Bapoto (Poto)- means noisy
Poto is an unknown prehistoric omnivore who lives in a very large family of about 30 members. He has 8 sisters and is one of 7 brothers. Out of all of his siblings, he is the most adventurous, getting himself into trouble almost on a daily basis.
He’s about 3 years old and may live up to 30 years, if he’s lucky. On average, Poto’s species is about 4 foot at the shoulder but can reach 5 feet. His father is the largest of the family and manages the heard. The species is an in-between development in evolution where they are becoming more terrestrial and less tree climbers. They have 3 toes that end with hooves, which aid in running, however they are not very fast. When they run it is mostly on all fours but are able to sprint effectively on two. The long nails help them dig for food and nest building. One sharp claw remains on their “thumb” from their tree climbing days and can still work though not nearly as well. The long necks allow the head to see above the tall grass and the ears can pick up sounds a great distance away. Coat patterns range in a variety of browns, blacks and yellows to match the grass, but it also provides camouflage against certain predators with similar coat patterns who also thrive in the environment. The horn on their heads is made of bone which forms the base of a thick skull. They defend themselves with these horns and use them for mating battles. The bigger, the better.
The family lives on the edge of the forests of Africa and make their home in the grassy plains next to a river. Using their long nails to dig into the dirt, they make nests and sleep clustered together. Their diet usually consists of some tree leaves on the forest edge, as well as roots and insects. Poto finds the food tasteless and boring so he will venture deeper into the forest to find fruit. These ventures are where he meets different creatures that become his friends or foes. The family doesn’t go deeper into the woods because the trees can obscure large predators like cave lions and bears.
Poto is not the favorite of his family because his jokes involve someone getting into a tight spot or nearly injured from either an activity like tree climbing or river diving to harassing large sleeping predators. He likes making others look silly and takes pride in his ability to climb and do stupid stunts. His siblings insult him as the dumbest of the herd and though his intelligence is generally average, he’s extremely resourceful and can get others into trouble just as easily as getting them out. He’s also discovered the use of throwing objects. The antics has gotten him noticed by a saber tooth tiger who wishes to make a meal out of him and his herd. He tricks the tiger from following him, but the beast is clever and gets closer to finding the family everyday. The herd is always on the lookout and is thinking about moving to escape the cat.
What Poto wants is to see everything and go anywhere but is afraid to be left alone. The more friends he makes outside his herd the better he feels, but not all of them are really willing to help out if the family decides to ditch him. The saber tooth tiger is his worst fear because he’s just as clever and is undeniably relentless.