Cone Badger
A cone badger, also known as a 'false pine,' is woodland monster that evolved as a result of badgers being exposed to fae nature magic. These highly unusual creatures now breed true, seeking out tussles with adventurers and other beasts - especially those with fire magic - to help propagate their species.
Basic Information
Anatomy
A cone badger is a pseudo-mammalian quadruped the size of a Crystal Wood Black Bear, with adults of both sexes weighing up to 150 pounds. Though descended from badgers, cone badgers actually share more morphological traits with pangolins, albeit with a more robust frame that tapers overall towards the tail. The whole body of the cone badger is covered in a set of thick, woody petals reminiscent of those on the outside of a pine cone. Quills resembling pine needles, complete with photosynthetic capacity, erupt from gaps between these scales, especially in late season when the creature has already issued pollen (see Genetics & Reproduction). The woody exterior of cone badgers is flammable, but extraordinarily resistent to impact; any injuries quickly become sealed over with the animals' sap-like clotting factor. Cone badgers will often burrow down face-first into the ground to sleep, conserving energy while allowing the quills to absorb the sunlight; in this configuration, a colony of cone badgers is easily mistaken for a copse of young pine trees from a distance.
Genetics and Reproduction
Cone badgers gather into groups for breeding purposes as well as protection; unlike their badger ancestors, cone badgers are social creatures. Upon reaching adulthood and shedding their first green scales, male cone badgers begin to exude an airborne, hydrophobic, flame-retardant pollen. This yellowish pollen smells strongly of turpentine and is known to cause irritation and allergic reactions when it alights on the mucous membranes of other species. Female cone badgers' scales and quills feature microscopic barbs that draw pollen from the air down to the gaps between them, where this pollen fertilizes ova that grow into seeds. These seeds mature over the course of several months, but are ready to be shed after only a single month. Juveniles hatch from these seeds shortly after being shed, follow their mother instinctively via scent, and are weaned within six weeks.
For both sexes, abrasion, impact, and especially fire accelerate all aspects of the breeding process, as these activities force the scales open as when a pine cone becomes dry or is exposed to fire. Seeds that are not dispersed at the end of the season are typically resorbed, but can become encysted and dangerous to the life of the mother if left pinned under tight-sitting scales. For this reason, colonies of cone badgers become more agressive and territorial during the late summer out of a desire to get breeding over with before damp snows come.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Cone badgers are omnivorous generalists and prefer burrowing animals as game. Several individuals from a colony will cooperate to block all entrances to a burrow, an activity they will sometimes share with normal badgers and foxes to maximize prey efficiency. Cone badgers are not overly nimble, however, and can persist on insects, roots, and tubers if easily-bracketed burrowing animals are not available for consumption.
Cone badgers are able to supplement their metabolism with a limited degree of photosynthesis using the spines on their backs. The proportion of the animal's blood glucose derived from photosynthesis increases after breeding, as the opening of a cone badger's scales in response to conflict or dry, hot conditions allows more of each spine to be exposed to the light. This has several benefits for the creature, including suplementing the production of milk and the regrowth of new scales to replace those lost during the aggression of the late summer months.
Behaviour
Cone badgers are of animal intelligence and, while gregarious among their own kind, are as dangerous as fully natural badgers, raccoons, skunks, or porcupines might be to any they might consider predators. Cone badgers are hostile to outsiders of their size or larger, but may ignore passers-by when sleeping in the hopes that their unique morphology will serve as a sort of camouflage. Obvious spellcasters and those carrying fires (i.e. torches) are the most likely to get attacked by a roving colony of cone badgers should they cross paths in the woods. Males fight with utmost tenacity while the females flee; the colony will regroup later in the woods when the danger has passed. In the first month of summer, males temporarily lose their self-preservation instinct when fighting other creatures; by taking damage, especially from fire, they maximize their breeding potential while also showering threats to the colony with irritating pollen dust, thuroughly discouraging predators while also ensuring their own propagation.
Geographic Distribution
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