Dracolodontidia

The serrated plunderers of the Wallacian skies

Members of the taxon Alivandi have adopted largely raptorial positions in the Wallacian food-chain. The Gomphiobian equivalent of accipitriformes dominate much of the skies, adapting to many of the biomes.

Within the Alivandi taxa rests several orders, the one we will cover here is the Dracolodontids.

A robust wooly form of Deinodonopteryx stalks the polar windswept plains of Wallace II. knocking large dispeculates off their bearings from dense overcast.

Domain: Eukarya

Kingdom: Celestivita
Phylum: Dispeculata

Class: Gomphiobia

Subclass:Alivandi

Order: Dracolodontidia

The Dracolodontidae are a diverse taxa with a great deal of variation in size and shape. They range in size from the tiny Silvidraco Viridi standing 2ft 2inches and weighing 10lbs(4.5kg),  to the great Alpine Sangui-rostros(blood beak) standing 6’5’’ and weighing 180lbs (81.6kg). This larger species feeds on carrion as it is too large to pursue healthy prey for the most part. There is a shape and size of Dracolodontidae for just about any prey on the surface of Wallace II.

The Dracolodontids evolved from Gomphiobians that had developed simple lenses over their photoreceptive patches, in addition to soft eyelids which act as relaxing and constricting iris’s. This event allowed the resulting predators to zero in on prey much more accurately regardless of the ambient light. The inner eye is tubular in the skull and packed with cones and rods. In addition to excellent eyesight, many Dracolodontids have an enchanced sense of smell and even better auditory capabilities. Generally they bear 4 ear openings with or without pinnae. The Discoferopsidae (disk bearing face) have enlarged paired ears that can be articulated to pin sounds from above, below, left or right.

The Dracolodontids have inherited the complex respiratory systems coined in the Gerucrinians. The spiracles have developed sphincters to keep moisture in, and complex lungs branch from the spiracles and into pneumatic sacs throughout the body, extending into the tail. The pneumatic system snakes into the carapace making the animals much lighter than they might appear.

The beaks of Dracolodontids are strong, serrated and hooked In some species, there is a notch or 'tooth' in the upper mandible.  The evolution of  a true jaw was an integral adaptation seen first in the Articuladentia group. The legs and talons very by the sort of food taken, those who hunt airborne species, have long and thin legs and claws of similar measure. Those who take on prey as large or larger than themselves are equipped with armored gauntlets and thick talons to pierce softspots.

The secondary limbs have become fin-like scalpularies on the dorsal surface of the animal.
The tertiary limbs of the Dracolodontids bear wings. Velvety membranes stretched from varying digits create aerofoils. The division win the flight surface grant greater control over the way the animal maneuvers in flight. And the quaternary limbs have become a remigial surface, resembling tail feathers. The shape of the wing and tail vary by species, the great Deinodonopteryx has long rounded wings, and a much broader and well muscled tail, while the modest Discoferops has much broader plushier wings than it’s cousins to soften the sound of it’s flight The tails distal end has become a hooked digit acting like a 3rd raptorial limb. All limbs were maximized for flight.

As far integument goes, the Dracolodontids kept and expanded upon the chitinous setae and scales of the thier Gerucrinia (bearers of fur) forebearers. For the most part Dracolodontids rarely utilize  bright colours; most species adopt colours that conceal them in their environment. There is seldom sexual dimorphism in plumage, when it occurs the males are brighter or the females resemble juveniles. In many species juveniles have a distinctly different plumage. They may attempt to resemble a less dangerous species to fool prey, or instead resemble a more dangerous species in order to reduce predation efforts by other species. Some species have crests or fans of stiff setae used in signalling.

Diet:

Members of the Dracolodontidae taxon are generally opportunistic predators that eat whatever prey is most abundant, accessible and easy to catch. Individual species may specialize on a certain group of prey, but most will also eat a wide variety of prey if it is available. Though most Dracolodonitids are exclusively carnivorous, several species occasionally eat fruiting bodies, and supplement their diet with nectar. The behemoth Mega Sanguirostridae are carrion feeders stripping a carcass of all but the toughest armor.

Most Dracolodontids hunt solitarily. However, cooperative hunting does occasionally occur in several of the smaller species. Generally, cooperation occurs between mated pairs or groups of related individuals. Cooperation generally increases hunting success rate and allows for the capture of larger prey than could be accomplished by a single individual. Once they have captured prey, Dracolodonts kill their prey by repeatedly puncturing it with their talons, or severing the spine with rapid bites. Prey are swallowed whole or ripped apart with the sharp, hooked beak. Indigestible portions like setae or exoskeletons, if swallowed, are regurgitated in a pellet. If a prey item is not consumed in entirety, it may be cached for later consumption, particularly during the breeding season.

Reproductive Biology:

In the Dracolodontids the female is typically larger than the male, extreme devotion for breeding pairs to each other and often to a dedicated nesting site, strict and often ferocious territorial behavior. Before the onset of the nesting season, adult Dracolontids often devote a majority of their time to excluding other members of their own species and even of other species from their nesting territories. In several species, this occurs by territorial display flights over the border of their breeding ranges. In several forest dwelling varieties, however, vocalizations are used to establish territories. Due to the density of the habitat, display flights are apparently impractical.

A single devoted breeding pair is considered typical, but some species participate in polandry or polygyny. Some cooperative multi-pair nesting behaviours also exist.

Nesting sites are subjective to species and the range they dwell in. Silvidraco, of the family Parvuflaxidae (tiny sickle) tends to nest in the hollows of sessile polyspeculids, Discoferopsidae (disk bearing face) will nest just about anywhere including under masses of dried herbivore dung, under boulders or in open grasslands. Members of the family Asciarostridae(hatchet-beaks) nest only in the most inaccessible crags, crooks and cliffs. The smaller genera aren’t above pirating nest sites.Nest sites are reused year after year.

Compared to most other types of Alivandi, the stretch from egg-laying to independence in young birds is very prolonged. The breeding season ranges from about two to three months to roughly a year and a half, the latter in some of the larger tropical species. Species inhabiting temperate ranges as a rule have shorter breeding seasons due to the shorter stretches of warm weather that facilitates ready capture of prey.

Usually from 2 to 6 eggs are laid and adhered to the brood patch on the neck of the female. She being the largest is the safest brooder for the fury eggs. The eggs are laid all in one go as to ensure the Slings(hatchlings) develop at the same rate. Although the Slings typically grow in close accordance to one another, lack of food or sudden change in climate may jostle chicks up or down in health leading to reduced fledging rates. Weaker Slings are cannibalized by adults and sibling. A patch of 6 eggs may grow into only 2 flying juveniles.

While the female broods the eggs and young, the male hunts around the clock to feed both the female and the developing slings. When the slings are old enough to tear up larger food items themselves, both the male and female hunt. Fledglings often may take several weeks as opposed to days in many other types of Alivandi. Once independent of their parents, the slings wander for considerable stretches of time, ranging from 1 to 5 years before they attain maturity. Shortly after attaining mature plumages, pairs form with a male typically displaying, often in flight but sometimes vocally, to win over a female.

Habitat & Distribution:

Dracolodontids are found world wide. They live on every continent and on most oceanic islands. They inhabit every major habitat type specializing in form and diet to maximize survival.

Accipitrids are found in most terrestrial habitats, including tundra, alpine meadows, grasslands, desserts, sea coasts, rainforests, woodlands, agricultural, suburban and even some urban areas. They are also found at most elevations, from coastal areas at sea level to the tops of mountains. The highest numbers of Dracolodontid species are found in forests and woodlands, whereas less productive habitats such as desert steppes and tundra can typically support only one or two species. Many of these raptorial species rely on large congregations of polyspeculates for nesting, perching, roosting and hunting. Therefore, habitats with providing these can generally support many more Dracolodontids.

Many Dracolodontids migrate between breeding and wintering habitats. Individuals that migrate south for the winter usually choose a wintering habitat that is similar in structure to their breeding habitat. For example, species that breed in open woodlands generally choose wintering habitats in fairly open tropical forests.