Cave Beetle

The Cave Beetle is a round, omnivorous beetle native to caverns beneath the Umamthakom Mountains. It grazes on cave fungus and has an ornery disposition.

Description
The Cave Beetle has a length varying between 2 and 3 meters from back to front. Male beetles have a large horn connected to their bodies roughly 1 meter in length, making up one third of their entire body. The average width being between 75 and 85 centimetres. The Cave Beetle is a sturdy little creature being able to carry 100 times it own weight, however at this level the creature slows down significantly. Male and female Cave Beetles have a good amount of hairs underneath their mouths, almost like a beard. Their chitin is a blueish colour with glowing red eyes which are able to see well in the dark.

Life Cycle
Cave Beetles living primarily underground have no specific mating season. On average the gestation period lasts 30 days, afterwards 5 to 10 eggs are laid by a female Cave Beetle who closely guards them until they hatch. A Cave Beetle larva will undergo three different transformations all combined taking two years. After the two years a Cave Beetle can be considered an adult and will leave up to an average of 20 years old.

Social Structure
Cave Beetles in the wild tend to life in small packs of about 10 beetles, with 2-4 males to 6-8 females. The pack us led by the eldest male and female beetles who are considered the father and mother within a pack. If a pack has a really good breading season the pack can grow in size up to a 100 beetles. After the beetles reach maturity they will either roam the expansive caverns for grazing land. If not enough grazing land is found, Cave Beetles will venture outside of the caverns in search for new caves.

Culture
Dwarves first encountered the Cave Beetle in the caves beneath the settlement known as Narum, located in the Umamthakom Mountains. After a series of skirmishes, the dwarves quickly figured out the usefulness of the beetle. Its strong chitin can be used as an armour, of course not as durable or strong as metal but in a pinch, it forms a decent protective armour. Furthermore, the creature's immense strength could be used the turn it into a useful pack animal and even mount. Letting a beetle carrying 30 times its weight is the sweet spot between extra energy consumption and amount of carried weigh. The dwarves quickly set out to domestic the Cave Beetle, eventually becoming close companions.