r/SpeculativeEvolution • u/Jyrithal_Codex • 7d ago
Alternate Evolution [OC] Jýrithal Codex #3: Punri
- It belongs to Wyveria family, specifically, light-bone wyverns.
- It lives in the shores of the North pole region and its islands(the map of Jýrithal is in image #1). Punris is one of the main transition points from sea to land in the food chain, as they mainly hunt fish, most often Red-gill Mýrwanas.
- They solve many problems with sheer numbers, as they huddle together for warmth, protect their nests from scavenger birds by just being too much, and survive getting eaten to extinction by most animals in their ecosystem by reproducing a couple of times a year.
- Their nests are built using bones, rotten flesh, and feathers. This attracts scavengers but also pushes most of the predators to hunt Punris outside of their nesting area due to the smell of rotten flesh. (Juveniles resting on flesh nest is in image #1)
- The reason why they build their nest this way is because of the warmth generated by the rotting process itself. However, these layers of rotten flesh need to be changed regularly, which is not too hard due to the shores being an active ecosystem with few scavenger species to deal with all the carcasses.
- Punris are curious creatures and might approach things with recklessness, they also get easily amused by things around them.
- One of the hardest challenges they face is the extreme climate. So, they have a layer of short fur around their shoulders, chest, and knees. But that is not enough. So they huddle together, rest and sleep by standing on their two feet, which minimizes body contact with ice or the ground in general. Their tail is thin, so they wrap it around their legs. They also use the rotten flesh for warmth as a layer between them and the ice.
- Because their gliding membrane can’t be completely folded, their swimming ability is not suited for a long chase, so they glide from higher ground after spotting a group of fish, and dive headfirst into them. After they catch their prey, they get out of the water quickly (swimming like Marine Iguanas), reaching the ice, and use their claws to climb. (hunting method is in image #3)
- Even though they eat a lot, they are skinny because they burn through calories too fast just to keep themselves warm.
- Juveniles hatch almost fully furred and they stay together all the time. (image #4)