Sarchus

The Sarchus is a class of neutral prey species that can be found primarily in the jungle. The design is inspired by the rat, beaver, and andrewsarchus.

Ecology
Sarchus are a medium-size prey, larger than the Raptor and smaller than the Canis. Sarchus are carnivores, and spend their time primarily roaming above ground, bounding across the landscape in search of smaller prey. The enormous head of the Sarchus is capable of dealing powerful bites, and anything smaller and on it's own is defenseless against it's strong jaws. The short legs of the Sarchus allow quick short-range bursts of stamina, effectively taking down even the fastest prey in an ambush. Sarchus also use their bulky bodies to stun prey on a lunging impact, and use this to prevent having to chase down it's prey to deal a deadly bite. Sarchus have terrible eyesight and hearing. Using their nose to track down prey, they can be easy to sneak up on, but are often moving too often to be chased down. Attacking a Sarchus is much more effective when the Sarchus is not paying attention, and is alone- as other neighboring Sarchus will attack you.

Although their intimidating appearance brings question to their hostility, Sarchus are neutral towards their surroundings, allowing most prey to get close and even cross it's path without so much as a glance. Sarchus cannot close their jaws due to their long incisors, and therefore grit and bacteria fester easily in their dry jaws. Sarchus cooperate with Raptors and other small mammals and reptiles, allowing them to feed on the leftovers in their jaws when they rest. However, upon introduction of species of larger or equal size. The front teeth of the Sarchus wear down naturally, the bottom incisor curving outward and the top curving inward help the two grind against one another and wear down sharply and evenly. Sarchus become defensive and bare their large mouths to the potential threat. Other Sarchus will join in, and become a sizable threat to a large enemy on their own.

Types


The common Sarchus has a bright pelt and brown stripes decorating it's shoulders and mane. During the daylight it camouflages with the brush. They spawn in groups of 2-4, varying slightly in size. When threatened, they emit a deep growl and show off their large jaws. The uncommon Sarchus has a muddy pelt and reddish hues, as well as dark black spots all along it's fur. Sarchus born in colder environments exhibit this strange coloration, and as a result- hunt much better during the night with it's darker pelt. "Night" Sarchus can be much more aggressive- and will typically go hostile on sight without an audible warning. They do not spawn in groups, and individuals can be hard to spot as their vestigial eyes do not glow in the dark. Once day arrives, the uncommon Sarchus retreat underground.

Attacking
Sarchus are element-less and fight mainly with their jaws, limiting the different attacks it can do. Despite this, they still give massive amounts of damage. Sarchus can attack with quick bites, or lunge forth and deal a powerful bite.

Sarchus have high amounts of health, but luckily their strength drains as their health does. If you can deal quick amounts of damage at the initial start of the fight to get their strength down, you may survive to the finish.