More info about these guys under the cut!
Since they aren't named, I'll just call them Gallons for now (the males look like they're wearing a big ole 10-gallon hat).
Males are calves > barrows > bulls > harem masters
Females are calves > heifers > cows > matriarchs
*All herds have 1 harem master and 1 matriarch each
Gallon calves are kept in clusters of 10 - 15 called merry groups. These groups are managed by young heifers, whose care for the calves gives them the skills necessary to raise their own someday. Depending on the sex ratio of each merry, some groups are much more easily managed (male<female), while others are rowdy and raucous (female<male).
There is no true distinction between male and female Gallons from birth to roughly 8 months old, when males begin to let off an odorous musk that signifies their need to depart from their merry group. They will join the other young males, who range from 8 months to 3 years, at the front of the herd, where they are easily watched by the harem master.
Young females will stay within their merry group for another 4 months, where at 1 year of age they will rejoin their mothers in the herd to learn what skills she has to teach. Females in particular are able to identify each other through pheromones, and will even begin to smell like one another depending on who they group with during migrations.
By 3 years of age, both males and females are fully developed, however males will continue to grow their wattles and head crest until age 6. Now independent from their mothers, heifers who choose not to mate their first viable year begin to lead merry groups, caring for new offspring.
Barrows experience a hike in testosterone during late development, and will begin to exhibit heightened aggression. This period is usually during a time of few or no calves, which is a perfect coincidence, as they would easily be crushed underfoot a rampaging male.
During this time of aggression, Gallon herds will participate in "mingling", where herds will meet together and mesh. Harem masters will size up each other's male offspring, and then swap what few they approve of. Any remaining will be expelled, becoming lone males who may sneak into another herd, lure some females away, or attempt to win them fairly at a mating lek. Females will stay with their natal herd their whole life.
Mating leks function like normal ones do, where all Gallon herds (there are 3 defined ones total) come together to watch as the males participate. Females are incredibly picky, and most will choose not to mate in favor of seeing what the next year's males have to offer. Younger females are more easily coerced, however, the guidance of her matriarch allows her to make a choice based on more than just an impressive display.
Male displays differ depending on whether or not he has a partner to display with. A solo male will show off his brawn by pushing trees, boulders, or lying down and then quickly getting back on his feet, which is an impressive feat for a 4-ton creature. Some males, who have been successful year after year, will simply just stand about and wait for recurring females to meet with them.
Males who have a display partner will size each other up, jab at each other with their foreclaws, or show off their crests and interlock bosses to perform an almost sumo-style shoving match.
Barrows are not allowed to display in the lek; they are there purely to learn. Bulls, while their performances may be impressive, are often overshadowed by harem masters- although they nonetheless find success each season. Harem masters are the largest males who, at an early age, acquired a harem of females, and a rush of hormones disrupted their development and made them grow much larger much faster.
To maintain their status, harem masters will meet together at the center of the lek, rear up, and press their forelegs against each other's chests in a sort of interlocked "hug" (think dreadnoughtus from Prehistoric Planet, kind of). There is no shoving, no stabbing with their sharp foreclaw, and no overexertion of physical strength. Harem masters will stay interlocked and standing like this until one male will back down, at which the remaining male will be crowned the winner.
After the lek, males will disperse with their claimed females for the season, and the herds will settle for the night. In the cover of darkness, some sneaky young barrows may attempt to woo a female, although most are shouted at or shoved away. When he's not busy, harem masters who take notice will find no issue with killing unwanted advances from a barrow.
In the morning, herds will part ways, beginning their triennial migration. Gallons have a codependent relationship with a species of tree that produces a heart-shaped fruit (we're going to call them heartfruit, and heartfruit trees) that bloom in time with their migration. Newly mated females will go through a hunger strike the first three or so months of their pregnancy, and heartfruit trees fruit at a very precise window after mating leks where females will still have their appetite. The nutrients from what heartfruit they eat will allow them to last without worry during their strike, and in turn, any other Gallon who eats them will distribute their seeds along their migration path.
Um okay this is really long bye.
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