Trunkbull

Trunkbulls are large tusked mammal species of the genus Mammut and therefore closely related to the elephant. The only surviving subspecies are living in the wild in Vittmark and some surrounding territories. They used to inhabit large parts of Anaria, Tarna and Davai, but are extinct there now. There are an estimated amount of a few hundred wild trunkbulls gathered in twelve herds roaming freely through Vittmark, with an equal amount of solitary males, making the total wild population about 600 - 800 animals. The amount of domesticated animals is about 300.

Description

File:Trunkbull wiki.jpg

Ceremonial guard from a Vittmarker cavalry unit posing outside the old city of Kobbe, Laxholm

While trunkbulls have a size and appearance similar to elephants and mammoths, they are not particularly closely related. Their teeth differ dramatically from those of members of the elephant family; they have blunt, conical, nipple-like projections on the crowns of their molars, which are more suited to chewing leaves than the high-crowned teeth mammoths used for grazing. Their skulls are larger and flatter than those of mammoths, while their skeleton is stockier and more robust. Trunkbulls are about 2 to 2.5 meters high (8 to 11 ft) with the bulls being about 1 or 2 feet larger than the cows. Their tusks can be unusually long in comparison to their body size, there is a wide variation in size.

Trunks

The proboscis, or trunk, is a fusion of the nose and upper lip, elongated and specialised to become the animal's most important and versatile appendage. The bull's trunk is sensitive enough to pick up a single blade of grass, yet strong enough to rip the branches off a tree. Most herbivores possess teeth adapted for cutting and tearing off plant materials, but the trunkbull always use their trunks to tear up their food and then place it in their mouths. The trunk is also used for drinking, sucking water up into the trunk and then blowing it into their mouths. Trunkbulls also rely on their trunks for their highly developed sense of smell. By raising the trunk up in the air and swiveling it from side to side, it can determine the location of friends, enemies, and food sources.

Tusks

The tusks are its second upper incisors, which grow continuously. Tusks are used to dig for water, to debark trees to eat the bark and to uproot bushes and heather for consumption. Both male and female trunkbulls have large tusks that can reach over 5 m (18 ft) in length and weigh over 120 kg, although usually the tusks are only half that size.

Skin and fur

A trunkbull's skin is extremely tough around most parts of its body and measures about 2 centimeters (0.8 in) thick. However, the skin around the mouth and inside of the ear is considerably thinner. Trunkbulls have a thick, furry coat of shaggy hair. Different herds have different colors of fur, depending on their habitat and migration routes, ranging from grayish brown to orangy. The combination of the thick skin and furry coat provide good isolation for this large animal, which is living in an area with a relatively cold climate. Trunkbulls have very little skin surface in relation to their size and volume.

Ears

In comparison with its distant cousin the elephant, the trunkbull has very small ears. The backside of the ear has no fur, and is used for cooling during the short summer season. Trunkbulls will flap their ears to get rid of excess heat, behaviour one only sees during the midst of summer. But usually, making the skin and fur wet with a bath in some lake or pool is a more effective way to get rid of excessive heat.

Behavior

Trunkbulls are grazers, feeding mainly on leaves, from trees as well as bushes. Their diet varies with the season, during the summer half year it's mainly birch, willow, blueberry and lingonberry leaves. The winter season offers conifers (cypress), podocarpus alpinus, heather, erica (cross-leaved heath) and bilberry. Due to their diet, they have to migrate with the seasons. Their natural habitat is limited to a region between the Blue Mountains in southcentral Vittmark to the coastal areas of Hagen province on the coastline. They prefer taiga landscapes and not too dense coniferous forests. Even though trunkbulls can run up to 40 km/h, they only migrate about 15 - 25 km a day. Contrary to the elephant, which lives in matriarchal groups and solitary males, the trunkbull's social group has one dominant male. This does not have to be the herd's leader, in most groups (about 60-70%) this still is a female trunkbull. Other males live solitary or in duos, but couples of an (often young) male and female have been observed as well. This is generally believed to be a variation in the social structure of the trunkbulls in this particular population, which has led to their survival up to today in a small region of Stoldavia.

• Communication
• Self awareness

Trunkbulls in culture and religion

The animals play a large role in Orkanan, which has its roots in previous belief systems. During the Orkanan Realm and the Greater Stoldavic Empire, trunkbulls played an important part in the military success of the empires. This has strengthened the idea that trunkbulls are a tool provided by Vind to convert people in large areas. The almost holy status is also used for nationalist purposes: the trunkbull is seen as a symbol of Stoldavic supremacy and the presence of these large animals is considered eminent for the survival of Stoldavic values and interests.

Trunkbulls can be domesticated, but hardly breed in captivity. Tamed animals will have to be taken from nature, which during history almost has led to its extinction. During the latter days of the Stoldavic Empire, when trunkbulls became scarce, one group of (non-interventionist) Orkanans under the leadership of Bengt Algotson chose to release a group of animals and follow them to study their natural behavior. Trunkbulls were thought to have become extinct, and even though several sightings of individuals were still reported, the herd from Bengt was not seen for 30 years. It turned out that the group of Bengtists had led the animals to their natural habitat and gradually had learned about their migration patterns. The herd became a magnet for individual bulls, which led to a viable population. After 30 years, Algotson reported in with his herd of trunkbulls at the castle of Kulla during a severe winter. It was only then when the legend of Bengt could be confirmed by a documented report. Since the military reason for Bengt's mission had dissipated, his followers kept on following the trunkbulls on their ever more elaborate migration paths. Over the next two generations, the original group had been divided into four traveling herds by natural causes. Each group got its own travelling Order of protectors and observers. Today, twelve travelling orders are registered.

Some domesticated trunkbulls are used for ceremonial purposes, like military parades and official guards. The military use of trunkbulls is prohibited these days.