Buzzopotamus
Mellipotamus aquatica
Stats
Behavior
The Buzzopotamus is a surprisingly agile creature despite its bulk, capable of both lumbering through shallow waters and performing short, powerful flights. They live in small, semi-aquatic colonies called 'hives' or 'blooms' typically consisting of 5-10 individuals, led by a dominant female (the 'Queen-bee-potamus'). During the day, they spend much of their time grazing on aquatic vegetation and pollinating colossal water lilies and other large flowering plants, using their proboscis-like snouts to access deep nectar reserves.
These creatures are fiercely territorial, especially when their chosen feeding grounds are threatened. Their deep, resonant buzzing sound can be heard for miles, serving as both a warning to rivals and a communication tool within their colony. At night, they retreat to submerged dens or dense reed beds for safety, often resting with only their compound eyes and antennae protruding above the water's surface, ever vigilant for predators.
Fun Facts
- 🔬 A Buzzopotamus's 'honey' is a thick, highly nutritious paste collected from aquatic flowers, which they store in waxy pouches beneath their thick skin and regurgitate for their young.
- 🔬 Their 'sting' is not a barb but a powerful, blunt appendage on their rump capable of delivering a tremendous concussive blow, often accompanied by a dose of a mild paralytic venom.
- 🔬 The wings of a Buzzopotamus are relatively small for its size, making sustained flight impossible, but they are incredibly strong, allowing for short bursts of hovering and impressive leaps over obstacles.