid is quite different from other species. This is due to it using the front facial tentacles similar to an elephants trunk. Their the smallest species of proboscoids, and produce snorting vocalizations, which has resulted been dubbed Snorters. This is a warning to any staff (cough, cough, ....Dr. Ewell), to not bring them into the head office to create “a pig orchestra”.

sailfinned trunkodonts
Bizarrely, the only ones of the sailfinned veriaty that have been seen have been males, show by their markings on their sail. After much observation, the mystery around the lack of female Sailfinned Trunkodont has finally been solved. On of the explorers had been following one male individual for months, eventually leading him to a Sailfinned Trunkodont burrow. What he found was unbelievable.

The reason for the lack of females was due to the extremely different niches in the island ecosystems. Unlike the omnivorous males, the females are completely herbivorous, feeding of the sap of a single tree since they’re born. This has resulted in them adapting pale, almost see through skin and they only have 2 eyes, making their vision quite poor. Their back limbs are smaller than the males, only used to grapple onto the roots. Their trunks however are much longer than the males, adding to their grappling abilities. They get oxygen, nutrients, and water from the trees sap keeping them alive. They they get to the sap by using their extra sharp beaks to cut into the bark to reach it.

These females are often guarded by about 5 to 12 males. They also protect the tree, making this a symbiotic relationship for the tree. The males mate once per year. The female will lay about 100 male eggs and 20 females. It is the males duty to spread these eggs by leaving the nest and spreading them. They will leave these eggs with the eggs of other groups, ensuring genetic diversity in the species. However, only 25% of all these eggs will survive to adult hood. 2 males will stay behind to watch the female, becoming incredibly aggressive, attacking any intruders that come to close. This aggression disappears once the other males return, starting the cycle all over again.