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Description

The Camahueto (Metopoceros americanus) is an odd creature. It looks and behaves like a hippo for its early life, but then grows a single keratinous horn on its forehead and migrates from fresh water to the sea where it lives on kelp and seagrasses for the rest of its life. Unless it's a gravid female that is, because they head up the river to give birth and raise their young in fresh water, far from sharks and killer whales.

Oh, and did I mention that it's an equid? Yep there's that too. It's closest living relatives are the Atlantic kelpies, though the Camahueto is found only on the eastern coast of South America. It is also more closely related to true unicorns than horses, and is the only kelpie to retain the single horn inherited from their common monocerotid ancestor.

Chilote shamans use camahueto horns in rituals and as medicine, but the use isn't widespread, so the horn fortunately does not have much special value outside of the Chiloé archipelago. These shamans also traditionally cut the horn from a living animal and then release it, which in modern day can be done safely using tranquilizing agents and saws. This has made the camahueto one of the few one-horned animals that isn't at risk due to poaching.

Made in Sculptris for #junicorn2020

Description

The Camahueto (Metopoceros americanus) is an odd creature. It looks and behaves like a hippo for its early life, but then grows a single keratinous horn on its forehead and migrates from fresh water to the sea where it lives on kelp and seagrasses for the rest of its life. Unless it's a gravid female that is, because they head up the river to give birth and raise their young in fresh water, far from sharks and killer whales.

Oh, and did I mention that it's an equid? Yep there's that too. It's closest living relatives are the Atlantic kelpies, though the Camahueto is found only on the eastern coast of South America. It is also more closely related to true unicorns than horses, and is the only kelpie to retain the single horn inherited from their common monocerotid ancestor.

Chilote shamans use camahueto horns in rituals and as medicine, but the use isn't widespread, so the horn fortunately does not have much special value outside of the Chiloé archipelago. These shamans also traditionally cut the horn from a living animal and then release it, which in modern day can be done safely using tranquilizing agents and saws. This has made the camahueto one of the few one-horned animals that isn't at risk due to poaching.

Made in Sculptris for #junicorn2020