[Approved][Fauna] Fungithal
Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 3:12 pm
Fungithal
Name: Fungithal
Habitat and Rarity: Commonly found throughout the grasslands and forests near Zaichaer, around bodies of water
Biome Role: Prey animal, scavenger
Threat: Very Low
Notable Abilities: Rapid burrowers, increases the rate of natural decay, helps develop swamplands
Physical Description: The Fungithal is a creature that is an amphibious fungus. They come in a vast variety of dark colors, trimmed by bioluminescence that is also plentiful in the color availability. They are a large salamander like creature with long foreclaws and mushrooms growing upon their backs. They walk around on four legs, but do rise up on their hind legs for scouting purposes or to appear bigger to scare off predators.
Behavior Description: They live predominately in burrows near the edges of bodies of water, preferring the muddy atmosphere to stay dark and damp. They are slow and clumsy on land, but when burrowing, they are fast as a rabbit is on land, doubly so in mud. Fungithals prefer to run and hide rather than fight. If cornered, they will raise up and try to hiss. And if that fails, they will fight with their digging claws and teeth. Their claws, while sharp, are not especially dangerous, but their mouths are full of so much bacteria that rampant infections are common if bitten by one.
Diet: The Fungithal typically can subsist predominately on bugs, worms, and small creatures found in the soil it lives within. However, they have a strong sense of smell specifically toward living beings that have died. If they smell one nearby, they will take the risk of going topside to find it and consume it, being their favorite meal. Once they find it, they will drag the creature back into their nearest tunnel, digging it out further if needed for larger creatures, so that they can decay it further and eat it in safety.
Aging & Reproduction: Fungithals grow to maturity in three years, which is when their mushrooms grow upon their backs. They will continue to grow in size for the next 20-30 years of their life, until eventually they succumb to old age. Fungithal spread through the spores from the mushrooms on their backs. The spores will lie dormant in mud, waiting to be joined by spores from another fungithal. Once these spores meet, they will form a tiny egg, which will eventually grow to the size of a marble, and incubate in the mud. After 30 days, the eggs will hatch and baby fungithals will go out into the world, fully prepared to survive on their own.
Size A newly mature fungithal will be around 4 feet long, nose to tail, weighing about 30lbs. One that has lived to old age could be up to 20 feet long, weighing several hundred pounds.
Abilities and Features: Decay Aura: Within a bubble that extends outward from nose to tail, dead, organic matter will decay at 100x the natural rate. This, plus their burrowing, causes the growth and spread of swamplands around bodies of water they live near, and helps to nourish them and provide homes for their spores to grow.
Rapid Burrowing: A fungithal burrowing is near impossible to keep up with in speed. While digging, they absorb nutrition from the soil through their skin and increase in stamina and health as they do.
Flesh: Edible, fragile and thin, crisps up if cooked, typically becomes brittle if tanned.
Meat: Edible, soft and chewy, a bit damp.
Bones: Edible, a bit flexible, not particularly strong.
Organs: Edible, highly nutritious.
Mushrooms: Edible, come in a wide variety of flavors.
Eggs: Edible, taste a bit like soil.
Claws: Long, sharp bones, stronger than the bones in the rest of the creature.
Cultural Significance (If applicable): This creature is predominately hunted and eaten by those that live in the Zaichaer countryside, and are a staple there. They are not often known by city people since no one seems to be farming them.
Recommended Stats : Novice Hunters or Combatants can typically handle typical fungithals, while Competent might be needed for the largest versions. Expert+ Animal Training or Husbandry to train/breed these as they are not smart creatures.
Original Post https://wiki.ransera.com/index.php/Fungithal