The apex killer of the snowy Northern Tundra, Lasiosauropteryx are a large-sized, ancient species of a mysterious lineage of winged Therapsid. Science often tells that Therapsids were the stock that gave rise to modern and prehistoric mammals and was considered to be the lineage that kept gradually evolving increasingly mammalian features, hence the name “mammal-like reptiles”, and much like the weird looking creatures of the past, Lasiosauropteryx is no different.Lasiosauropteryx is a strange creature, as they seem to be the cut off where birds and mammals split down the evolutionary train, taking on the aspects of both Bird, Reptile and Mammal. They are winged, and in addition to the glandular skin on its body covered in fur found in most modern mammals, this modern synapsid along with its now extinct relatives possess a variety of modified skin coverings, including: Osteoderms, a bony armor embedded in the skin around the feet and scutes, a protective structure of the dermis often with a horny covering on the tail.
Their wings are also strange. In evolution, Aerial locomotion first began in non-mammalian haramiyidan cynodonts, with creatures like Arboroharamiya, Xianshou, Maiopatagium and Vilevolodo all bearing exquisitely preserved, fur-covered wing membranes that stretch across the limbs and tail. Their fingers are elongated, similar to those of bats and colugos and likely sharing similar roles both as wing supports and to hang on tree branches. Much like these creatures, Lasiosauropteryx possess fur-covered wing membranes similar to that of Bats instead of modern or ancient birds. As in other mammals, and unlike in birds, the radius is the main component of the forearm.
Lasiosauropteryx have five elongated digits, which all radiate around the wrist. The thumb in Lasiosauropteryx points forward and supports the leading edge of the wing, and the other digits support the tension held in the wing membrane. The second and third digits go along the wing tip, allowing the wing to be pulled forward against aerodynamic drag, without having to be thick as in pterosaur wings. The fourth and fifth digits go from the wrist to the trailing edge, and repel the bending force caused by air pushing up against the stiff membrane.
Due to their flexible joints, Lasiosauropteryx are more maneuverable and more dexterous than gliding mammals.
However though it has wings. Lasiosauropteryx prefer to glide despite being capable of flying in the air. When on the ground however, Lasiosauropteryx can only crawl awkwardly similar to that of the locomotion of grounded bats, making lateral gaits (the limbs move one after the other) when moving slowly but being capable of moving with a bounding gait (all limbs move in unison) at greater speeds, the folded up wings being used to propel them forward, giving the creature the ability of moving 10mps
The wings of Lasiosauropteryx are much thinner and consist of more bones than the wings of birds, allowing them to maneuver more accurately than the latter, and fly with more lift and less drag. By folding the wings in toward their bodies on the upstroke, they save 35 percent energy during flight, However the membranes are delicate, tearing easily, but can regrow, and small tears heal quickly. This is because the patagium which is the wing membrane stretched between the arm and finger bones, and down the side of the body to the hind limbs and tail, consists of connective tissue, elastic fibers, nerves, muscles, and blood vessels. The muscles keep the membrane taut during flight.
The most striking feature of the creature is their thick, shaggy coat of fur which covers a majority of the body. As winter approaches their coats become incredibly dense and spreads to cover almost the entire animal. Flight with a full winter coat is difficult and only undertaken in times of need. During the summer season they shed their winter coats, leaving their body covered in a much finer coat of fur, and leaving the hindquarters and upper back exposed.
Coloration for this creature usually coincides with it main set territory. It has gray fur covering most of its body, with dark blue accents at the tips of the fur on its head, wings, and tail. Hair has its origins in the common ancestor of mammals, the synapsids, about 300 million years ago. It is currently unknown at what stage the synapsids acquired mammalian characteristics such as body hair and mammary glands, as the fossils only rarely provide direct evidence for soft tissues. However much like in mammals, the hairs of Lasiosauropteryx are all connected to nerves, and so the fur also serves as a transmitter for sensory input. Lasiosauropteryx are the dominant predator of their respected habitats, they are very large compared to most creatures heavy despite being a flighted creature, which is a good advantage for it when it comes to fighting aggressors physically: despite their size, they’re shockingly agile and possess a glint of unpredictability in their fighting style taken full advantage tot heir erratic behavior to aid it in a fight.
It should also be noted that despite all the encounters people have had with this beast, NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THESE THINGS CAME FROM.
When they were first discovered in the northern parts of New America, it was thought to be a elaborate hoax, as these creatures with all their weird attributes look like something straight out of European legend. And much like their fairy tail cousins, these creatures are, astonishingly and disturbingly aggressive.
Lasiosauropteryx are ferocious predators that will not back down from a fight until they kill the target or die trying. As a result of their size, Lasiosauropteryx dominate the ecosystems in which they live. They are carnivores, although they have been considered as eating mostly carrion, they will frequently ambush live prey with a surprisingly stealthy approach. When suitable prey arrives near a creatures chosen ambush site, it will suddenly charge at the animal at high speeds and go for the underside or the throat.
Despite popular belief however, Lasiosauropteryx do not deliberately allow prey to escape with fatal injuries but try to kill prey outright using a combination of lacerating damage and blood loss. They have been recorded as killing Super Mutants within seconds, and observations of the creature tracking prey for long distances are likely misinterpreted cases of prey escaping an attack before succumbing to infection.
Lasiosauropteryx eat in a manner similar to crocodiles, by tearing large chunks of flesh and swallowing them whole while holding the carcass down with their forelimbs. For smaller prey up to the size of a goat, their loosely articulated jaws, flexible skulls, and expandable stomachs allow them to swallow prey whole. Undigested vegetable contents of a prey animal’s stomach and intestines are typically avoided. Copious amounts of red saliva the creature produces help to lubricate the food to make it easy to swallow, but swallowing is still a long process (15–20 minutes to swallow a super mutant).
Trivia
- Interestingly enough, in multiple accounts, reports that the creatures just seemed to appear out of nowhere are the most prevalent. One of the most popular theory about where it came from is that they came from underground, as the first discovered creature never seemed to stray far from a selected territory it created around a cave. This is thought however to be coincidental, and many point out that the creature doesn’t seem to have any traits that suggest a previous underground lifestyle.
- Another sign of this creatures possibly Ancient origin is the presence of a Parietal eye. The parietal eye is found in the tuatara, most lizards, frogs, salamanders, certain bony fish, sharks, and lampreys (a kind of jawless fish).It became absent in mammals due to evolution, but was present in their closest extinct relatives, the therapsids. It is also absent in turtles and in archosaurs, which includes birds and crocodilians, and their extinct relatives. A parietal eye, also known as a third eye or pineal eye, is a part of the epithalamus present in some species of fish, amphibians and reptiles. The eye is located at the top of the head, is photoreceptive (sensitive to light changes) and is associated with the pineal gland, regulating circadian rhythmicity ( a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats on each rotation of the Earth roughly every 24 hours) and hormone production for, interesting enough. Thermoregulation, the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. Some animals undergo one of various forms of dormancy where the thermoregulation process temporarily allows the body temperature to drop, thereby conserving energy. Examples include hibernating bears and torpor in bats.
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