Hippopotamus gorgops (giant Prehistoric Hippo With Tank Saddle and deadly bite)

[Dpooly69]

Species: Hippopotamus Gorgops
Time: Late Pliocene
Diet: Herbivore
Temperament: Highly Aggressive  

 

Wild
Hippopotamus gorgops much like it's modern day relative spends most of it's days wallowing in the oasis's of the desert and gorging itself on the local plantlife however also like the modern hippo it's one of the most dangerous and fearsome creatures for a survivor to go up against. Hippopotamus gorgops has one of the deadliest bites I have ever seen even putting creatures like the T-rex to shame as i've seen it split smaller creatures in 2 with a single bite and have even seen it crush boulders and even metal veins in it's jaws. The beast is also incredibly fast much like the dire bear it is able to slowly pick up speed as it runs going from a slow trot to an incredibly fast gallop. 

Domesticated 
it is near impossible to knock out a Hippopotamus gorgops using the standard Tranq method due to their incredibly thick hide and is also far too aggressive to simply passive tame the only method to tame the creature is to steal a baby Hippopotamus gorgops from it's mother and imprint on it the Hippo will then see you as it's parent and follow you to the ends of the earth. Once tamed Hippopotamus gorgops makes for one hell of a powerful mount with it's powerful jaws survivors can kill most creatures in a single bite or even cripple larger creatures it's bite can even be used to harvest Metal and stone with it's jaws able to break metal veins and boulders with ease. the creature is also a remarkable swimmer able to rival other amphibious mounts like the Spinosaurus in terms of power. The hippo also like it's modern relative produces sweat that protects them from Sunburn and prevents infections however to a much higher degree it actually causes  Hippopotamus gorgops to heal rapidly while it is in extremely hot weather making it all the more deadly when faced during these extreme temperatures. the saddle designed for the creature also makes it a force to be reckoned with as it adds a cannon for a second rider to use making this beast essentially an amphibious tank.  

Abilities 
Powerful Bite This attack can be charged up by holding the left mouse increasing the damage the longer it's held 
Can harvest metal, Oil veins and stone by biting them
has weight reduction for metal and stone similar to an argie 
During Hotter temperatures it gains a rapid healing buff this also causes it's skin to turn bright pink 
Healing Buff extends to the rider as well
builds up movement speed over time similar to the dire bear
Can Stealth pounce on smaller creatures from the water pulling them under using it's jaws 
Can grab smaller creatures in it's mouth chomping on them
Saddle has a Tank like cannon on it allowing a second person to hop on and fire similar to the Tropeognathus 
Can harvest Meat, Hide, Keratin, Chitin and berries 
Can damage stone structures with it's charged up bite 
can Roar with C 
Does not lose oxygen underwater 

Weaknesses
Has to build up speed over time so can struggle to get away from a tough fight at first
Has a pretty poor turning radius 
Large Target so can be very easy to hit
cannot fire the Tank cannon underwater 
takes extra damage from Turrets so cannot be used for turret soaking
Weak to headshot damage 
Cannot be picked up by a Quetzel due to the creatures immense weight 

other misc stuff
Can only be tamed by imprinting on a young Hippo similar to the real life Jessica the Hippo however the mother hippo and all nearby hippo will become highly aggressive if you so much as get near the baby hippo and will pursue you to the ends of the earth to get their child back  
Will be around the size of a Woolly Rhino 
Will only be found in the different Oasis areas in scorched earth near the obelisks 
Will be able to be used for either metal and stone farming or straight up combat depending on what the survivor wants similar to wyverns being used for either weight or combat 

  

[UnknowUserZ]

You have my vote

[RyuouShenron]

It acts as a pack, and if attacked it will turn into a fearsome hippopotamus that the whole pack will turn against.
A pack of hippos could probably take down a Tyrannosaurus!

[MMxLegend]

I’ll keep this short and sweet, briefly go through a quick introduction of the animal, next what it could be like in game, then why I chose this as creature as my submission and last my resources.

1. Introduction 

Hippopotamus Gorgops is an extinct species of the modern animal we know as the “Hippopotamus”. It lived during the Pliocene era up until Middle Pleistocene in Africa and some migrated towards Europe. It’s size is comparable to African elephants, standing at around 7 feet tall and weight nearly 4.5 tons, it was truly a behemoth even for its time. Also, they’re omnivores but usually prefer plants!  
 

2. Abilities and Features!

Hippos are some of the scariest and deadliest creatures in the world today. Flashback a few million years ago and you have a hippo nearly doubled in weight and 1.5x in height. With this being said, I believe they should be fairly big, probably in comparison to the Parasaur in ark. 

Its said they are pretty much identical in behavior to modern hippos which would make them pretty territorial. It’s safe to say they’re an aggressive creatures and are probably knock out tames but immune to cross bows and below  because of their thick hide!
 

Hippos are surprisingly fast for their size and can even outpace some humans but do to their weight they would have trouble turning which allows foes to maneuver easier around them. I believe a charge meter, similar to the wooly rhino would be fitting for this creature because of their similar archetypes. I don’t think it should keep the damage effect because it doesn’t have anything to preform a charge attack with in actuality, however, just gradually increasing speed I suppose it would closer resemble the function of a dire bear than rhino. A trample effect instead could be interesting, once your at 75% of your meter you can trample smaller creatures including humans. 

Given the fact this creature is semi-aquatic, it should be an above average swimmer. Since it’s a still a Mammal and yes in real life it needs oxygen to survive, it should have an oxygen stat. As far as attacks go, I believe in the water they should only be able to bite.

Hippos are herd animals and I believe that this should’ve been a concept implemented into ark a long time ago and I still hope it will in the future. Instead of a pack buffing a small number of dinos but requireing less, I believe herds should do the opposite. Let’s say minimum of 8-10 dinos while buffing larger quantities.

I think the attacks should be fairly limited since they don’t have many tools in their arsenal outside of their giant teeth and crazy bite force. A “chomp” rather than a bite, implying that it’s much slower but deals a lot of damage. Next, simply a roar that may scare smaller animals away. Lastly, just a headbutt! More knock back, same attack speed but less damage.

3. Who doesn’t like Hippos?

I wanted hippos in this game for a long time. When Megatheriums were added I was partially satisfied but with a new game on the horizion there’s an even chance my dream can be fulfilled! Hippos are one of the most dangerous, violent and feared creatures today so a prehistoric hippo with significant enhancements to its archetype and capabilities is something I’d love to see in a game like ark. 
 

https://prehistoric-fauna.com/Hippopotamus-gorgops
 

https://a-z-animals.com/animals/hippopotamus-gorgops/

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/hippo-fact-sheet/

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/facts-about-hippos/

[xenodork]

I like it, fun taming method, and useful creature. 

Spoiler

 

 

[lewisb1129]

Hippos on a different level, they scary