Author Notes - The Mamuta is a fascinating creature, mostly because the Smoky Progg is actually a malformed larvae form of it. Alongside... literally everything else about the creature because it is bizarre as hell.

MAMUTA FAMILY

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Peneneff
Order:
Muscopellis

EMILY'S PERSONAL NOTES

This is another species without an official family, so I'll give it its own family until further notice. It's an… interesting creature. Natural asymmetry is quite rare, especially in this ecosystem. The mature Mamutas are quite friendly guys, and they're even capable of growing their own gardens! They're shockingly intelligent for a wild creature. Like, I'm genuinely wondering if we could establish some sort of communication with the guys.

As for the Smoky Progg... I hate myself for summoning it. I really do. You have to force it to hatch early in order to study it, and… my god, it seems like it's in constant pain. And I had to keep it alive for a little too long to study it in detail. There's no doubt some stuff I missed, because I refuse to bring any more into the world. I had to use some well-placed Bomb-Rocks to ensure that it was swiftly put out of its misery.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCES

The Asymetricus flore (Mamuta) is often regarded as one of the strangest looking creatures on the planet. This is due mostly to its asymmetrical appearance. The best way to describe it is that it resembles the chest part of a statue, with a grey body textured like rock and one shoulder that is more than twice as big as the other. It has two big muscular arms with black markings around the wrist, and long almost bird-like feet. The only facial feature it appears to have is two grey eyes.

HABITAT

Mamutas are rarely seen underground and even more rarely on the surface. The only known location of above ground Mamutas is an area of rainforest known as 'The Impact Site', and they are strangely only found on even-numbered dates. On odd-numbered dates, the Goolix (see 'Wraith') takes its place instead. This appears to be due to an agreement between the two species.

Those underground only inhabit caves and floors with fertile ground. Due to the lack of flora underground, Mamutas are rare creatures even then.

DIET AND DEFENCES

While it is not uncommon for animals to bury seeds for storage purposes, Mamutas are the only known non-sapient creatures that cultivate their own food. During the days where they are able to emerge, they will plant seeds soon after winter ends. Throughout the year, they will continue to grow these crops until harvesting time. The idea is that they have to gather as much food as possible to get through the winter, due to crops being near impossible to grow during that season. These crops are typically grown around rivers, though those living in drier lands will use leaves as bowls to carry water to the plants.

Though Mamutas are typically peaceful, they can get rather defensive over their rations and friends. If they are pushed to, they can defend themselves with a mighty smack. The force backed up by their muscles is impressive, capable of flattening many threats and burying many others. Do not underestimate their goofy appearances or gentle nature.

Their hands emit pheromones that will cause any flower to instantly bloom, which is typically used to propagate their crops faster but is also used to grow decorative flowers too. If this attack hits a Pikmin (see, 'Pikmin'), it will be buried in the ground with a flower at the end of its stem.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Mamutas demonstrate friendly interactions among each other in ways that resemble those of sapient humanoids. They hardly ever fight (typically only over a mate), and have been shown to hug and even high-five each other as signs of affection. They exhibit great sadness if one has fallen, even if they are not in any way related, and are capable of forming great bonds that do not necessarily lead to mating.

The way colonies of this creature function follows a system. The biggest and strongest Mamutas will be the one(s) who step onto the surface to keep dangers at bay while the 'farmers' get to work on the crops. Others, typically but not necessarily the females, will take care and raise the children underground. Note that while most 'farmers' are male and most 'caretakers' are female, exceptions to this 'rule' are so common that it really can't be called a 'rule' at all.

Each gathering of Mamutas has a 'leader'; the biggest and strongest female of the group. The difference between her and the others is minimal, though she is the one who decides where her group should reside and where they should plant crops.

COURTING AND CHILDREARING

Mating season is the only time that Mamutas make any distinction between the two sexes. Courting begins while they are hiding underground from the winter cold, so the children will be born by springtime. It happens much like dating for sapient species, starting out with repeated 'dates' that can be initiated by either the male or female. While there are no 'marriages', Mamutas will mate for life and exhibit signs of great grief should their partner die.

Mamutas lay eggs, bizarrely enough. Most of the eggs are no bigger than the Mamuta themselves and are 'stored' underground to be hatched. Once they are hatched, they resemble their mature form in every way but size. Mere hours after hatching they are capable of farming like the adults. The families, unlike most species of animal, will never split apart until both of the parents die.

However, the leader will lay a massive egg on the surface, usually a spot surrounded by water. This egg is at least twice her height, and no one knows yet how she manages this feat. It always hatches a female Mamuta who will go on to be the group's next leader. If this egg should break before its time, however, it will create another beast… the Smoky Progg.

The Progg is the result of the egg hatching early and nothing else. It is, essentially, a malformed Mamuta larva. It resembles a sentient pile of green smoke with glowing eyes, consisting of a deadly gas and leaving behind a trail of poison as it moves. This creature, in contrast to its gentler counterparts, is hyper aggressive and lashes out at everything. It appears to be due to the Progg being in constant pain due to hatching early. The beast is hard to defeat thanks to the poisonous gas, but it is the only humane thing to do if it should hatch earlier than expected.

OTHER NOTES

Due to the circumstances around its creation and its wildly different disposition and appearance, some scientists believe the Smoky Progg should be classified as its own species. Since it is technically just a malformed larva of the Mamuta, no one has been able to agree. Should it be reclassified, it will be renamed as the Asymetricus fumonius. Further research on the creature has been deemed unethical.

NOTES FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS

Mamuta -

I just feel bad for killing it. Sure, it can be aggressive, but all it really wants to do is plant flowers. Not to mention its surprising display of intelligence. It's for the best this creature doesn't want to harm, or we would all be dead. - Alph

Now THIS is a creature I can get behind! I love flowers - wouldn't be a botanist if I didn't - and this guy adores them just as much. And it's a really good farmer, too! Maybe I should find a way to tame them, and use them in my own garden! - Brittany

Some might say that a gardener is of no use in a war, but I disagree. Farmers are very important, for where else would soldiers get their rations? I always give credit to the members of society who perform the more 'boring' jobs for the sake of us all. - Captain Charlie

Smoky Progg -

How does a creature so dangerous and destructive grow up to be something so gentle and calm? Of course, this creature was never supposed to be brought into this world, was it? Perhaps it's so aggressive because it's in horrible pain. … I don't wanna think about that for much longer. - Alph

No. I'm not going to do it. I refuse to make some sort of funny comment about this thing. I wouldn't even put the Captain through this much suffering. And I mean that. - Brittany

How could we allow such a creature to be birthed into this world? We could've left it to hatch normally, but instead we forced it into a brief existence of pain and suffering. I'm glad the poor thing has been put out of its misery. We should be ashamed for willing it into existence. - Captain Charlie

Author Notes - Coming up with ideas for how a society formed by these intelligent creatures would function was surprisingly fun. Writing about the Smoky Progg, however, was definitely not fun.

Next time, we got... oh god, the largest family that I didn't split up into multiple parts. THE MANDIBLARDS!