The Ambulant Willowcrest

Submission for the 2019 Creature Cabal

It isn't very common for herbivores to use their head as a method of defense, but that may be how the willowcrest became so successful. Like most animals on its planet, it had evolved a thick set of chitin-like armor to battle against the elements and predators. What it has that others don't, though, is a unique set of muscular pseudo-limbs that can move the various plates around into any shape that the situation requires. Naturally, it and its relatives can use this to shift their shields around their necks and other vulnerable parts of the body, but this also has a second function betrayed by the tendrils running along the moving parts. These strands are covered in special sensory nerves that can recognize the scent of food from miles away. Now that these organs are able to be manipulated in any way the creature desires, it can easily build a fully 3D map of places it can travel. It is a unique balance of defense and ability that has made this animal the most numerous autonomous organism in the universe.

Rendered in Photoshop