therobotmonster: The Fanged Leviathan - From the Field Notes of Professor J. Factotum. The apex pred
therobotmonster: The Fanged Leviathan - From the Field Notes of Professor J. Factotum. The apex predator of Insulam Obscura. The fanged leviathan appears to be an offshoot of family Agamidae, with similarities to outmoded concepts of theropod dinosaurs. Early observations mistook the species for three related species of varying niches: an arboreal pack hunter about the size of a cat, a roughly man-sized ambush predator, and a massive hunter of megafauna. Further observations revealed a spectrum of individuals between these growth stages, however. The species appears to grow continually throughout its life, quite possibly until it either cannot sustain its dietary needs or collapses under its own weight. Hatchlings appear to start life as social creatures for mutual defense against larger predators and members of the same species, as inter-generational cannibalism was observed in six individual cases. The man-sized juvenile stage may explain why so many residents of the island are hyper-aggressive to bipedal human-sized animals, our team included. Juvenile and adult specimens appear to be solitary hunters and opportunistic scavengers. Their fondness for mammal meat implies one or more mammalian prey species we have yet to encounter (perhaps in the inner island mountain regions?). The adult life stage is marked by persistence hunting. The long, prehensile tail (used for climbing by hatchlings and balance in juveniles) acts as a third leg. While it appears to drag behind the beast, it actually pushes the creature forward, allowing the large reptilian bulk to move through swampy environments with surprising speed. Detailed anatomical studies of the largest adult specimens were not possible, as the hunting rifles we carried were insufficient tofell the beast, as discovered by the late Dr. Kovacs. Gene, you will be missed. I would have named the beast after you, but I saw it first. -- source link