“Al, what do you see out there?” “Not sure cap, looks like a tree? Trunk is all hairy though…” “What kind of tree, Al?” “Hard to tell in this light, it looks like some sort of pine or fir, its swaying quite a bit---” “...Al? Are you there? Your transmission seems to have cut out---” “IT ISNT- NOT A TREE! CAPTAIN!” Alloicious was returned to home base unharmed, the creature seems to have made no move to attack him but was reportedly “big and looking at me funny.” Alloician Hirsutarborus (Allo-ishan Her-suht-AR-bor-us) translates roughly to “Alloicious’ Hair Tree”, but it is most commonly referred to as the “Alloician Fir”. A group of Allocian Firs is called a grove. The Alloician Fir is a large terrestrial filter-feeder found in Khonraun's forest valleys. It has seven pairs of external gills running along its neck and back; these external gills secrete mucus to aid in respiration and trapping airborne nutrients. The Alloician Fir uses the hooks at the end of its claws like combs: straightening out individual filaments, removing obstructions, and evenly distributing its mucus. The valley provides an area of localized flow; the wind carries an influx of oxygen, aeroplankton, and minerals from nearby deserts. The Alloician Fir spends most of its life at the tops of trees catching the wind current, using its prehensile tail for stability. It comes down occasionally for water, which it drinks through a small extendable tube underneath its beard of fur. It makes up for its poor eyesight with excellent hearing. It's mating and reproduction habits are currently unknown.
HE’S HERE!! First of all: Alloicious rhymes with delicious I got. Very Carried Away With This. I only put that little feather duster worm reference image for like color yknow and then my brain went “you could be onto something, there” He used to have a club tail for defense until i realized i wanted him to live in the forest, which is like the worst place to filter feed (all of the trees blocking the way) so now he has a prehensile tail for climbing I was gonna change the back feet too but they looked too good and i was lazy and goats are amazing climbers so it makes enough sense. And then i realized: i forgot to give him a way to breathe?? A little more research on feather duster worms resolved that pretty quickly (love mucus) but then immediately after coming to the mucus conclusion i didnt- he has no way of getting water???? So underneath that face fluff is a lil toob, it feels weird to have to have a designated water mouth but i mean real animals can be just as janky. Next drawing will explain Khonraun itself a bit more, but I want to draw more of its wildlife and perhaps more of Alloicious and the rest of the research team.
