04-17-2013, 08:58 AM
This is Day Two
This creature is a(n): Geomana Capra; colloquially, "Horned Water-Gerbil" or "The rat that swims"
This is its story: This diminutive creature thrives on land and in lakes and ponds. Well-known for its high-pitched shrieks, the horned water-gerbil is shunned by human society and is often exterminated as a pest. The horned water-gerbil prefers to live in underground burrows or under tree roots as close to water as possible, as it is an easily frightened creature and cannot run very easily.
The horned water-gerbil primarily eats minnows, water lilies, and insects, but it sometimes supplements this diet with small fish, which the horned water-gerbil catches using its tail as bait, as the tail takes on a worm-like appearance underwater. The horned water-gerbil can hold its breath for up to sixty seconds.
In the spring, male horned water-gerbils fight for dominance and the right to mate using their short, straight horns. Given the awkward placement of these horns, the horned water-gerbils fight back-to-back, wildly swinging their heads in a way that has often been called "head-banging to rock." The horned water-gerbil loses its horns every year, and humans have taken to collecting these horns for use in aphrodisiacs and edgy modern art.
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