Vrontientomos hespaestus - "Boomer bugs"

## Etymology, discovery and naming

The English term "Boomer Bug" stems from the English word "Boom," indicating a loud sound, and "Bug" for its appearance. Their booming sound comes from the sound they make when their feet hit the ground as they hop.

## Terminology

Male boomer bugs are called jacks, females are called jills, and the young are called jokers. The collective noun for boomer bugs is a court. The alpha male is referred to as the king of the court while the other males that participate in patrols and hunts are called princes. Typically, a court contains a few dozen individuals.

## Taxonomy, origins and evolution

**Taxonomy**

During the second expedition to Wallace II, Dr. Bob Smith published a description of the creature along with its binomal nomenclature. The genus name Vrontientomos is taken from the Greek βροντή έντομο or Thundering Insect or Thundering Hopper and Ἥφαιστος" or hespaestus, the Greek god of smiths and the forge. The genus Vrontientomos contains at least four distinct members, of which V. hespaestus or the "Boomer Bug" is the largest and best known.

**Evolution**

The Boomer Bug's are gomphiobians. Their closest relatives are members of the genus Agrisaltator, the brush bouncers. While their form appear quite different, genetic analysis indicates that they split from the ancestors of current day Arborputatoria around 70 MYA and from bouncers about 40 MYA. They have many traits in common with the "bugs," from their two-bar linkage jaw with short rostrum to their cardiovascular system and two independent voices.

**Description**

The boomer bug is the largest member of Vrontientomos. Like all members of the genus, they have a rounded face with massive jaws, two large compound eyes and two nasal proboscises. Uniquely among Planacorporians, boomer bugs have large external ear flaps. These are thought to be used for cooling, species identification, communication and to improve their hearing.

Boomer bugs are sexually dimorphic. It has two forelimbs with small but sharp claws, two visible vestigial limbs, and two muscular hind-limbs, which are used for jumping, and a strong tail which is often used to create a tripod when standing upright. The boomer bug's legs work much like a rubber band, with the Achilles tendon stretching as the animal comes down, then releasing its energy to propel the animal up and forward, enabling the characteristic bouncing locomotion. The males can cover 12–14 m in one leap while reaching heights of 3-5 m, though the average is perhaps half that.

**Anatomy**

Boomer bugs move bipedally. Like bouncers, they have large, elastic tendons in their hind legs. They store elastic strain energy in the tendons of their large hind legs, providing most of the energy required for each hop by the spring action of the tendons rather than by any muscular effort. There is also a link between the hopping action and breathing: as the feet leave the ground, air is expelled from the lungs; bringing the feet forward ready for landing refills the lungs, providing further energy efficiency. Studies of boomer bugs and bouncers have demonstrated, beyond the minimum energy expenditure required to hop at all, increased speed requires very little extra effort.

Like all Planacorporians, the brains of Vrontientomos are behind their eyes on their shoulders, protected by bony plate armor. This improves their reflexes, but it is at the expense of reduced visual acuity. Interestingly, their senses of hearing and smell are laid out to optimize for their neural layout.

Vrontientomos retained the Planacorporian system of respiration and circulation without change. Their hearts have only two chambers, but they have four of them. Each of their two lungs has a heart that pumps unoxygenated blood in and a heart that pumps oxygenated blood out.

As well as taking in air and odors, their proboscises have become central to their temperature regulation system. During high activity such as pursuing prey, their proboscises will fill with blood, ballooning them out. During their respiration, they will draw in outside air through moist passages. This sweat evaporates, efficiently cooling the animal. Most of this sweat is even recycled by their lungs during the respiration cycle.

A unique form of cooling on boomer bugs is their use of large ear flaps. These are behind their eyes on the top of their heads. A network of arterioles carries cools oxygenated blood that is in route to their brain.

**Dentition**

The tooth plates of Vrontientomos evolved into a jaw with two bar linkage, like a vice grip. Their rostrums shortened and broadened, now serving mainly as the anchor point for the powerful rings of muscles that power their massive tooth plates. Their fangs evolved into continuously growing, overlapping and self-sharpening shears resembling bolt cutters. Using anatomical analysis of dead specimens, scientists estimate their bite force at 2,000 newtons. This is more than a lion.

‬The upper and lower jaw incisors‭ (‬front teeth‭) ‬are greatly enlarged in a manner reminiscent of rodents.‭ ‬The carnassial premolars are also shaped like blades that provided a shearing motion.‭ Vrontientomos use their immensely powerful jaw muscles to drive these teeth through critical locations such as the neck and spine of their prey.‭ ‬

**Vocalization**

Like their Arborputatoria cousins, Vrontientomos have a set of rings along the path of each air sack pushing air into their lungs. The air sacks further serve as a resonation chamber and are further modulated by their proboscises. Because they have two different airways, they can make two completely different notes at once.

**Skin**

Their skin is covered with tough osteoderms, similar to an Earth shark's. Coloration varies widely. Males tend to look redder or tawnier for hunting in the dirt while females tend to have grey or blue patterns that make them less visible in shadows.. Spots are common, and may aid in recognition of their cohorts.

**Sexual Characteristics**

Besides size, there is no obvious sexual distinction in boomer bugs. Primary sexual differences are covered by a genital flap. Nor do they have pronounced secondary sexual characteristics.

## Behavior

**Social and reproductive behavior**

Boomer bugs are crepuscular, most active at dawn and dusk. This

There is a distinct linear dominance hierarchy in male boomer bugs, and males are dominant over females. Males remain in their natal communities while females, in general, emigrate at adolescence. Females generally spend most of their time with their own offspring, though they may be seen with other females in "nursery groups."

Given the female-biased dispersal pattern, male boomer bugs in a community are more likely to be related to one another than females are to each other. Research has consistently emphasized kinship as the most important underlying factor of the strong social bonds among males. Research has consistently emphasized kinship as the most important underlying factor of the strong social bonds. Some examples of inter-community interactions include hostile attacks by groups of males and cooperative boundary patrol parties. Intra-community interactions that are dominated by male cooperation include securing and maintaining dominance, mate guarding, and group hunting and meat sharing.

**Mating, reproduction, and development**

Mating occurs throughout the year and there is no evidence of a birth season, female boomer bugs do exhibit seasonality in the number of estrous females within a group. The number of estrous females is positively related to food abundance; because of the energetic requirements of ovulation and mating, female boomer bugs are more likely to come into estrus during times when food is readily available

The majority of boomer bug reproductive behavior is promiscuous, with females mating with multiple males opportunistically during estrus, though the majority of copulation occurs during the 10-day period of maximal tumescence

Boomer bug social and mating groups do not always overlap, given the variety of reproductive situations. This may have evolved because females have limited choice in mates after committing to a community, and the dominance hierarchy of males often dictates which males an estrous female will mate with. By having multiple strategies, females can expand the pool of males from which they choose while not losing the important support of the males in their communities.

Males become reproductive at about four years of age and females at about three years of age. Boomer bugs are ovoviviparous. About 200 days after fertilization, one or two jokers are born. The mothers will stay in a nursery for around two days. Then the King will move on, calling the princes and then the rest of the court. Either the mother and her offspring can keep up with the court or they can't. Those that can't are removed from the gene pool.

The majority of parental care is the responsibility of the mother and is critical to the survival and emotional health of youngsters. Boomer bug infants and juveniles benefit from the close relationship with their mothers in terms of food, warmth, protection, and the opportunity to learn skills.

During the juvenile period, boomer bugs remain close to their mothers but play independently and have greater social interactions with other community members. Adolescent females spend some of their time moving between groups and are supported by their mothers during agonistic encounters while adolescent males spend more time with adult males in social activities such as boundary patrols and hunting parties.

Boomer bugs typically live for 20 years in the wild, and can live to 35 in captivity.

**Territorial and sheltering behaviors**

Boomer bug territories focus around food. Their territory is of a food source such as a herd of Mountain Sprinters. A court will follow a herd. They have even been known to protect their herd from other predators.

Females will shelter with young in available burrows. If burrows aren't handy, they will use whatever shelter is available. Adult males rarely seek shelter.

**Hunting and feeding behaviors**

Boomer bugs are primarily pack pursuit predators of large game. They will find a prey animal and run it into exhaustion. They kill primarily by disemboweling their prey with their powerful kicks and sharp claws, although they have been observed biting their prey and using their claws as well. They have been observed driving prey into a river and then mob it to drown it. They also are known to seek out Falcatisuchus armatus or Sauromimus and then drown them by mobbing them in a river and holding them under water.

Boomer bugs will also hunt the giant reaper or Psuedoodon gigantos by using themselves as bait. When a giant reaper is observed, one boomer bug will present themselves to the predator. If it pursues them, they will stay just ahead of it until the would be predator is exhausted. They will then lead it into where other boomer bugs are lurking in ambush.

When times are hard, they will form a line and carefully cover a large area to flush out fuzzbuckets, scrub jumpers and other small game. They also have been observed snatching Phalangesdontidae from the banks of rivers.

**Intelligence**

The brains of boomer bug males are about 275 cubic centimeters in volume. This is around the size of an Earth spotted hyena's brain. While they do clearly work as a social group, their behaviors are interpreted as rule based. There has never been any report of tool use or of a complex language.

## Enemies and Competition

Both Sauromimus and Ornithosmilidae will snatch jokers and occasionally will ambush lone females.

Aervenators will prey on them when they are near shore lines.

Several members of the genus Quetzal definitely consider them on their menu, particularly Q. custos. In turn, boomer bugs will lure a hunting party of Q. custos or even Q. viatorem to pursue them into exhaustion.

## Communication

**Body language**

A relaxed boomer bug's mouth is slightly open with ends that could be turning up (almost appears to be smiling). His ears and tail are in an erect, rounded position.

An anxious boomer bug will often freeze, head facing the threat, ears pulled back tightly to their head, lips curled showing their teeth and tail stiff.

When a boomer bug is aroused or excited, its ears are generally erect and forward. His tail may tremble as well.

Fast tail wagging and sniffing of genital regions is a sign of greeting between individuals. They will also lower their heads in a bobbing motion.

A flagpole tail is a sign of dominance. Conversely, a lowered tail is a sign of submission.

**Vocalizations**

Visual and vocal communication are important to boomer bug society. A suite of facial expressions, postures, and sounds function as signals during interactions between individuals and groups. One important vocalization is the "pant-hoot," which is the most commonly heard call of adult individuals and is used to signify food enjoyment, social excitement, and sociability feelings. Distance calls are used to draw attention to danger or food sources for other community members as well as establish location of other groups in the area. It is given while feeding, during travel, and when meeting boomer bugs from other parties or communities. Another call heard under these circumstances is the "bark" which is modified under certain circumstances as the "short bark," when hunting and the "tonal bark," given in the presence of large snakes.

## Range, habitat and population

Boomer bugs are only found on Media Insula. They are widely distributed throughout the continent, being found everywhere except in dense jungles or swamp land. They favor savannah, prairies and semi-desert where prey is abundant and their mobility advantage can be exploited.

The population of boomer bugs is estimated at a quarter million in the wild.