by Ice Age Titans
“One of the biggest animals this side of the valley. It often stomps first, asks questions later. Don't get too close.”
Description
Mammuthus Aglaogomphio ("Mammoth with the Brilliant Tooth") is a gargantuan sized, partially shaggy-coated proboscidean related to the famous elephants and mammoths of pre-war history.
They are what's left of a group of elephants, both the
Asian elephant Elephas maximus and the
African elephant Loxodonta africana, who had successfully escaped captivity after the bombs dropped and somehow survived long enough to migrate across country and settle in the middle of the United States and are actually theorized to have interbred with one another.
This theory does hold some merit, as while the Asian elephant and the African elephant belong to different genera, they share the same number of chromosomes, thus making hybridization, at least in this respect, theoretically possible, as while Asian and African elephants do not come in contact in the wild, there had been one official incident of cross-breeding between the two species.
In 1978, at the Chester Zoo in England, an Asian elephant cow
Sheba was reported to have given birth to a calf after mating with an African elephant bull named
Jumbolino. Their calf was named
Motty, and at the time of his birth, was described as having had features of both his parents. Sadly and tragically he was premature and died of stomach complications two weeks later, according to Dr. Derek Lyon, veterinarian in charge at Chester Zoo during Motty's birth.
Because of their ability to interbreed, this is often hypothesized as too what gave these mighty pachyderms their fighting chance at survival in the post-apocalyptic world.
While many deduced the idea of these large mammals being able to thrive outside their native habitat and stake their claim in the wilds of the US without human intervention as preposterous, it's not entirely uncalled for that they would manage to thrive but survive.
During the Pleistocene, large populations of
Proboscideans lived in North America, such as the
Columbian mammoth and the
American mastodon. The mastodons all became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene era, as did the mammoths of
North America.
However, an extant relative of the mammoth is the well known
Asian elephant. It lived in the tropical zones of southeastern Asia, but the fossil record showed that it was much more widespread, living in temperate northern China as well as the Middle East,
an area bearing an ecological similarity to the southern and central United States, which coincidentally is where the Plains Behemoth lives now.
The Central United States are typically considered to consist of what was known pre-war as
North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Mississippi and Alabama. which alone gives the animals a wide-spread range, which it uses to it's advantages, as they migrate for the winter to warmer climates and often travel long distances in search of food.
Description
Being a hybrid of two seperate elephant species, with the added combination of radiation mutating certain features of the animal, the Plains Behemoth shares the traits of both its ancestors, along with its own traits that enable it to thrive in the wilds of the USA.
Body physic wise, the cheek, ears (long with pointed lobes) and legs (longer and slimmer) are of African descent, while nail numbers (5 front, 4 hind) and the single trunk finger are of Asian. The wrinkled trunk is like an African elephant while the forehead is sloped with one dome and two smaller domes behind it. Their body is often noted to be african in type, very robust and strong, while also featuring an Asian-type centre hump and an African-type rear hump.
M.Aglaogomphio also stands as one of the largest species of elephant, beating even the size of
M. trogontherii,
The steppe mammoth. The steppe mammoth was once regarded as the largest species of mammoth, though in the past there were two rivals to this crown. One former species,
M. sungari, also known as the
Songhua river mammoth was once estimated to be beyond five meters high at the shoulder, though early in the twenty-first century it was established that the M. sungari type specimen was actually composed of the remains of
M. trogontherii with some associated
M. primigenius remains. Today M. sungari is regarded as a synonym to M. trogontherii. Another species,
M. imperator was once considered to be a particularly large species, but now M. imperator is thought to be a synonym to M. columbi. (the Columbian Mammoth).
While general size for each gender borders around 30 feet in length and 20 feet in height, females unlike other modern elephant species don't stand that much smaller than males, with many getting around 12 feet in height and almost 20 feet in length. And while it is unrecorded, it has been rumored that there are some individuals who can double that size entirely.
Taking another trait from their Asian heritage, and while not completely noticeable unless you get an up close look at it, a Plains Behemoth sports thick hairs on many parts of its body, which they shed during the spring. However they are not nearly as wooly as the famous mammoth, sporting hair only on their heads, legs and shoulders and thus do not thrive in cold very well, which causes them to have to migrate.
Tusks Teeth and Diet
A Plains Behemoth's curved tusks are larger than those of any true elephant, measuring up to thirteen feet around the curve in old bulls. Its distinctive tusks grow in a way similar to African elephants. But, unlike the previous elephant species and even the ones found in the fossil records, the tusks of the males branch out near the base, with the second 'branches' clearly spirally turned upwards, with the pointed ends facing each other. Their teeth have also changed and are larger and much more robust than elephant teeth, allowing them to process coarse forest vegetation.
As a herbivorous species, they are generalist feeders, and are both grazers and browsers. They are known to feed on at least 112 different plant species, including shrubs, wildflowers and tree bark. Non-migrating herds also venture into the open forests in search of fresh plant growth. During the fall, these herbivores eat whatever they can to prepare for winter, storing up fat for extra protection against the harsh chill of their home before migrating. Sometimes they have even been known to eat village huts or other wooden objects.
Family Dynamic
Plains Behemoth display complex social and emotional behavior, and are said to value their families more than most animals. Much like many other species of Elephants, Plains Behemoth are known to develop strong, intimate bonds between friends and family members. There have been reports of elephants forming lifelong friendships with each other, and they even mourn the death of their loved ones. Mother elephants have been seen grieving over stillborn calves, and some elephants have even been spotted returning to, and lingering near, spots where their friends and family members died.
All families have a matriarchal head, meaning that an older, experienced lady elephant leads the herd. A family usually consists of a mother, her sisters, daughters, their babies (calves). Occasionally, non-related elephants join to form families. Female family units range from three to twenty five elephants. Sometimes herds of female elephants combine with groups of bull elephants to form larger clans. Herd aggregations of 500 to 1000 elephants have been recorded around watering holes and other sources of food and water. Herd aggregation has also been documented in areas where poaching is rampant. Females and their immature young often travel in small, tight-knit herds led by a matriarch, while the males leave their mothers upon reaching sexual maturity and live either alone or in bachelor herds. During the summer female herds invite wandering bulls into battle for the right to mate, watching as the huge bulls crash tusks and grapple with their trunks. This heightened aggression between bull Behemoth lasts year-round and makes them extremely dangerous in the wild.
Battle Strategy and Interactions
Plains Behemoth are quite intelligent and have been observed to combat larger foes with some semblance of strategy. The animal's massive size and strength put it out of the league of most predators, although their calves are vulnerable to attack from wolves, big cats, wargs, and many other large predators including the rare occurrence they happen to run into Super Mutant Behemoths. A Plains Behemoth's trunk can also lift stones and dead trees, which it can use as a weapon to batter down foes with brutal swings.
Despite this they are hunted, and their meat is edible and they produce many useful materials like fat, bones, and leather. While odd to some, their milk is safe for people to drink and, while rather bland-tasting, is hypoallergenic and a great alternative for those who can’t stand the taste of other Brahmin alternatives. However as they are usually hunted for their meat and pelts many groups of these animals have a strong hatred towards humans and other humanoids. This strong hatred towards anything human or humanoid has led to many cases of people being trampled and brutally maimed. Many travelers and hunters are warned not to engage confrontations and to run if chased down. One way to escape a Woolly Mammoth is to play dead, another way is to climb out of reach.
Trivia
Mammuthus: Genus
aglao: splendor, beauty; splendid, brilliant (Greek)
gomphio: a tooth (Greek)
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