Mirehorn
Mirehorns might not look like it, but they are apex predators of the swamplands and rainforests around northern Aridara and southern Timbera, on planet Norrab. These gigantic beasts roam the wetlands looking for their next feast.
Few inhabit these mires, any visitor chased out by these territorial creatures. Those that live in these regions have developed a perplexing mutualistic relationship with mirehorns, capable of co-existing in relative peace.
Taxonomy
Mirehorns are in the family Bovidae, including many typically domestic animals such as cows and sheep. Unlike most of their cousins, mirehorns are carnivorous, actively hunting prey.
They are in the genus Bubalus, alongside buffalos.
Anatomy
While they may look slow and cumbersome, mirehorns are ferocious. Capable of running up to fifty miles per hour, for days on end, it truly is impossible to outrun and outpace these bovines. Mirehorns stand at five metres in height, dominating the flat wetlands.
They are quick on their toes, swift creatures despite their size. Mirehorns are powerful swimmers and can hold their breath for up to three hours, thanks to large, efficient lungs.
The purple fur of the mirehorn helps them blend in with the surroundings. When sleeping in large herds, these animals resemble large mounds.
Their horns grow endlessly, longer and thicker over the years. Eventually, the horns will grow so heavy that the animal will struggle to life its own head. If the mirehorn doesn't die before this happens, they will either dehydrate or starve to death, unable to access vital food or water.
Diet
Mirehorns are hypercarnivores, exclusively feeding on meat. Spotting any large prey on land, they will begin charging, not stopping until they catch up.
Others like to wait just below the water's surface. With their incredible ability to remain underwater for such a long time, mirehorns have no trouble waiting a while for prey to wander too close. They feast on other large creatures, such as swamp gallon pigs, a subspecies of gallon pig exclusive to the Ouro Swamp, just north of the Phalani Sea.
Reproduction & Growth
Do NOT get close to a mirehorn mother when her child is around. It's a death sentence. As if a regular mirehorn isn't a death sentence already. A mother mirehorn is so much worse.
Mirehorns reach sexual maturity at around ten years of age. They grow slowly, and reach adulthood at 15 year of age, where they stop growing. They are sexually dimorphic, with females possessing slightly darker horns. Males must impress females by flashing his large horns - the bigger, the better.
Gestation period lasts two Norrab years. Typically, one or two calves will be born. They stay with both parents for five to eight years, where the mother becomes far more territorial than her usual self. The father gathers food for the family, while the mother protects the young.
Habitat
These animals are adaptable but prefer warm, muggy climates. They are found in northern Aridara and southern Timbera, with a population of around fifteen thousand in the Phalan Forest, Ouro Swamp, and neighbouring regions.
Mirehorns are at the very top of the food chain, with zero predators. They deal with competition from other mirehorns and a handful of other apex predators, but nothing actively hunts them.
These sound wonderfully dangerous. The thought of water buffalo came to mind, and I imagine their acute sense of smell might even reveal who has hunted them before, just from the way they move and exist in their environment. Do they have a particularly strong or developed olfactory sense?
Thank you! I imagine they have veeeeery good smell, as well as all other senses xD