Description
A male Brush-tailed Plains Monkey, Curiforma Setii, wanders the dry thorn forest of what was once Minnesota, looking to reunite with its troope after being separated.
With the drying climate of the Auracene (1 million years after human extinction), the New world monkeys suffered as forests declined and scrublands, plains, and deserts expanded across North and South America. While parts of the Amazon remain, some Monkeys took a page from the Hominid playbook and embraced life on the ground. Long limbs, once perfect for climbing and swinging through canopies, adapted well to a cursorial lifestyle. As they evolved, they also spread into North America, a much warmer place now than in the past, and began to fill ecological niches left behind by ungulates like deer and cattle.
They are quite large, standing 42 cm tall at the shoulder, with a long upright tail sporting a colorful namesake brush, used for in-group signaling. They are quite sexually dimorphic (like many primates): Males sport a reddish-brown "cloak", with thicker coats displaying dominance, as well as large canines and overall larger size. The nails on their toes are thick and hardened, allowing for traction while running across long distances upon often rough terrain. Semi-fused digits give a spring-like quality to their gate, while still allowing some grasping ability while foraging.
They live in harem-style social groups, with one dominant male, several younger subordinate males (who will be evicted when of age), and many females. They wander the environment looking for fruits, flowers, grasses, insects, bird eggs, and the occasional lizard or small mammal. They face many dangers from predators, especially the young, and so are very alert and jumpy. If one spots danger, they'll call out and wave their tail brush vigorously, allowing the group to respond, usually by running away, and occasionally standing their ground. At night, they will nest in low trees if any are available, but will take any shelter, huddling close for warmth and protection.
This one took FOREVER, I'm not sure why, but if I let myself I'll just keep tweaking it indefinitely. Let me know what you think!
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