Creature:Uniceraneustes

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Information
The Uniceraneustes are a species of ceratopsians whose ancestors lived out much of their lives on land; it wasn't until recently that their ancestors moved into the shallow seas of one of their homeplanet's oceans.

Uniceraneustes is named for its single, long horn growing straight out from between its eyes, like some kind of makeshift narwhal tusk. They also possess a large head frill, which although it protects their necks from predators, it greatly diminishes their maximum potential swimming speed. However, uniceraneustes are lazy swimmers anyhow, so this matters little.

The ceraneustes family have returned to their aquatic origins, and have adapted their feet into powerful flippers. Although most of these inhabit the shallow seas and are herbivorous, some inhabit other areas, with a few even adapting to feed on shellfish and coral. Uniceraneustes is one of these individuals, and is often found feeding on coral polyps as well as the algae growing on them.

Uniceraneustes are social creatures amongst their own kind (and a few species living in symbiosis with them), but are usually only found in family groups of up to five -- this prevents them from destroying entire sea forests while feeding.

Scientific Classification
Domain: Eukaryota (Complex Organisms) Kingdom: Animalia (Animals) Subkingdom: Eumetazoa (Tissue into Germ Layers) Superphylum: Deuterostomia (Blastophore becomes Anus) Phylum: Chordata (Animals with Notochords) Subphylum: Vertebrata (Vertebrates) Infraphylum: Gnathostomata (Jawed Vertebrates) Superclass: Tetrapoda "Four Legs" (Four-Legged Vertebrates & Their Descendants) Series: Amniota (Animals possessing amniotic eggs) Class: Sauropsida (Reptiles) Subclass: Diapsida (Reptiles with 2 fenestrae) Infraclass: Archosauromorpha (Ruling Reptiles) Superorder: Dinosauria "Terrible Lizard" (Dinosaurs) Clade: Genasauria Order: Ornithischia "Bird Hipped" (Bird Hipped Dinosaurs) Suborder: Cerapoda (Cerapods -- possessing thick enamel inside their lower teeth) Clade: Marginocephalia "Fringed Head" (Bony ridge or frill on back of skull) Infraorder: Ceratopsia "Horned Face" (Ceratopsians) Family: Ceraneustes "Horned Swimmer" (Aquatic Ceratopsians) Subfamily: Macrocephalisinae "Large Head" (Large-Frilled Ceraneustes) Genus: Uniceraneustes "One-Horned Swimmer" Subgenus: - "" Species: - "" Binominal Name: Uniceraneustes --

Statistics
Species Type: Cold-blooded Aquatic Ceratopsian Lifestyle: Social Omnivore Hunt/Forage Success Rate: 70% Forage (99% success rate), 30% Hunt (99% success rate) -- they have such high success rates because the plants and animals they feed off of are all anchored in place, and cannot move away. Armor:

Aurix possess very little natural armor, namely consisting of a leathery neck plate across the top of their neck (but not the lower section), and shark-like dermal denticles which cover their entire body as a type of scaling. These dermal denticles are also strengthened in order to support and anchor more powerful swimming muscles throughout the body, and thereby serve a dual purpose in this fashion. Besides this, the Aurix have yet to truly reach sapience. Due to their lower amounts of armor, they can die moderately easy when an attack gets through their offenses and defenses.

Defenses:

Aurix possess electroplaques stored in their tails, which produce a low amp voltage capable of causing both dizzying discomfort and weak migraines able to cause incapacitation to terrestrial foes as well as being capable of dealing actual physical harm to their more aquatic opponents. They also possess weak poisonous skin and decent poison resistance, as well as their bony skeleton, which has been strengthened by thicker bones, chiefly in the ribs and legs. They also possess both a leathery neck plate and dermal denticles, which are described above. They also possess a skin coloring to help them blend in with the murky swamp waters. Despite these defenses being relatively weak, they can use their natural intelligence to escape harm, as well as their amphibious habits.

Weapons:

Aurix possess a row of cnidocytes on either side of all four of their tentacle-arms which possess weak neurotoxin to incapacitate smaller prey or creatures with thin skin. They also possess a radula which usually lies within a tiny "nook" deep within their split jaw mouths; when used, it sticks out this tongue and whips it around, trying to saw against chitinous armors, although with less success as it did when the species possessed their ancient proboscis. However, this weapon has fallen into rapid disuse due wholly to their stomachs now possessing enough acidic content to successfully digest chitin, allowing them to just swallow their armored prey (however, they also no longer feed on any species of arthropods, and therefore do not need this evolution, and may soon lose it). As mentioned earlier, they can also use their electroplaques to stun or even kill some prey. Another weapon they possess a large bone scythe at the tip of their tails, which possesses a hollow center in order to release venom by way of a venom sac located at its base. Another weapon they possess is a spitting organ, which they use to fire a projectile venom attack from their mouths at foes, sometimes from the safety of their watery homes, like some kind of poisonous archer fish. The more recent addition to the Aurum's arsenal is elongated claws on its second pair of tentacle-arms; these are used to rake at prey (generally, Grendons, but also the occasional Quirlax) during hunts, or even at foes during fights. The final weapon they possess is the split jaw mouth itself, which is actually separated into four jaws, which can open wider than a regular mouth to bite huge chunks of meat from foes and prey. This mouth is filled with a large complement of very sharp teeth, which are used for tearing rather than chewing; this means the Aurix, when feeding, typically tear large chunks off of prey, and then set this down, and tear it into smaller chunks that will successfully glide down their esophagus.

Tools: Uniceraneustes have no true way to manipulate the objects around them, but occasionally will move stuff around with the tips of their horn. This isn't very useful, however.

Method of Eating:

Grab prey with tentacles, using split-tentacles, if needed, hunter's claws to hold on. Certain prey is incapacitated by injecting them with cnidocytes that line the arms. Other prey that possess hard chiton shells incapable of either fitting the mouth entirely around or too tough to crack, use of radula to wear through armor is not uncommon. Bring prey to split jaw mouth and tear off large chunks of meat off of prey. If chunk is too large to immediately swallow, can either set food down and tear smaller chunks off until entire thing will fit down the esophagus, or use smaller, inner teeth (adapted from proboscis barbs they once had) to tear and chew the meat until it is in small enough chunks to fit safely down the esophagus and into the stomach, where digestion begins. After being processed within the acids of the stomach, it descends into the intestine, where nutrients are partially digested by the body, with wasted remnants excreted out the anus on the opposite end.

Reproductive Rate:

Sexual maturity is reached after 5 years. Can reproduce any amount of times during their lifetime.

Gestation:

3.5 weeks then lays eggs -- eggs are laid in nests dug out of sand, dirt, and/or mud and formed into a shallow bowl shape through the use of natural enzymes excreted through their cloaca, combined with the processes of their ptchocyst nematocysts, which when combined work like a type of glue to hold their nests together (the ptchocyst works as a waterproofing seal). These nests are built within the shallows of their swampy home, as the eggs still need the air to breathe, as an Aurix cannot breathe underwater forever, and therefore the eggs still need to remain above the surface of the stagnant lake.

Offspring Incubation:

4 weeks until egg hatches after being laid.

Number of Offspring:

10 aurumlings per litter

Offspring Survival Rate (before age of maturity):

48% -- the Aurix are a very intelligent species, and have learned to take care of their young by laying the eggs in nests, which the mother then lays on, only leaving the nests during the incubation period in order to defecate (as they do not want the smell of their fecal matter to lead possible predators back to the nest). The males spend their time during incubation periods hunting for food, bringing typically a little over half of the food back for their mate awaiting on the nest (Aurix mate for life). After hatching, the young remain in the nest for 2 weeks before learning how to walk, at which point they follow their parents around and play with each other. After 3 weeks they learn how to swim. Most deaths occur before this stage, and typically in first-time mothers or when they leave the nests to release waste elsewhere, during which times egg thieves may advance on the nests occassionally and rob them.

Singular/Plural: Uniceraneustes/Uniceraneustes