Post by Sour Kangaroo on Mar 4, 2010 15:51:30 GMT -6
Common Name: Hammerhead
Na'vi Name: Angtsìk
Taxonomy: Rhinoquadruculus hammercephali or “four-eyed rhinoceros”
Habitat: Prefers open grasslands, but frequent visitor to rainforest
Anatomy: Massive, low-slung head with bony projections on either side of the skull similar to Terran hammerhead shark. Soft ungulate mouth is protected by a rigid, beak-like jaw structure.
Feeding: Ecology Land herbivore. Main food sources are grass and shrubs, but also eats various fruits and leaves of the rainforest.
Size: Can be six meters in height, eleven meters long
Notes: A plant eater, but potentially deadly. Almost twice the size of an African elephant, but much faster.
This massive, grazing creature travels in small herds or packs. It is moderately social, but also extremely territorial and hierarchical. Constant threat displays, both visible and audible, are a large part of the titanothere's day. When angered (which happens easily and often), a titanothere will lower its head and charge at the perceived threat. The sheer momentum and ferocity of this display is usually enough to send any Pandoran creature running for cover.
The imposing hammerhead structure is formed of cartilage rather than bone in the juvenile animal. It can bend to allow the animal to pass through restricted spaces which an inexperienced young hammerhead might enter. As it matures, the structure ossifies, and becomes solid bone. Fighting males will attempt to injure their opponents' eyes with the knobs at the ends of their hammers. The titanothere is highly territorial. Alpha males use their considerable momentum to spread their scent by smashing trees, thus warning other animals (including titanothere bulls) to steer clear.
The titanothere has poor distance vision, but makes up for this with acute hearing and an excellent sense of smell. Although massive, its six limbs allow it to pivot rapidly when it detects a threat from the side or rear. The animal's overlapping body plates and large, bony shoulder and back offer protection during battles with other titanothere or large creatures such as the leonopteryx or thanator.
