Daily Creature

(run by @darkotorclash (they/any neos))

banner by @imbored-101

daily creatur 042 (8/12) - babirusa!!

also called deer-pigs, they are pigs found in the indonesian islands of sulawesi, togian, sula, and beru. they're omnivores, which eat leaves, roots, vegetables, fruits, insects, fish, small mammals, and mushrooms. males have massive tusks, which, rather than being used as weapons, instead shield their eyes during combat. they're not used as weapons due to breaking easily. they have few natural predators(if any). they're excellent swimmers and use their hooves to dig for roots instead of using their snouts like other pigs. females have small or no tusks, due to having less testosterone, which fuels tusk growth.

good suggestion !!

daily creatur 041 (8/11) - carp !!!

the word "carp" refers to several species of freshwater fish in the cyprinidae family. in some parts of the world they're a valuable source of food and used as pets(like goldfish!!!!) while in others they're considered invasive pests and aren't valuable. tribolodon is the only carp genus able to tolerate saltwater, and some species of carp are able to survive for months with little to no oxygen under ice by metabolizing glycogen. they eat mollusks, insects, worms, seeds, and some types actively hunt crayfish.

the fis

daily creatur 040 (8/10) - hooded pitohui !!

i uh... don't know if we've actually had a bird yet !!!

they're medium-sized birds with black and red feathers. they're most significant for being one of the only species of birds to be poisonous. its skin has compounds which can paralyze and kill, though the toxicity varies across individuals. the toxin is possibly obtained from the beetles they prey upon, though its also technically possible they both derive their poison from a third source. this is unlikely, though, as another poisonous bird, the blue-capped ifrit, is almost exclusively insectivorous. they eat various invertebrates like ants and caterpillars and the aforementioned beetles, and possibly small vertebrates.

poisom birb

daily creatur 039 (8/9) - mongoose !!

they're small carnivorous land mammals which primarily feed on birds, insects, and reptiles. they're most notable for their unique resistance against snake venom, which led to them being brought to places to deal with snakes and rats, though they often failed at actually hunting rats and snakes and instead damaged the ecosystems they were introduced to. they resist this venom via a glycoprotein that binds to proteins in snake venom and neutralizes it. some are solitary while others live in groups, and some are kept as pets to control vermin. there are several species, and they can be found in southern asia and europe, but are mainly found in africa. they have claws that don't retract and their fur ranges from gray to brown.

so cute !!

daily creatur 038 (8/8) - kunekune pigs !!

they're small domestic pigs which are veryhairy !! their hair color varies a lot ! including black, ginger, cream, gold. brown, and combinations of spots !! they're thought to have evolved from an asian domestic breed which was introduced to new zealand by whalers or traders. the mãori people of new zealand adopted the name of kunekune, meaning fat and round. by the 1980s only about 50 purebred kunekune remained, but recovery efforts helped the breed no longer face extinction by 2010. they're often kept as pets and sometimes have wattles hanging from their lower jaw.

silly little guys !!

daily creatur 037 (8/7) - cuttlefish !!!

cuttlefish are marine cephalopods much like octopi and squids. they have w shaped eyes, 8 arms, and 2 tentacles. they're carnivores which eat crabs and fish, but eat small shrimp mostly shortly after hatching. they communicate with their appearance, using texture, patterns, color, position, and movement. they also use these abilities for camoflage, being able to match both texture and color of things like rock and kelp. they hatch from eggs and live within tropical and temperate waters. like octopi and squids, they have a beakz which they use to break through the tough shells of crabs.

good suggestion !!!

daily creatur 036 (8/6) - scorpions !!!

i was excited for this one !!!!

they're predatory arachnids with pincers and a tail with a stinger at the end ! they primarily live in deserts but can be found in all continents except antarctica. they're most diverse among sub-tropics. they range from about a third of an inch to more than 9 inches long. they're primarily active during the night or twilight periods, finding shelter during the day in burrows and cracks. they generally prey upon insects like crickets and beetles, and also prey upon spiders and small vertebrates like lizards. they are sometimes attacked by other arthropods like ants and spiders, and grasshopper mice and desert long-eared bats are legitimate predators who are adapted to hunt them. some species prefer to use claws while other species of scorpions prefer to use their stingers to defend themselves.

good suggestion !!

daily creatur 035 (8/5) - potbelly pig !!!

they're small black pigs with a sway back and a large sagging belly. it weighs approximately 50 kilograms and is about 36 cm tall on average. they're resistant to disease and parasites and are usually raised extensively(meaning they take a relatively small ampunt of labor to raise compared to the land used). there's two main types of them, I-pha and I-mo. I-pha potbellies are taller, have longer legs and snouts, and have bigger ears than I-mo potbellies. they're mainly farmed for meat and their conservation status as per the most recent update is unknown but in 2007 they were considered endangered.

sorry !!! i kinda rushed this but i had to

daily creatur 034 (8/4) - margays !!!

look at this ocelot looking fella

it's found in the tropical lowlands of mexico and extends through central america to brazil and paraguay. they're skillful climbers, and are sometimes called tree ocelots because of this. they use their long tails to balance while climbing which indicates that they're strongly equipped to survive in forests with vegetation. they seem to primarily eat small primates, various birds, tree frogs, small snakes, and arthropods. they also eat tree mammals such as Ingram's squirrel. they are capable of huntinf and living entirely above ground in the trees, but have also been reported to occasionally venture to the ground to hunt armadillos and a variety of terrestrial rodents. it was once recorded in the united states some time before 1852 but has never been recorded there since and is considered locally extinct in texas.

tiny ocelot !!!

daily creatur 033 (8/3) - binturong !!

also called a bearcat !! which i can see

it's an omnivore, feeding on plants, small rodents, fish and insects !! it's mostly nocturnal while also exhibiting the behavior of animals which are mostly active at twilight. they're found throughout south and southeastern asia and are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red list. most of its diet is likely vegetable matter due to it lacking the attributes of a predatory mammal. it's majorly affected by habitat loss, forest degradation, illegal trading and illegal hunting. it has a large prehensile tail which helps them communicate and also keep their balance. they growl when irritated and make low grunts and hisses when prowling

good suggestion +!

daily creatur 032 (8/2) - trilobites !!

i guess i put a pic of the fossil???????

trilobites are extinct marine arthropods which collectively form the class of trilobita. due to having exoskeletons made of calcite, they've left an extensive fossil record. some were predators, some were scavengers, some were filter-feeders, and some even crawled onto land. some may have eaten soft prey while others were detrivores, sifting small food particles from the sea floor. many had complex eyes and a pair of antennae. some were blind, likely as a result of living too deep in the ocean for light to reach them. they could roll up into a ball for protection by bring their tail under their head. they grew via moulting, gaining segments through the stages.

good suggestion !!

daily creatur 031 (8/1) - ophiurida(brittle stars)

visually, they're similar to starfish, but unlike starfish their central disk body is very distinct from its very flexible and skinny arms !! the limbs regenerate from their central disk and can be released to escape predators. the limbs mostly function as a way for them to move along the sea floor. they eat small organisms, dead and decaying matter off of the sea floor, and filter feed, and are prey for fish, crabs, and sea stars. they vary in the depths which they live in but they live at at least the low tide level of depth. the most widely spread species, the dwarf brittle star, has a strong glow and can be found under shells and rocks in the intertidal zone of shallow waters.

daily creatur 030 (7/31) - portuguese man o' war !!

despite appearing similar to jellyfish, they are a siphonophore. it's a colonial organism, meaning its an organism made up of multiple individuals, which are genetically identical. they are able to float on the surface of water due to their gas-filled bladder(called a pneumatophore). while they float, they have tentacles which hang below and give powerful stings which have the capacity to kill fish, crustaceans, and sometimes humans. their pneumatophore has a sail which can lie on either side of it which allows the wind to carry it about. dead man o' wars still retain their powerful sting for hours to days. it is often preyed on by loggerhead sea turtles, which has skin too thick to be stung. ocean sunfish, violet sea snails, and blue sea slugs also prey on them. they sometimes have large bursts in population growth which are called jellyfish blooms, which can cause adverse affects on the ecosystem. these jellyfish blooms are also expected to be amplified with climate change.

look at the sail on top and the bladdee on top of the water

daily creatur 029 (7/30) - aquatic genet !!!

while i usually put an actual picture of the creature above here, aquatic genets are only known from about 30 specimens, and don't seem to actually have many readily available pictures because of their rarity? i do have like one, but that'll be at the end

it's considered one of Africa's rarest carnivores and was assessed as near threatened in 2015. they've only been recorded in rainforests east of the Congo River, and feed on freshwater fish like catfish and carps, as well as crustaceans. Other than a pregnant female which was collected, nothing is known about their reproduction. they aren't good swimmers and hunt from riverbanks instead. Their smell organs are quite small and indicate a poor sense of smell, suggesting they hunt with their feet instead. it was classified a genetta species via dna analysis, and was initially described as an entirely new genus.

very obscure and interestinf suggestion !!

daily creatur 028 (7/29) - ball python

it gets its name from being a python which curls into a ball when stressed or frightened. it lives in west sub saharan africa, preferring grasslanda, savannas, and sparsely wooded areas. they are typically nocturnal and are non venomous, and also are popular as a pet due to curling into a ball instead of biting when frightened. they eat small rodents like mice and rats, baby grey parrots and Prince Demidoffs galago's, which are a small primate. they kill their prey via constriction, where they wrap their body around their prey and squeeze them.

good suggestion !!!

daily creatur 027 (7/28) - bunnies !!!

/rabbits yknow

they're a small herbivore and prey animal found throughout the world. they're defined by being in the leporidae family and not being of the lepus genus, which excludes hares from being rabbits. they primarily eat grasses and leaves, and also seeds and fruits. they're near the bottom of the food chain as small herbivores and are often eaten by dogs, cats, birds of prey, snakes, etc. they're mainly evolved to avoid predation, with large ears to hear predators easier and powerful hind legs to hop away from danger. they're usually nocturnal and sleep with their eyes open. both their front and back feet have four toes with their front feet also having a dewclaw, which is a claw that grows high enough on the feet to not touch the ground when an animal is standing.

good suggestion !!