mammal Murrayglossus – The Prehistoric Echidna

[Cruzoor69]

Name: Murrayglossus – The Prehistoric Echidna

Species Name: Zaglossus Hacketti

Time Period: Modern Day

Diet: Chitin or Keratin

Temperament: Passive (Arthropods are an exception)

 

Introduction

The Echidna is one of the most unique mammals on the planet.  This marsupial makes its home across Australia and parts of New Guinea.  Known as the spiny anteater due to its appearance, the Echidna is one of the only mammal's asides from the platypus to lay eggs.  The ancestor of the Echidna which was discovered in 1909 was named Murrayglossus or Giant Echidna.  It is not said where this creature existed, only that it was the size of the average dog.  However, as Ark has a tendency of enlarging their creatures, the Murrayglossus would be about the size of a Trike.  The uniqueness of this creature as well as its adaptations could be useful for survivors of Ragnarök.

Wiki page of Echidna: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echidna

Wiki page of Murrayglossus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murrayglossus

Wild

The Murrayglossus is an insectivore that lives in the redwoods on Ragnarök.  You may not find more than two in an area since the Echidna are solitary by nature in real life. For the most part, they are passive creatures but when attacked by any creature that is not an arthropod, the Murrayglossus will go into defence mode by burrowing part way into the ground, deflecting their attackers with its spines which will damage them. This can also provide a defence buff to the Murrayglossus.  When approached by a survivor, it will also into defence mode. If there are arthropods in the area, the Murrayglossus will not hesitate to attack until its dead (tamed or not). 

Taming

Like Carchardontosaurus, the way to tame a Murrayglossus is to feed it the corpses of Arthropods;

•           Araneo

•           Arthropleura

•           Deathworm

•           Dung Beetle

•           Giant Bee

•           Jug Bug

•           Lymantria

•           Mantis

•           Meganeura

•           Pulmonoscorpius

•           Titanomyrma

If the new Rhyniognatha is put on Ragnarök, that can be added to the list as well.

However, only by wearing a full set of chitin armour can the survivor approach the Murrayglossus, and the taming process begin as the Murrayglossus will follow you around.  The Arthropod killed must be killed by the player otherwise it won’t count toward the taming process.  If the Murrayglossus takes damage whilst taming, it will lose taming effectiveness.  If you remove a piece of chitin armour while the Murrayglossus is following you, the Murrayglossus shall take its defensive position and won’t be able to tame again until you either get out of render distance or wait for a cooldown.

Gameplay

Due to the spikiness of the Murrayglossus, this creature would not be ridable properly.  However, it can be ordered around like other creatures and can be commanded to bury itself.  This can be useful as a way of defending your bases and creatures’ survivors wish to tame.  This ability would be toggleable.

 

Defence Mechanism

Like the Echidna, Hedgehogs are another spikey mammal with its own uniqueness.  As a form of defence, it eats anything it can find and anoint itself with their saliva.  What if Murrayglossus had a similar ability?  What if you put certain items in their inventory and it can apply different effects upon itself while in defence mode?  Give it Narcotics, and it could do torpor.  Give it Feces, and it will apply a disease effect.  Give it Sap, and it will provide protection against Rhyniognatha attacks. The list goes on.

Wiki page of Hedgehog: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog

Video of Hedgehog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx4dONoJzzA

Breeding

As previously mentioned, Echidnas are one of the only Mammals asides from Platypus that can lay eggs.  They store the egg in a pouch like a kangaroo and hatches after 10 days.  This could be applied to the Murrayglossus.  After mating, a Murrayglossus egg will appear in the creature’s inventory.  Over time the egg will incubate and change its appearance showing the development process from egg to jelly baby to puggle. At a certain point of development, the baby would leave the inventory and can be claimed.  Whilst growing, the Murrayglossus will start developing the spines.

Video of Echidna hatching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHocViqKbbc

Egg Collector

From what I’ve seen of other creature submissions, people want a dino that can collect eggs.  The Murrayglossus would be one of these creatures. It makes sense given the nature of an Echidna but whether it would incubate the eggs would be a different story seeing as the pouch incubates its egg at 32 degrees Celsius.  Some eggs, not all.  The Murrayglossus, like the Maewing’s nursing, would have a radius around itself showing the affected area in which the Murrayglossus can pick up eggs.  This ability would be togglable.

 I believe this would be one of the useful creature on the Arks.  If not for it's defence but for its breeding capabilities.  Let me need what you think.  Any ideas?

Edited June 4, 2023 by Cruzoor69
Spelling mistakes. Corrected.

[Abaddon23]

He exist in western australia in the Pleistocene. A mamal like a Maewing with the eggs 

 

I am not really kreativ for create a nice submission but this animal is very interesting 

 

i have a few ideas, he can farm very good clay, chitin and cactus sap.

he can move like the basilisk under the earth and is resisant vs the heat wave ore the sand storm.

he lays eggs.

 

Near Murrayglossus or as a rider you have insect repellent like the insect repellent and when the echidna eats insects it gets the megatherium insect buff. Likewise, if you eat the eggs, they could work like the insect repellent. Murrayglossus is ridden with a fully armored metal saddle, such as a medieval horse armor. The animal is passively tamed with honey or insects and arachnids (dead mantis, lymantria, scorpions or ants, etc.). Murrayglossus is immune to Poison, Stun, and Species X plants. You can't grab it with flying beasts and the player can't be ripped off with flying beasts either. It takes less damage from insects and arachnids and is also good at farming sap and silk. Of course, as a defense, it could also wag dust with its claws that confuses enemies so it can flee or burrow better.

 

 

And now to you, you find this creature interesting and would like to contribute to what will become of this anima, then feel free and write your ideas under  this post for a good make together creature  

 

 

 

 

Pictures from the existing version:

 

 

[Abaddon23]

i see it gives a post too, so i don#t need to post my old one from the scorched submission. This ideas are from the old scorched submission, from FuzzyFishies and Me

 

Murrayglossus was the largest monotreme (egg laying mammals) known to have ever lived.

Suggested ability: The Murrayglossus could gather laid eggs in a surrounding area and store them in its pouch.

Their tongue estimated to be almost 50 cm long.

Suggested ability: Uses its long spiky tongue to grapple onto enemy creatures or players of lesser weight and holds them in place.

Echidnas have some outstanding sensory adaptations, including an electroreceptive sensory organ that allow them to sense detect movements and subtle electric fields produced by its prey.

Suggest ability: Murrayglossus pings your map of enemy location once damage is taken.

This would implement the new ping feature in ASA.

When threatened, Echidnas curl up into a ball, protected by their spines or dig down vertically thanks to their backwards hind legs.

Suggested ability: Two modes inspired by this behavior

·      Defensive: Digs directly down exposing the creature’s spines above the ground, acting as a spike wall.

·      Offensive: Curls into a ball and allows the player to aim the animal as a rolling projectile. Can be dropped by flying tames to deal splash damage.

You can't grab it with flying beasts

It takes less damage from insects and arachnids and is also good at farming sap and silk. Of course, as a defense, it could also wag dust with its claws that confuses enemies so it can flee or burrow better.

 if you eat the eggs, they could work like the insect repellent

[Cruzoor69]

Believe it or not. I was going to submit this for scorch earth too. But I left it too late. 

[FuzzyFishies]

My submission from the Scorched contest.

 

Common name: Hackett's giant Echidna

Species: Murrayglossus (Zaglossus) hacketti

Time: Early Pleistocene

Diet: Carnivore

Temperament: Defensive

Mountable: No

 

 

@Triloboii on twitter

Murrayglossus was the largest monotreme (egg laying mammals) known to have ever lived.

Suggested ability: The Murrayglossus could gather laid eggs in a surrounding area and store them in its pouch.

Their tongue estimated to be almost 50 cm long.

Suggested ability: Uses its long spiky tongue to grapple onto enemy creatures or players of lesser weight and holds them in place.

Echidnas have some outstanding sensory adaptations, including an electroreceptive sensory organ that allow them to sense detect movements and subtle electric fields produced by its prey.

Suggest ability: Murrayglossus pings enemy location once damage is taken.

This would implement the new ping feature in ASA.

When threatened, Echidnas curl up into a ball, protected by their spines or dig down vertically thanks to their backwards hind legs.

Suggested ability: Two modes inspired by this behavior

·      Defensive: Digs directly down exposing the creature’s spines above the ground, acting as a spike wall.

·      Offensive: Curls into a ball and allows the player to aim the animal as a rolling projectile. Can be dropped by flying tames to deal splash damage.

Offensive mode concept

Bonus facts:

Echidnas blow snot bubbles to keep cool, as they have few sweat glands.

Male Echidnas secrete a milky substance from their spurs during breeding season, likely used as a means of communication.

Additional information the can be found here.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1952110/

https://prehistoric-fauna.com/Zaglossus-hacketti

https://www.livescience.com/57267-echidna-facts.html

Edited June 5, 2023 by FuzzyFishies

[FuzzyFishies]

@Cruzoor69

The image you have here is a hedgehog.

[Cruzoor69]

On 6/5/2023 at 10:02 PM, FuzzyFishies said:

@Cruzoor69

The image you have here is a hedgehog.

I know.  If you read the defence mechanism part of my submission, you will understand.  Its just a reference image to support the ability.

Edited June 7, 2023 by Cruzoor69