contrary to popular belief, Ents are not actually plants but are actually a species of animal which resembles trees as a technique of camouflage. some basic characteristics of these Ents include:
- have 1 in thick skin, which resembles bark
- have twig like hair
- are scavengers but will occasionally act as ambush predators
- males range in height from 9.11 to 14 feet tall, and are 15% larger than females
- are quite stocky with proportionally longer arms
- have orangutan level strength and intelligence
- are erect bipeds
- have a average lifespan of 300 years, and have a slow metabolism
- hibernate in the winter, and are capable of standing still for long periods of time
- are solitary
- have a excellent sense of smell and hearing, but relatively poor eyesight
Given these characteristics, what species could they have evolved from, and what evolutionary pressures would lead to them?