Snaghorn
Descended from the hornear (Strutiocheilius oploaftius), the snaghorn is very similar in appearance but improves in a few areas compared to its ancestor. While identical in size at about 6 feet long and about 2.5 feet hall at the hip, its forelimbs are longer and more robust to help support its new defense strategy--flinging its predators.
The snaghorn gets its name from its distinctive branched horns. They are sleeker and more uniform than its ancestorâs, not to mention sharper. The reason for the name is how they are used--when a predator jumps onto the snaghornâs back, it will try to snag them with its horns, burying the curved points firmly into the flesh from below. Afterwards, it will brace itself on the ground with its forelimbs and, with a mighty swing of its head, fling the predator into the air. As this action will often flip the predator upside down, even flying attackers struggle to recover from this immediately, giving the snaghorn time to either charge or flee.
The snaghorn is more social than its ancestor and lives in groups of 2-20 for protection. The herd isnât led by any particular individual, they simply feed, mate, flee, and stampede together in the face of danger, and herds easily split and merge. As this greatly increases the likelihood of their offspring surviving to adulthood, snaghorns only lay 2-3 eggs per clutch, all hatching into fairly well-developed offspring. To help support their herding habits, the eggs are retained inside the mother for the first 4 weeks of development and spend the remaining 4 weeks in shallow nests. Hatchlings are born able to walk and run within minutes and are grown adults in 8 months. Like its ancestor, the snaghorn uses elaborate mating dances making use of various display feathers to mutually select mates.
As a result of their herding behavior, they tend to mate all around the same time, which in turn works out to the herd only needing to stop for the 4 weeks of external incubation. In the presence of eggs or babies, the herd as a whole becomes more likely to fight predators than to flee.
Like its ancestor, the snaghorn rests on the knuckles of its forelimbs while grazing or drinking, but it may also occasionally walk on all fours. It still typically stands and runs on two legs.
The snaghorn primarily feeds on S. thamnos, A. chloodus, and A. paralius, though it may graze on lower-growing leaves of S. chirapalamus. Snaghorns living further inland may also feed on E. phylloakidus.
