Thorn beast

Thorn beasts are a docile herd animal used as food by the Covenant, particularly the Jiralhanae. Named for the five "thorns" that ridge their backs, they may have been domesticated for consumption. Their head and neck contain high concentrations of neurotoxins, likely a defensive adaptation against predators that go for the head or neck to kill.

Jiralhanae seem especially partial for the animal. Chieftain Maccabeus enjoyed eating the ball of muscle under the smallest of the five thorns that ridge its back when it was properly prepared, and the Jiralhanae Army Commander enjoyed it immensely, saying that it was "both an appetizer and dessert". The Jiralhanae prefer the thorn beast as served back up, showing its five spikes and its legs splayed forward. The head and neck is cut off, due to the high amount of neurotoxins. The thorn beast's entrails are often reduced into dipping sauces. Given the Jiralhanae's enjoyment of the animal, it may have originated on Doisac. When the Jiralhanae vessel Valorous Salvation landed on Beta Gabriel and the Jiralhanae began hunting the humans there, it was noted that one Brute named Brother Golubus came close to making the fatter humans taste like thorn beast.

Production notes
Thorn beasts were originally meant to appear in Halo: Combat Evolved, but were cut from the final game. The thorn beasts were going to be rideable creatures for Marines before they were cut for AI issues. They were also originally meant to appear in Halo Wars. The game developers stated that they would have reacted to units and battles around them. In the videos however, they merely ran away from units, not battles; if there was a bombing next to it, it wouldn't have flinched. However, since the videos were made as the game was still in development, this lack of a reaction may have been changed for a more real gaming experience if the creature would have made the final cut. Its first canonical appearance was in Halo: Contact Harvest, where it is consumed by a Jiralhanae pack.

Trivia
In Halo Mash-Up: Minecraft Evolved, some horse mobs are retextured to look like the Thorn Beast.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Contact Harvest
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * Stomping on the Heels of a Fuss