Vibbbura
A nearly self-sufficient keystone species, vibbbura give and feed off vibrations. Passive giants, they are still beyond most species' ability to handle and therefore most people leave them alone. While no one would want to live with one (from how they flatten the land around them to the constant noise they produce), living with them nearby can give a good indication of air quality. Even more importantly, they expire extra liquid, so the healthiest vibbbura can create clouds. Many places in the desert only have precipitation because of the vibbbura.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Vibbbura are four legged beasts with thick tentacles sprouting all around their neck, down their back and forming a semblance of a tail. The most important part of their anatomy, the feet, have a layered fat pad meant to absorb the force of their weight when walking on the tips of their phalanges while also expanding the sounds of their footsteps.
The truth of their skeletal system is unknown, as no one has ever gotten away with the entire corpse of a vibbbura.
The skin of a vibbbura is very loose, mainly around the joints, allowing for their flexibility and is also very thick. Halfway down their legs, the skin shifts into a more heavily scaled structure. The scales grow in curls, creating a piping system which also makes more sound as they move.
The vibbbura never stop moving, unless they are dead. The only recognized "rest" state has been the period of times where they have been seen moving more slowly and in one direction.
Genetics and Reproduction
If there is an abundance of food for a vibbbura for a long enough period of time, there is the potential that one of their larger tentacles will start to bud. Bones grow inside as the skin there begins to thicken, and more tentacles sprout from what becomes the top of the bud. When the legs have formed, making the infant at least 6 metres tall, the once-tentacle falls off and a baby vibbbura is born. This process takes several years.
Ecology and Habitats
If the land is wide enough to have them, vibbbura will walk on anything, which is likely how most of them ended up in the desert. Being an ecosystem of their own, they have turned many inhospitable places hospitable through their rains.
They are wanderers and do not stay in one place for very long. Beings of habit however, they do return to places they like, such as their Stomping Grounds.
Dietary Needs and Habits
As stated, the vibbbura eat vibrations. Usually they don't have to go far, as they are large enough to "store" other creatures who live on them, creating their own vibrations. They also require water, which they absorb through their feet. Excess water is expired through their tentacles, which usually creates clouds.
When they come across a new vibration they like, they will hunt it until they can replicate the vibration themselves or convince the one creating it to live on or around them.
Biological Cycle
If the weather is harsh, they pack mud or dirt on themselves to protect against the extreme temperatures. However, once they reach their full height they are their own weather system and are less affected by the extreme heat and cold of the desert seasons.
Additional Information
Social Structure
While vibbbura are very social creatures, this does not necessarily mean they need to be around their own species. In fact, most herds are very small, from eight to ten. The most are infant herds, who have been seen in groups up to twenty members, but they break off from each other when they develop their personal tastes in music.
Instead, their social lives come from the plants and animals who live on them, giving them fun vibrations. It has been observed that a vibbbura does recognize the specific animals who live on them and when it is a new member of a familiar species.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Vibbbura are perhaps the most important animal in all of Geville. For the great amount of desert there is, the weather patterns they can create can include rain and is the reason for most of the precipitation in most of the Dwindling Desert.
People also use the colour of a vibbbura to keep track of the water and air quality in the area. The clearer the colour is, the healthier the environment is.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
A vibbbura's only way to perceive their environment is through the vibrations around them. Their feet cover the vibrations of the ground, while their tentacles catch the vibrations in the air.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
As large as they are, the vibbbura are their own habitat, with plant life growing on their skin and animals making their living on top. Rogue clekklec situate themselves in the middle of the neck tentacles, turning dirt into mud and helping the vibbbura stay cool as they eat from the insects and plants. Tynyn slither in the grooves of the vibbbura's skin, eating detritus and keeping the vibbbura limber while waiting for the rains the vibbbura will provide to tide them over until their next mating season. Triftles build their nests on the vibbbura, returning with their hunt to eat and drink from the vibbbura's condensation.
Average Height
40m
Average Length
30m
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Vibbbura reflect the colours of their surroundings, making them usually a shade of sky blue on top and then a selection of browns, greens, or other colours underneath depending on what they walk over.
Geographic Distribution