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Description
The Savannah Kingdom belongs to !

AND WELL...the Inox and Turturcassis in particular were originally from King Kong (2005). Albeit I decided to do something a LITTLE different with them!

(P.S this time we're going with their most well known names across the board, so the language might vary. Albeit if it sounds latin (except fort the Apris) it's a King Kong creature)

-----------------------------------------------

DISCLAIMER: Many thanks to for helping me design these!
And I do VERY much apologize if I get the scientific or native names incorrect! I'm mainly falling back on Swahili, but please don't kill me if I'm using it wrong. Freakin' Google Translate. ;u;

-----------------------------------------------

The Apris is NOT a snake. It is in fact a species of caecilian, a type of amphibian which superficially resemble large worms. While naturally found in dark and damp swamplands, they have been found frequently taking shelter in Gnollish ruins.

FACTS:
- They are called "Maabeeso" which approximates to "not a snake" in Somali. Despite this, they are feared just as much, due to being coated in a deadly alkaloid toxin that can kill even a Kasai Rex upon merely touching it. The Gnolls have, in turn, learned to use its poison to envenom weapons, such as spears.
- They eat large insects, worms and grubs that dwell in the undergrowth, having needle-like teeth for piercing exoskeletons. They rarely eat anything bigger than that. If it kills something with its poison, it leaves the kill to scavengers to take attention away from itself.
- Its only real predator is the Pinnatono. A type of ratite bird that eats poisonous animals and plants, to fuel its signature defensive measure--a deadly toxic spray of bile. Because of their presence, they thrive in ruins where the Pinnatono cannot fit inside.

------------------------------------------------

The Inox is a species of small temnospondyls, thought to be descendants of Diplocaulus. They are bottomfeeders that feed frequently, albeit they exhibit a type of strange migratory behavior.

FACTS:
- Early explorers who discovered the Inox had given it its scientific name because they thought its wide head was adapted to help it accommodate lots of prey. It's a bottom feeder, so it doesn't do this. On the other hand, the name the Gnolls gave it is short for "chura akijaribu kuruku". Or "frog trying to fly".
- This is because its wide head and flat body is actually adapted to help it during migration. I.e. to jump off of waterfalls and glide safely down to their annual breeding ponds, avoiding predators and rocks that would doom any other amphibian. They make their way back when it's colder, so there are less predators up and about.
- In Gnollish fables, the Inox is painted as an individual who can never achieve his dream of true flight, yet staunchly continues to try anyway, and makes it work for himself. These fables teach children to not get weighed down by what one cannot do, and rely on the skills they do have.

--------------------------------------------------

The Nguma-Monene is a rather bizarre species of crocodylomorph. Their exact ancestry is unclear, but they have a number of unusual adaptations unlike any other of its kind, mostly having to do with its extreme bodily length.

FACTS:
- This animal is actually rather lightly scaled. This is to give its body maximum flexibility, as it takes the skills of most crocodiles to their logical extreme. Most famously, its "death roll", which now involves it using its tail to twist its entire body, effectively turning itself into a corkscrew. The sheer force being enough to kill its prey.
- They can also swim at astoundingly fast speeds by simply swishing their tails once, using their streamlined bodies to retain momentum. This also allows them to breach the water, jumping at incredible heights in an attempt to grab flying prey. Or to jump onto a tree to evade dangers.
- Yet for all its comical absurdity in the water, it is hopelessly cumbersome on land. Because of this, and its somewhat "saggy" appearance, Gnollish oral narratives tell that it has the ability to transform by shedding its skin. In the water it is handsome, powerful, and bursting with youth, but on land, it becomes decrepit and old.

---------------------------------------------------

The Turturcassis is a marine reptile possibly related to nothosaurs. They are one of many examples of species hyper-specialization, which has allowed them access to food sources otherwise unattainable by other animals.

FACTS:
- This animal has a tiny head with noticeably sharp buck teeth. This is because it has evolved to hunt turtles, by plunging their head into its shell to kill it, and eat it inside the shell until only scraps and the shell remain. It can also eat poisonous and spiny fish, using their teeth to gouge out the inedible bits with surgical precision.
- It shares the waterways with a larger cousin, Turturcassis dolichops that feeds on equally large turtles and fish. However, this smaller species is by far the more successful out of the two of them, and is known to harass a dolichops in their territory by gnawing at their limbs.
- The Gnollish name for means "Does not think much". Partly because of their comically small heads, partly because they rarely react to people, appearing to be rather vacant and slack-jawed when a Gnoll or other humanoid comes across them. It's been suggested that it's actually baring its teeth in aggression.

---------------------------------------------------

The Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu is a species of aquatic dinosaur that lives in lakes and along the many waterways of the Savannah Kingdom. As odd as they are, these gentle giants are cherished by Gnolls and scientists alike.

FACTS:
- As its appearance has suggested, it is a hyper-derived stegosaur, evolved to live in freshwater bodies throughout the Savannah Kingdom. It has evolved to fill the niche of manatees, while ironically sharing the waters with other Sirenians, such as the River Sheep.
- They are a species that makes up for their relative lack of protection against large predators by overproducing eggs by the river bank. As they develop, the offspring that make it will feed in very shallow waters, until they are large enough to swim out in the open.
- Since their young frequently eat fish and farmed rice that Gnolls attempt to gather, the Gnolls have worked around this by domesticating them and farming the eggs that they lay. Because of this, and their gentle behavior, they are viewed by the Gnolls as patrons of great generosity, similar to cows.

The Gnolls also spin this turn of events into a well known fable, between the Farmer and the Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu. A story that teaches one that if one's aspirations have been robbed, use resourcefulness instead of rage. For something just as good, if not better, may come of it.

Description
The Savannah Kingdom belongs to !

AND WELL...the Inox and Turturcassis in particular were originally from King Kong (2005). Albeit I decided to do something a LITTLE different with them!

(P.S this time we're going with their most well known names across the board, so the language might vary. Albeit if it sounds latin (except fort the Apris) it's a King Kong creature)

-----------------------------------------------

DISCLAIMER: Many thanks to for helping me design these!
And I do VERY much apologize if I get the scientific or native names incorrect! I'm mainly falling back on Swahili, but please don't kill me if I'm using it wrong. Freakin' Google Translate. ;u;

-----------------------------------------------

The Apris is NOT a snake. It is in fact a species of caecilian, a type of amphibian which superficially resemble large worms. While naturally found in dark and damp swamplands, they have been found frequently taking shelter in Gnollish ruins.

FACTS:
- They are called "Maabeeso" which approximates to "not a snake" in Somali. Despite this, they are feared just as much, due to being coated in a deadly alkaloid toxin that can kill even a Kasai Rex upon merely touching it. The Gnolls have, in turn, learned to use its poison to envenom weapons, such as spears.
- They eat large insects, worms and grubs that dwell in the undergrowth, having needle-like teeth for piercing exoskeletons. They rarely eat anything bigger than that. If it kills something with its poison, it leaves the kill to scavengers to take attention away from itself.
- Its only real predator is the Pinnatono. A type of ratite bird that eats poisonous animals and plants, to fuel its signature defensive measure--a deadly toxic spray of bile. Because of their presence, they thrive in ruins where the Pinnatono cannot fit inside.

------------------------------------------------

The Inox is a species of small temnospondyls, thought to be descendants of Diplocaulus. They are bottomfeeders that feed frequently, albeit they exhibit a type of strange migratory behavior.

FACTS:
- Early explorers who discovered the Inox had given it its scientific name because they thought its wide head was adapted to help it accommodate lots of prey. It's a bottom feeder, so it doesn't do this. On the other hand, the name the Gnolls gave it is short for "chura akijaribu kuruku". Or "frog trying to fly".
- This is because its wide head and flat body is actually adapted to help it during migration. I.e. to jump off of waterfalls and glide safely down to their annual breeding ponds, avoiding predators and rocks that would doom any other amphibian. They make their way back when it's colder, so there are less predators up and about.
- In Gnollish fables, the Inox is painted as an individual who can never achieve his dream of true flight, yet staunchly continues to try anyway, and makes it work for himself. These fables teach children to not get weighed down by what one cannot do, and rely on the skills they do have.

--------------------------------------------------

The Nguma-Monene is a rather bizarre species of crocodylomorph. Their exact ancestry is unclear, but they have a number of unusual adaptations unlike any other of its kind, mostly having to do with its extreme bodily length.

FACTS:
- This animal is actually rather lightly scaled. This is to give its body maximum flexibility, as it takes the skills of most crocodiles to their logical extreme. Most famously, its "death roll", which now involves it using its tail to twist its entire body, effectively turning itself into a corkscrew. The sheer force being enough to kill its prey.
- They can also swim at astoundingly fast speeds by simply swishing their tails once, using their streamlined bodies to retain momentum. This also allows them to breach the water, jumping at incredible heights in an attempt to grab flying prey. Or to jump onto a tree to evade dangers.
- Yet for all its comical absurdity in the water, it is hopelessly cumbersome on land. Because of this, and its somewhat "saggy" appearance, Gnollish oral narratives tell that it has the ability to transform by shedding its skin. In the water it is handsome, powerful, and bursting with youth, but on land, it becomes decrepit and old.

---------------------------------------------------

The Turturcassis is a marine reptile possibly related to nothosaurs. They are one of many examples of species hyper-specialization, which has allowed them access to food sources otherwise unattainable by other animals.

FACTS:
- This animal has a tiny head with noticeably sharp buck teeth. This is because it has evolved to hunt turtles, by plunging their head into its shell to kill it, and eat it inside the shell until only scraps and the shell remain. It can also eat poisonous and spiny fish, using their teeth to gouge out the inedible bits with surgical precision.
- It shares the waterways with a larger cousin, Turturcassis dolichops that feeds on equally large turtles and fish. However, this smaller species is by far the more successful out of the two of them, and is known to harass a dolichops in their territory by gnawing at their limbs.
- The Gnollish name for means "Does not think much". Partly because of their comically small heads, partly because they rarely react to people, appearing to be rather vacant and slack-jawed when a Gnoll or other humanoid comes across them. It's been suggested that it's actually baring its teeth in aggression.

---------------------------------------------------

The Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu is a species of aquatic dinosaur that lives in lakes and along the many waterways of the Savannah Kingdom. As odd as they are, these gentle giants are cherished by Gnolls and scientists alike.

FACTS:
- As its appearance has suggested, it is a hyper-derived stegosaur, evolved to live in freshwater bodies throughout the Savannah Kingdom. It has evolved to fill the niche of manatees, while ironically sharing the waters with other Sirenians, such as the River Sheep.
- They are a species that makes up for their relative lack of protection against large predators by overproducing eggs by the river bank. As they develop, the offspring that make it will feed in very shallow waters, until they are large enough to swim out in the open.
- Since their young frequently eat fish and farmed rice that Gnolls attempt to gather, the Gnolls have worked around this by domesticating them and farming the eggs that they lay. Because of this, and their gentle behavior, they are viewed by the Gnolls as patrons of great generosity, similar to cows.

The Gnolls also spin this turn of events into a well known fable, between the Farmer and the Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu. A story that teaches one that if one's aspirations have been robbed, use resourcefulness instead of rage. For something just as good, if not better, may come of it.