Family of the Week: The Cerots

These are mostly giant, bulky relatives of the Therapeds. The smallest among them are as big as a large rhinoceros. They have a set of horns usually on the head. They use these horns for sparring with others of their own kind, but sometimes, they also use these horns in defense against predators. These are very effective weapons, as most predators will try to avoid a charging animal. The species with the most horns is Exiogcus, with a total of 6 horns on their head. The first 2 horns are rather small and placed just in front of the ears. They are peg-shaped and not really useful for much except to bunt warning strikes at a rival. Then in the center of their snout there is a set of rather sharp horns that curve foreward. At the end of the snout there is a set of horns that curve upward.

Unlike most modern rhinos which would be their modern counterparts, these mammals are fully haired. The body is covered in soft, rather woolly fur. The heads are rather horse-like, and all have horns of one kind or another. All species are strict vegetarians, feeding on grass, flowers, bushes, berries, even browsing leaves and blossoms on low branches from trees. The tails are relatively short for the body, usually less than the size of the total head and body length, the legs and feet are like those of rhinos. The eyes of these animals are rather small as well, but the eyesight is very good. As is the hearing. Their sense of smell however, is not much better than ours. In the species Durambulus, the horns cover also the back. They have a series of small, stubby spikes down the spinal region, with very long, backward-facing horns on the shoulders. This protects this animal against any smaller predators that might attack them from the back. However, it doesn't do much good against the largest predators. These are also the smallest species in this family, the largest among them being no smaller than a rhinoceros. As most cerots do, these animals live in herds, and are usually not that migratory, though when the need arises, they don't hesitate to migrate to greener pastures. The herds are not that large, usually no more than about 50 individuals.

The largest species are in the genus Hadrobestia. The head and body length of these animals are around 35 feet long, not counting the 12-foot long tail. They live in small groups, not more than about 10 individuals. They are characterized by the 2 long, straight horns over the eyes. They are very aggressive chargers and most predators will not bother them. The most unusual set of horns belong to Bodiceros. It has one long horn on the end of the snout and a smaller horn that curves foreward right behind it. They defend themselves by charging at the offender full-force. They begin a charge with warning signs of quickly raising and lowering their head. Bodiceros is perhaps the most aggressive of all the cerots, as it lives in a very hostile environment. They live in small herds, usually family groups.

Few predators will tackle these animals. Among the greatest are the largest deinognathids and mongooses that hunt in packs. If you'd like to view the cerots that are presented on my site, you can at this link: http://www.metazoica.com/cerots.html