Desert Tarbodon Concept
Part of a personal worldbuilding project.
Three adolescent bulls search for water..
Tarbodon are Huge hulking herd beasts inhabiting the great deserts and badlands of the continent.. Living a predominantly omnivorous lifestyle they tend to consume mostly desert weeds and roots, but will not stray from eating smaller creatures living among the burrows and plantlife if an opportunity arises.
Adult males grow large saggital crests sporting thick flanges that swell with coloured blood vessels to display their supremacy, but whose shape also aids to amplify the acoustics of the booming calls they use to mark their territory.
Their nasal cavity is a deep armoured structure housing the main emitter of these horn-like calls, with additional air intakes on the forehead that ensure their threats can be heard for miles around.
If these outbursts don’t deter a rival, males also sport enormous self-sharpening facial tusks and thumb spikes on their forelimbs, commonly engage in horrifying battles for dominance over the females in their group, usually leaving the weaker Male blind or at the very least badly wounded.
Another notable feature are the large fan-like organs behind the Tarbodons jaw that greatly aid them in hearing, but also can be maneuvered to direct their calls and shaken to dazzle females.
These growths enhance sound via vibrations in water and must be kept moist, therefore it is rare to see this species far from the shallow desert waters mud
Herds of Tarbodon are extremely dangerous to approach especially in mating season and testosterone fuelled males are known to charge and trample anything entering their territory,
None the less mythology of local tribes tell that great warriors of the past have somehow managed to tame the beast and rode them into battle as a naturally armoured war-mount.
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