introducing... THE UNICORNS!!
id like to note that a lot of the names of creatures/taxonomy here will be changed in the future once ive gotten the language down more concretely
"unicorn" is a broad term used to describe several different groups of creatures. while they are closely related to each other, they are not all part of the same group and belong to some notably different lineages.
all unicorns are in the order Pecora. the majority of unicorns are contained in the superfamily Monoceratidae, which is closely related to giraffes, while another small family can be found within Cervidae under the tribe Qilinini.
why the members of Monoceratidae didn't stick with two symmetrical horns like most other horned animals is not entirely known. the best hypothesis is that sexual selection favored animals with horns that grew closer and closer together over the generations until they became one horn, which appears to work as self-defense about as well as two horns do.
the basalmost of the Monoceratid unicorns are the members of Abadatini. Abada is the type genus and can be found in savannas. its horn is unique in that it varies between males and females. the male Abada have a pronged horn with a spit at the bottom, while the females have just one single horn. Bulan has a rather unique horn. it has a long, slender divot in the center that is able to catch rain. because of the hole's shape, the water evaporates very slowly and can be kept inside the horn for several days. as the Bulan walks around its native environment of the dry desert, it is able to pour out water for itself to drink for about a week after rain appears. this way, it stays hydrated with little effort during dry periods.
the next group in Monoceratidae is Monoceratinae, in which there are two groups: Yaletini and Monoceratini.
Yaletini consists of the genus Yale, as well as a smaller clade within it. the most distinct shared trait among all the genera in Yaletini are upwards-curving tusks. it is thought that these tusks developed due to the decreased defensive function of their horns, which seem to have become more of just display pieces.
the Yale looks like it has two horns, but they sprout from the same bone. Yale has two distinct species: Y. recta and Y. curvum. Y. recta has straight horns, while Y. curvum has curved horns. the Yale is sometimes able to defend itself from front and back attacks due to its horn shape, but its preferred defensive feature is its tusks. the other clade within Yaletini contains the Nian and Xieshi. these two are visually similar to lions, with their sloped heads and shaggy neck "manes". Nian's horn is small, but its tusks are relatively large. both genera live in areas with reddish-grey plants and geological features, so they camouflage very easily.
the last group within Monoceratinae is Monoceratini, which contains the "true unicorns". these are the species under Monoceros, of which there are two: M. pratum and M. mons. M. pratum is specialized for plains environments, while M. mons is a sturdier build meant for mountain environments.
outside of Monoceratinae, one other group of unicorns exists. these are the members of Qilinini, which are closely related to Muntiacini, the munjacs. these deer are very notable for their pangolin-like scales. it is thought that they developed these in order to avoid being grabbed by their largest predators: dragons. without access to their softer flesh, which is pierced easily, dragons cannot just swoop down and grab the deer. the members of this group also have a single antler, which is also thought to be a response to dragons' predation. dragons can easily grab onto the large, branching antlers of other deer, rendering the deer helpless as they fly off with them. however, Qilinini's antlers have few points to grab onto while still being functional for attracting mates.
Qilinini has three members, Sinyu, Kirin, and Qilin. all three of these are relatively similar, but do have differences between them. their antlers have different shapes, and the amount of scale covering on their bodies is different. Sinyu also has a longer, horselike tail compared to the other two genera.
okay ! i finally stopped looking at unicorns in order to finally put this out here. hope you all enjoy, i had a lot of fun developing these guys and im really happy with how they came out. especially the qilin deer !! it was tricky finding a reasoning for them being scaly but thats a huge part of qilin's identity so i had to keep it in. i think the pangolin scales work great as a compromise to "real" scales.
