Gigit (Gih-GIHT)

Gigito (Gigit sing.) are small non-sentinent, rodent-like creatures that are native to Lexicon.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Gigito are small and rodent-like creatures that have short, stocky bodies with four short legs and stumpy tails, a bluntly rounded muzzle, large black eyes, and small ears that are nearly hidden in their long, dense, soft fur. Their skeleton is thicker and wider, giving them more bulk and a wider frame due to Lexicon's higher gravity. Despite that, they are still very quick and nimble. Their body shape is more rounded to stop heat from dissipating. They each have a small flattened claw on the first digit of their front feet,in order to dig in the hard ground and soil, as well as the snow on top of it. Plus, they have incisors that grow continuously, which allows them to feed on much tougher forage.
Their fur only comes in one color, which is pure white to blend in with the frost and the snow of the tundra. Additionally, Gigito cannot sweat and have no sweat glands, as they evolved not to have them. They have adjusted and adapted so much to the frigid conditions of the tundra that they cannot survive higher temperatures and will suffer heat exhaustion if the temperature exceeds above 15-16 °C.

Genetics and Reproduction

Due to them being creatures who are not social, Gigito will typically only come together to mate, then go their separate ways afterwards.
The first half of the twenty-seven days when Roalas is in the sky, they switch their attention to reproduction, and then the usually solitary finds a mate, and then continuously breeds before returning to the burrows during the long night.
Gigito breed explosively as females can produce up to 15 young after a gestation period of about 7-10 days. They grow up more quickly, and their their gestation period is extremely short.

Ecology and Habitats

They live in large tunnel systems beneath the snow during the twenty-seven long night, which protect them from predators. Their burrows have rest areas, toilet areas, and nesting rooms. They make nests out of grasses and mosses.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Gigito are herbivores, which means they eat only plants. They feed on almost any sort of vegetation, including roots, bulbs, buds, berries, leaves, twigs, bark, shoots, seeds, grasses, sedges, lichens, and mosses, all though they predominantly feed on mosses and grasses.

Behaviour

Gigito are solitary and are not social creatures. Their main and top predator is dhaewu and Lexiconians occasionally. They are active each solar day, never hibernating, always restless, trying to find food and avoid being hunted and eaten and to survive. This constant restlessness has made them quite aggressive and territorial when approached as a result, and has been known to challenge animals larger than them. Gigito also have a wide array of vocalizations, the most common one being a loud high-pitched squeal which they use to ward off predators and as a warning system, so often you hear them more than see them, and are often found far away from the reach of Lexiconian civilization.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Lexiconians sometimes trap and catch gigito so to eat them. Additionally, it is called by many names such as 'little screamer' and others. Its name is also used as a derogatory term and insult for people who are attention seekers/wh***s, spoiled brats, and more as it constantly screeches and challenges other animals no matter it's size, much like what these people would do.
In Lehkcia, gigit literally means 'gnawer', and the animal was named after how it's constantly gnawing its food, the reference to its ever growing incisors, and how it often annoys people with its squeals and aggressiveness.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Due to the dim light of Roalas during the twenty-seven long day, their large black eyes affords them exellent night vision, but poor eyesight.
Like all of Lexiconian life, Gigito evolved with the ability of charging so it can support and nourish itself during the next twenty-seven days when Roalas isn't in the sky.