[Working Species Concept] Yinkies

VOCALISATIONS:
AAAEEEEHO: Defense mechanism, accompanied by tail slapping in a large group = Scares away predators/ Alerts to danger --> sounds like a drawn out HELLO

 Short, repetitive Snorting/ Bellowing (head horizontally aligned): Challenging for dominance/ Fighting consists of charging, tusk gouging and hitting with tail amongst Bulls 

Groaning: Accompanied by head bob to show off tusks = Mating dance

Chuffing/Purring: Content

Honking/ Head Shake: Done by Guard Duty Yinkie --> indication of threat

DIET: Herbivore = leaves, shoots, berries, nuts, fruit, roots

HEIGHT:  AT THE SHOULDER = 130cm for Males (about 4 feet 3 inches); Females 124cm (approx 4 ft even); Babies 89cm (approx 2ft 9inches). 

APPEARANCE: 
Basic: Head of a giraffe; tail/ fins of a shark; body or a pony; legs of a deer; small upright horns; small mouth tusks; hooves of a camel.

 In-Depth: The Yinkie has a soft, thin skin that is waterproof, but must be kept moist as it can dry out easily. Their eyes are yellow, and they have two sharp claws on the edge of their camel-like hooves. Their small horns are pale, and they have a long neck.

COLOURSCHEME:

 Upper: Turquoise/Green. Brown patches to break up the outline of the animal, camouflaging it. Darker brown hooves and neck webbing w/ chocolate ruff.

Lower: Pale grey-blue, camouflage from below in water.

GENERAL INFORMATION: About Pony-sized, the Yinkie is a ground-dwelling amphibious mammal that inhabits the flooded marsh forests of Europe and North America. They are diurnal creatures, coming out during the sunlight hours and resting on marsh banks between reeds at night time. 

They can be found in small herds, often consisting of one dominant Bull, a few juvenile Bulls, Cows and, during the Spring and Summer months, Yinklets. The males have longer, curvier mouth tusks than the females. Usually the Dominant Bull stands on guard and polices the herd, as well as fending off opposing rouge Bulls. 

They mark their territory by scraping their antlers on the bark of the trees surrounding their marshy habitat, which can span many miles in each direction. Rouges, predators and other herds can smell this.

They have two tusks that extend beyond the upper jawline. These are made out of bone, the same material as their other, herbivorous teeth, but grow where the canines of an omnivore's or carnivore's would be. These are used as a display item for Bulls and serve little function for the females, hence why the Bull tusks are bigger and curvier.

When faced with a threat such as a predator or another Yinkie herd, the Yinkie on guard duty indicates the presence with a honk and a head shake. The Dominant Bull Yinkie bellows the iconic AAAEEHO at the offending party. This causes the rest of his respective herd to gather, in which they all join in, and slap their tails on the ground, or in the water if swimming. This usually is enough to drive the foe off, but if not, the Dominant Bull engages. Cows form protective barriers around the Yinklets, and young Bulls often join in driving off the threat.

On land, the Yinkie moves about in an almost waddle-trotting gait, able to leap fallen logs and distribute their weight equally if crossing boggy terrain thanks to their hooves. The claws on the end of the hooves are used for digging up roots in the soil, and their long neck enables them to reach higher foliage than an ordinary pony.

When in their watery environment, Yinkies tuck their slender legs underneath them, allowing their tail to swish side to side, propelling them through the water at reasonable speed.  They can dive for up to five minutes at a time, nibbling the water-weeds below the surface. Though, the appearance of the shark-like dorsal fin cruising through the depths may alarm some human hikers, and their heads from a distance look like small Nessies!


 HIBERNATION: Like most amphibious frogs, the Yinkie herd in winter chooses a spot underneath the waves of their respective marshy waters to hibernate. This is after stocking up on food to last them the chilly months. Though they have lungs, their skin is breathable, inhaling Oxygen and exhaling Carbon Dioxide respectively, so they can last underwater for the entire winter. Cows will clump in order to ensure the Yinklets make it through their first winter relatively easily.  

TEMPERAMENT: The Yinkie is a rather private, timid creature, tending to not stray far out of its territory and herd. However, if provoked, it can provide a sharp nip or kick, as well as rally the troops.


BREEDING SEASON: Late March to Early July. The Yinkies migrate to a smaller part of their territory, where there is a marshy pool. This is the birthing pond. The Cows take care of the Yinklets until they are a year old. Bulls are ready to breed at about 5 years, Cows 2-4 respectively. 

The Yinklets have no tusks, but these grow overtime. The same can be said of their horns, only they are born with the beginnings of them. Male Tusks grow and curve with age to approximately cm, Female tusks grow to approximately cm and are straight and short.

The breeding works when the Dominant Bull prances about, waving their head and showing off their tusks. This is to impress the females. Though, often during this ritual, some younger Bulls may try as well, which leads to confrontation. The Dominant Bull is often the one with the curliest tusks.

If the snorting and bellowing of the two does not cause one to back down, they fight each other by charging towards one another, gouging with their tusks and swinging their tail like a club. This smashes it against the side of the opponent, sometimes causing vital organ damage.

Young Bulls will often challenge the Dominant Bull for mating rights and herd control when the Cows come into season, and if they are victorious, they take over. If not, they are exiled from the herd, and form small bands until each finds a respective herd to take over.

The mothers give birth in the water, and thus, the Yinklets can swim from birth. However, their legs are underdeveloped, and will take the aforementioned year to be fully functional. During this time, the mothers form nursery groups in the water, and the rest of the herd watch for danger on the riverbank. During this time, they do not move from the birthing pond.