Ground Whale

Ground Whales are large terrestrial cetaceans that lived during the croodaceous era.

Eytimology
Their name is more or less a description of where they live and how they are different from other cetaseans.

Anatomy
Head-The Ground Whale possesses a head which is extremely similar to modern aquatic Whales, specifically the Right Whale. They possess a large wide mouth which opens on a hinge with the top of the mouth opening vertically unlike modern Whales, which allows the Ground Whale to hold its mouth open above ground resembling that of a cave which animals may try to seek shelter in.

Eyes-Their eyes are located around the corner of the mouth and maintain a bored looking expression most of the time however they may fully open when surprised.

Tail-The tail of a Ground Whale is very similar to that of a modern Whale however the length is very short as well as the flukes making it essentially vestigial.

Body-The Ground Whale where extremely bulky making them resemble modern Whale's quite well. They possess four thick legs similar to that of a Rhinoceros or Elephant with 3 flat toenailed toes. Their backs are mostly smooth however near the mouth they possess a blow hole which they use to breath when their mouths are closed.

Pelt-The skin of the Ground Whale is extremely smooth and possesses an almost leathery appearance. This may be broken up by vegetation which will grow on the animal due to its little movement.

Coloration-They possess a grey coloration throughout their entire body although at least one individual has been shown to be a more Blueish-Grey.

Behavior
The Ground Whale is extremely placid and will not attack most animals, moving at an incredibly slow pace and generally acting like a modern whale. The are sedentary animals and will hold their mouths open for any small animals seeking shelter which they will then close their mouths on allowing them to eat at their leisure. They will burrow into the ground for both camouflage and protection from predators, not moving to the point they resemble caves and even allowing plants to grow on their bodies. Upon it turning dark the animal will close its mouth so as to not draw attention to itself allowing it to completely blend in to the environment. They are cowardly and will run away from threats however at a slow pace, they will also unbury themselves in order to vomit out food they can't consume through their blow holes such as they did with the Croods Family. They are tamable and can even be used as riding animals to get around on, which they may be quite fast when ridden however they only seem to demonstrate said speed when provoked by another animal.

Habitat
They live within the valley within burrows alongside the Piranhakeets.

Diet
They are omnivorous and will use their sedentary lifestyle and cave like mouths to attract small animals seeking shelter only to be trapped within their mouths and allowing the Ground Whale to consume the animal without much effort. They will not eat large animals such as Cavemen or Humans.

Predators
One of their most common predators is the Piranhakeet which will consume a single Ground Whale in seconds leaving only its skeleton behind.

Abilities
Burrowing-The Ground Whale is able to form shallow burrows which they will slide their bodies into allowing them to blend into the environment and gain a form of protection.

Stamina-The Ground Whale is able to hold its mouth open for long periods of time seemingly without its jaw getting tired and it only closing its mouth when prey enters it or when night comes.

Energy Storage-The Ground Whale due to their large bodies are shown to possess a large amount of fat on their bodies allowing them to survive without food for long periods of time.

Sprinting-At times they are shown to go quite fast as Thunk's Ground Whale was shown to move at an impressive speed.

Charging-The Ground Whale is able to knock over even large trees with its body as shown with Thunks Ground Whale.

In the Movie
The Croods mistake one's mouth for a cave, and enter it. Once they enter, the mouth closes. Thunk then says "Hey, look! This cave has a tongue! Awesome!" and they are shot out through the spout. A Ground Whale was later eaten by hungry pack of about 10,000 Piranhakeets. All that was left of it were it's bones.

At the end, Thunk appears to have tamed one and is seen riding it in a race with his family and their pets (showing that Ground Whales are fast runners).

Trivia

 * In a McDonalds commercial, the Croods are seen riding one to a McDonalds restaurant.
 * Another name for the ground whale may be Landwhale, as according to the script at the end of the movie Thunk is riding on a Landwhale. Quote "Thunk breaks through the trees riding a LANDWHALE."
 * This animal is seemingly a case of triple re-adaptation as whales adapted from a terrestrial ancestor in the past and eventually became aquatic however the ground whale seemingly re-adapted to being terrestrial again.