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Emperor Walk-topus
🕑 Added 2023-02-06 19:40:40 +0000 UTCI already posted this picture on DeviantArt in the compilation image, but I don't think I got around to ever posting the writing of the emperor walk-topus publicly, so I'll put it here for any patrons still interested in seeing it.
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Emperor Walk-topus (Pithecoteuthis grandis)
Standing eight feet tall and weighing more than two hundred kilograms, the emperor walk-topus is a sight to behold as it trundles through Diyu's larger caverns. A much larger close relative of the common walk-topus, the emperor is often found in close association with the smaller animal, acting as their protection. The emperor walk-topus seems to show some level of caring towards the other species, possibly stemming from their close appearance to young emperor walk-topus. The vaguely close resemblance of humans with adult emperors also helps explorers interact with the animals with relatively little fear of attack. Protected by their sheer size, they have little need for skittishness or aggression and are normally peaceful animals; still, caution should be had in their presence, as they are immensely strong and are easily a match for Diyu's largest predators. The emperor lacks the ability to spray fluids at an attacker as possessed by the common walk-topus and the moasquid, as it no longer needs them for protection. A healthy, full grown emperor walk-topus is practically immune to predation, and any aggressor desperate or stupid enough to try taking one down risks near-certain death. Unsurprisingly, many smaller and more vulnerable herbivores such as ant-elope and stonebugs are often found in close association with the walk-topus, which themselves travel in groups of up to a dozen adults with their young.
The emperor walk-topus is a specialized grazing animal, and its massive thick beak is able to grind up extremely tough fungi and vegetation that most other grazers wouldn't waste effort attempting to eat. A large, three-chambered digestive tract consisting of the gizzard, crop and conjoined stomach within the mantle followed by a lengthy and voluminous intestinal tract process the ground mush as well as any ruminant mammal, quite an achievement for a terrestrial mollusk. Younger walk-topus may have trouble digesting the vegetation normally consumed by adults, and so adults will regurgitate semi-digested mush from the gizzard to sustain them until they are able to collect the suitable intestinal flora from consumption of the adults' faceal matter. Using their great strength they may topple over exploding trees and crack open their hardened epidermis to get at the soft flesh inside, much to the gratitude of smaller herbivores that would otherwise find it impossible to feed on the trees. Occasionally small invertebrates and carrion may be consumed to supplement their otherwise herbivorous diet, and they may feed on mineral deposits to help detoxify harmful substances in the vegetation they normally consume, because they are among the most non-generalist feeders of Diyu, and non-fungus/plant material only makes up ~5% of their diet. In young animals their diet has more animal matter, because it is easier to digest and consume.
Emperor walk-topus only lays one or two large eggs at one time. These are the largest known invertebrate eggs, and almost resemble cocoons in some respects. Eggs are glued to walls or flora, and the whole herd, regardless of relations will guard and protect them. Herds consist of a dominant breeding pair and various other adults of both genders and their offspring. Although different individuals usually breed at different times, they will usually group their eggs together if possible. The eggs hatch within four to five months, a surprisingly short amount of time for such large infants, which may be a few kilograms in weight when hatched and able to walk moments after birth. Being mobile immediately makes it easier for the adults to protect them, as the infants are very vulnerable, being slow, soft and seemingly lacking any defenses. But any predator willing to try and catch one is extremely foolhardy, because the young gnomes do have one very effective defense; a herd of adult walk-topus watching over them. Emperor walk-topus breed seldom, usually only every three or four years, and their offspring take very long to reach adulthood, taking more than a decade to approach six feet; specimens of eight feet or more have likely lived for more than forty years, and they are believed to able to reach nearly sixty.
