Grove Sapper

Grove Sappers are gluttonous, invasive, giant toad-looking creatures that go back and forth between walking on two or all four of their legs. They mostly live in warmer, more humid regions in southern Pyrhia, mostly Mos'Al but can sometimes be found in other similar areas. Grove sappers are said to be responsible for causing forested areas to rot and decay into bogs, so they are often hunted or chased out when found near civilization.

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

by Leonardo.Ai, courtesy of Azothane

Grove sappers live for a fairly long time and reproduce infrequently, as a handful of conditions need to align for this to successfully occur. A few times in a grove sapper's life, it may come across another of its kind in the same wooded region. If the region already appears degraded, a grove sapper won't nest there and will continue on its search for new forested land. If, however, two grove sappers happen to nest within the same region before its degradation becomes obvious, they will both choose to stay and potentially to mate.
Grove sappers reproduce via external egg fertilization. Any member of the species is able to both produce and fertilize eggs, but these eggs become non-viable if this is performed by the same individual of the species. Once two grove sappers find each other nesting in the same region and decide to mate, they will rebuild a single, larger den in which to spawn and protect their clutch (usually 1-2 eggs) until they hatch (usually over the course of a month). After this point, they'll teach the young grove snapper to fend and forage for itself until the region is depleted, as with their normal consumption process, then all of the individuals will go their separate ways and attempt to find new forested area to make their own.

Ecology and Habitats

A grove sapper will migrate to a patch of lush forest to make a den by burrowing into the ground and reinforce it with rocks and broken branches. Once settled, it will slowly eat at the roots of trees and plants nearby, secreting a fluid which both prevents the plants from healing and causes them to start to rot and decay more quickly. The skin oils and excrement of the grove sapper is also reactive and corrosive, slowly breaking down soil and smaller plant life into noxious chemicals and fumes.
This process will continue for as long as the grove sapper is allowed to remain in its den, slowly killing the local flora in immediate area. Once the forest within a 1/8th mile radius has completely broken down and rotted away into a boggy wasteland, the grove sapper will move onto a new patch of forest and begin again, usually at least a mile from its previous location if possible.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The diet of the grove sapper primarily consists of fresh roots, and sometimes other parts, of almost any flora in a forested region. If they are in the way, or the grove sapper is just feeling like a change in diet, it will also sometimes go after smaller fauna that have not yet vacated its chosen denning ground.

by Leonardo.Ai, courtesy of Azothane

Creature Type
Beast

Size category
Large

Average Height

10 - 12 feet

Average Weight

3000 - 4000 lbs