Biome: Snieppe Highland Lake

The central highlands of Karmozijnië in tropical Bloëca are quite a place. While still being a warm area located on the equator of Eryobis, the elevation of these highlands makes them significantly less tropical than the savannas and rainforest that surround them. This has granted them a sort of isolation and has allowed for a number of unique creatures to evolve here.

Located in an ancient volcanic caldera is Snieppe Lake. Long dead since, the crater has completely filled up with water and is steadily fed by equatorial rains where it creates a bit of a haven for life. Many rivers spring out from the crater and feed the savannas below.

Great flocks of Chalacheiropterans gather on the shores of the lake, feeding on the wet lushious vegetation facilitated by the lake. Large herds of Kadrians come here to lessen their thirst in peace, as no gingûrs have made their way into the lake yet. A young male decides that today is the day he tries his luck and challenges an older, battle scarred male for control of his harem. 

Meanwhile, an undisturbed Triprotodont feeds in the wet, scarlet flora, unaware it is being stalked by a hunrgy Arachnothere who's crept almost within striking range.

Such are the days near Snieppe Lake, serene yet full of life.

As it was on Earth, so it is on Eryobis that you can encounter small bird like organisms practically everywhere you go. On Eryobis these are often Stauropterygians, such as the collared buwwa's (Chipteryx collaris) that are a very common sight around Snieppe Lake, as well as much of the surrouning highlands. These small Eustauropterans are quite gregarious and seem to spend much of their days foraging and socializing with members of their community. The name we've given them, "buwwa" is an onomatopoeia for the high pitched croaks they often make. They are omnivores and feed on plant seeds, fruits and arthropods alike, as well occasionally feeding on mollusks.
   

The Snieppe kuehrn (Xenotamias snieppensis) is an Austroglire Triprotodont native exclusively to the region surrounding the lake. By comparing the DNA between these creatures and other Xenotamias in the surrounding region, it was revealed that X. snieppensis has been more or less isolated from its cousins for nearly 1 million years, leading biologists to classify it as its own species. These kuehrns are otherwise quite typical for their genus. They are largely solitary herbivores that feed mainly on tubers, hard fruits and seeds and tough vegetation.

The main predator of kuehrns and other small vertebrates around Snieppe Lake is the spotted cloull (Aranictis varius), a relatively small Bloëcatherian native to much of central Karmozijnië. Around the size of a terran ferret, cloulls are typically nocturnal hypercarnivores. Their eight limbs, equipped with four claws each, make them excellent climbers. Their diet consists mostly of small Eustauropterans, Chalacheiropterans, Triprotodonts, small Parasymmetrodactyls native to the region as well as eggs and young of larger animals like the various Kadrians they share their environment with.
 

No creature creates the soundscape of Snieppe Lake as much as the greenfoot ganx (Bloecanser viridipes) does. These Chalacheiropterans often arrive at the lake in massive flocks numbering in the thousands and fill the air with their honking calls that can be heard from miles away. Their striking blue crests and full green lips make them quite peculiar animal to look at. Yet, these vibrant colours do not appear to be sexually dimorphic, as so far all individuals recorded have them. So while the mating behaviour of these creatures is not yet fully known, it is believed that their vivid faces are used to display health, the more colourful, the healthier the individual. 

Ganxes are herbivores that feed on a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic plants, as well as including the occasional mollusk or fish in their diet.

Kadrians such as the highland surraah (Rhinokadre orestes) are an expected sight at Snieppe Lake, as they are across much of Bloëca. The first thing that becomes obvious about highland surraahs is that they are very sexually dirmophic, with the males being much more robust than females, darker and more striking in colouration and possessing large horns while the females do not. While many Menokadrids possess horns, its only in surraahs where the frontal horn that sprouts up from the end of the nasal tube is the largest. These grazing herbivores typically live in herds consisting of a single male and his harem of up to 20 females, although drinking spots like Snieppe Lake often see multiple of these herds congregating to form much larger herds. When males challenge one another for mating rights, they tend to do so by first showing off their strength and horns and try to avoid injury if possible. If opponents are equally matched, they will fight by locking horns and trying to throw the other off balance. More often than not however, these fights aren't nearly as civilised as that, with many males trying to gouge each others eyes out or some cases even attempting to break their opponents' necks. A lot of males bear scars and display broken or twisted horns from such battles. 

When faced with predators, surraahs will always flee before choosing to fight. They are very fast runners and like all Neokadrians sport large spikes on their shoulders that offer some protection against carnivores. If running is not an option for males, they will attempt to impale their assailants with their horns by charging at them.

There are obviously many more animals inhabiting the region around Snieppe Lake, but our biologists are yet to properly describe the majority of them.