Dingonek

By all standards, the dingonek is an oddly shaped creature. While its broad back and side-facing legs are typical of semi-aquatic predators, the feline head shape, lengthy neck, layers of plate scales, saber tooth tusks, and the horn-like structure sprouting from its head are almost certainly not. Commonly misidentified as a horn, the plow-shaped structure is actually the dingonek’s nose with the nostrils positioned on the top. This allows the dingonek to stay submerged with only the smallest portion of its body exposed. Its other important purpose is that it acts like the bow of a ship to compensate for the dingonek’s less than hydrodynamic head. Perhaps the dingonek's signature feature is its pair of large Smilodon-like tusks. Made of iron-infused enamel, these tusks are incredibly hard and sharp, important since it needs them to acquire its food.

The forelimbs are large and incredibly strong. Able to withstand considerable stresses and subjugate animals as large as themselves. With curved claws that allow for excellent grip on the muddy river bottom. The battles with equally matched prey have led the dingonek to evolve its layers of plated, scale armor that shows a high degree of convergence with pangolins. It is made of multiple layers of hard keratin that are structurally and compositionally different from the scales of other reptiles, reportedly durable enough to withstand a shot with a .308 bullet. The dingonek's scaled body is comparable in appearance to a pine cone. Only part of the scales are actually connected to the body and layered on top of each other. Folding tightly against each other into a rigid nigh-unbreakable surface when external pressure is applied. Allowing for protection without sacrificing too much in the way of flexibility. The edges of the scales are also quite sharp. When a dingonek flares them out, they can cause severe lacerations to anything foolish enough to try and bite down on them. The dingonek’s tail is incredibly muscular. So much so that the dingonek can use it to lift all 25 feet of its body up in the air as a threat display. An impressive feat for any animal. The outwards-facing scales on the ventral and dorsal surfaces of the tail act as kneaded ridges to aid in propulsion through the water. When they’re young, dingonek have specialized scales on their tails that secrete a foul-tasting poison for defense, an evolutionary leftover from when the dingonek’s ancestor species were smaller. But, these scales fall off as they get older.

A semi-aquatic predator, dingonek lurk in freshwater bodies, such as the lakes and rivers surrounding Lake Victoria in Kenya, waiting for prey to approach.

Top-order carnivores relying heavily on their saber-tooth tusks, dingonek are ambush predators that focus on taking big game; wildebeest, rhinos, lions, crocodiles, and elephant calves if the opportunity arises. Waiting near the riverbanks for acceptable prey to approach to take a drink. While healthy individuals may try to kill smaller animals like gazelles, warthogs, or humans, this is usually done out of territoriality rather than an attempt at predation as such animals are usually too small for the dingonek to accurately kill with their tusks and generally are not calorically worth the energy expenditure of such an attempt. Specimens that inhabit the jungles of the Congo have been documented preying upon other monsters, such as the water lion and the airborne Kongomato. Snatching them when they fly too close to the water. Making the dingonek their only known predator. The distinctive tusks, which garnered it the unfortunate nickname of “Jungle Walrus,” are what enables the dingonek to routinely hunt its preferred prey; the equally dangerous adult bull hippo. Taking such a target head-on would be suicide even for a dingonek. This prey will require a slight change in strategy. Using its powerful tail to propel itself forward, the dingonek will charge at top speed as it attempts to blindside a hippo in the water. Ramming into the hippo’s side to knock it off balance. From here, its hunting strategy returns to normal. Using its strong forelimbs to hold prey down, followed by a bite to the throat with its tusk. However, a dingonek cannot just go around biting without care, as while the saber teeth are strong, they handle stress poorly from the side on and can snap easily if a dingonek tries to use them to drag prey into the water as a crocodile would. The stresses that they can take quite well are lateral ones coming from above and below. The dingonek achieves this by thrusting its head upward and then bringing its long tusk down with considerable force like a guillotine. Puncturing through the hippo’s notoriously thick hide, blubber, and skull or those belonging to any other prey animals to reach vital organs or sever major arteries. Even with these advantages, the battles between the two can be fierce. Once a kill has been made, a dingonek will usually eat right there, but if other predators or scavengers are particularly active, it may pull the carcass into the water. The kill is opened up with the claws and the bones and certain groups of muscle fibers are removed from the point of entry. The dingonek digestive system is specialized for digesting the organ meat and fatty tissues of their prey. Which are shaved off with their tusks during feeding before being swallowed. Clues of dingonek habitation include the presence of hollowed and or shaved carcasses in or near rivers. With their large size and slow metabolism, dingonek can go for long periods of time without food. So, they cache their kills underwater so that they won't be stolen by scavengers.

Lifestyle and Territoriality

As a species, dingonek usually are solitary and fiercely territorial towards competitor species and fellow members of their kind. Despite their reputation as fierce and relentless attackers, dingonek are, generally, relatively inert creatures. Although reptiles, they are not terribly fond of the heat, and spend most of their time in the water. If left undisturbed, they can spend hours sitting motionless in the water continuously basking with their jaws open if the weather permits. Although they can remain practically motionless for hours on end, whether basking or sitting in shallows, dingonek are said to be constantly aware of their surroundings and aware of the presence of other animals. However, mouth-gaping (while essential to thermoregulation) may also serve as a threat display to other dingonek. For example, some specimens have been observed mouth-gaping at night, when overheating is not a risk. While they are known for their eagerness to attack competitors, confrontations between two dingonek rarely involves actual fighting. Instead, dingonek disputes are resolved through a ritualized series of escalating threat displays, such as showing off their colorful belly scales, the aforementioned mouth-gaping, tusk size, and the impressive tail-standing posture until one decides that this confrontation is not worth the risk and flees. It is only when neither dingonek refuses to back down by the end, that the nuclear option be used and a fight ensues.

They are known to leave the water to chase lions and wild dogs out of their territory, so as to weed out potential competition. Or if the area has experienced heavy rainfall. Allowing the dingonek to slip and slide across the muddy ground like a 5-ton penguin. If they have to leave the water outside of these circumstances, they prefer to do so at night or early in the morning to beat the heat. During the dry seasons, the dingonek living in savannas use their horn and claws to excavate mud to widen their waterholes and wallow in the mud to pack it into the gaps between their scales to keep cool. During these times when water becomes a precious resource, the territorial dingonek becomes absolutely tyrannical. Lashing out at even the smallest warthog that comes to drink.

Mating Ritual: Dance of The River King

As stated above, dingonek are fiercely territorial and tolerate no incursions. The only exception comes from male-female interaction. Females are allowed to pass through the male’s territories undisturbed, whether they intend to mate with the resident bull or not. But will be confronted if they overstay their welcome. During the breeding season in the month of June, we get a rare glimpse at a much different side to this normally despotic ruler of the river that shows us he is both pugilist and peacock. First, the bull becomes even more belligerent, chasing out potential rivals that may try to claim his territory or any other animal that could disturb him. He will even relentlessly chase down motorized watercraft as the sound of the engine sounds similar to the challenge of a fellow male. Once he is confident that his domain is secured, he goes to a part of the river that he knows females frequently travel along and selects a spot on the river bank big enough for him to stand in. If it is not quite wide enough, he will make it so. By using his nose horn to excavate mud like a bulldozer, he creates a platform in the shallows. Once his stage is made to his liking, he gets to work clearing it of debris. The females can be very picky about the cleanliness of the male’s area and he needs to give it constant attention to keep it nice and tidy. Removing logs, rocks, and even small sticks to make a nice serene patch of the river bank. When all is ready, the male will sit in the middle of his stage and begin to emit a deep bellow into the surrounding water to announce that he is single and looking for love. These low-frequency bellows travel for miles along the river. Once a female passes by, the male sits straight up and emits a short bellow to get her attention. If she is interested, the female will swim to the edge of the bank platform and watch the male carefully. Now that he’s got her attention, it is time for the male to show her what he’s got and impress her in quite an unexpected but extraordinary way.

He gets right up in her face and begins to dance.

He lifts his tail up and shakes it, rattling the scales against each other. He turns his head from side to side slowly in a sweeping motion. Giving the female a good look at his tusks and nose horn from all angles. The size and color of the tusks and nose horn, as well as the hue of his neck scales, are indicators of his overall health and fitness. Similarly, the battle scars on his scales, advertise to the female that he will be able to protect her and her hatchlings. He may add a dramatic flair to his dance by circling around to show off his body's length to his audeince. If she is satisfied with the male’s performance, she will climb up on the platform with him. If not, she will swim away and the rejected male can only watch. Dingonek breed in June in order to prepare them for July. When the annual Great Migration of herbivores across Kenya will provide the females with plenty of nutrients to give to their eggs growing inside them.

The Broken-Tusk Dingonek

Due to the dingonek's strong dependence on their unique saber tusks to efficiently kill their prey, a broken tusk spells doom. Without them, they struggle to cleanly kill large game without getting caught in a prolonged and exhausting battle. A dingonek with broken tusks has such difficulty taking their usual prey that they start avoiding them in favor of taking smaller individuals. A broken-tusk dingonek lives on borrowed time. It may still be able to catch small prey, but the cost of catching it versus the amount of the kill's fatty organ tissue that it can be able to digest generally only prolongs the inevitable. This makes them incredibly dangerous, even more so than a healthy specimen. Like a de-fanged tiger, a broken-tusk dingonek may turn to maneating and inflict heavy losses on the ecosystem to try and take the edge off its hunger before it eventually succumbs to starvation. The savagery displayed by broken-tusk dingonek is so great, that even the Organization, whose preference was to capture supernatural species alive for containment, had a kill-on-sight policy in place for such individuals.

Unlike most Supernaturals, the dingonek have not fared well outside the Organization's captivity. Reliant on water sources to ambush prey, most of the remaining dingonek have found their way into the Trench's freshwater aqueduct systems. Because they were the apex predator in their natural environment, they've been slow to adapt to the new dangers that the Trench provides. The scarcity of large prey like those on the African savanna have starved Trench dingoneks, to the point that like a broken-tusked individual, they will attempt to attack anything for food. Those few found outside aqueducts fare no better. Held captive as pets by influential figures in the Trench, like crime bosses. Who purposefully starve the beasts to provide entertainment by dropping someone in their pit.

Dingonek in the Trench are also hunted for their scales. As Organization resources captured during and post-Breakout dwindle, an item that has seen a shift in demand are the ballistic plates used for bulletproof vests and armor. Caused by the steady decline of this item's abundance as they break from use and need replacement. With their natural bullet resistance, dingonek scales have become a popular alternative to ballistic plates and are highly sought after by the Trench's militant factions. As a single dingonek can provide hundreds of these scales.

Originally, dingonek are from the muddy rivers and swamps surrounding Lake Victoria in southern Kenya, Tanzania, and all the way to the eastern border of the Republic of the Congo. Now in the Trench, they can be found mostly in the aqueduct systems that can accommodate their size.

After its discovery by British explorers in 1910, there was much controversy as to what classification the dingonek belonged to. Much of this controversy was caused not by the dingonek itself, but by the earlier mentioned water lion. A semi-aquatic feline monster that also possesses tusks and lives in the same ecosystems as the dingonek. Causing much debate on whether the dingonek was a reptile and whether the similarities were simply a case of convergent evolution, or actually a mammal related to the water lion. Adding to the confusion, is that water lions are also nicknamed “jungle walrus.”

However, the dingonek had been reclassified as a species of neodinosaur after the discovery of the extinct Vancleavea in 1995. A semi-aquatic archosautifoarm genus that shared many of the unusual traits as dingonek. Such as thick osteodermal armor, boxy head shape, and most importantly, the presence of elongated caniniform teeth. This has led to the conclusion that dingonek are a highly evolved descendant of Vancleavea. Having evolved to be larger and have longer tusks to hunt large animals while its ancestors died out. Although Vancleavea lived in North America. Which raises the question of how its descendant, the dingonek, ended up in East Africa?