Ambopteryx

The **American cockatrice** (*Ambopteryx americanum*) is a species of non-avian scansoriopterygid theropod dinosaur that originally lived from the Oxfordian stage of the Late Jurassic of China as an extinct species, *Ambopteryx longibrachium*, and the genus itself was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii. The American cockatrice was originally planned to be exhibited in **Cretaceous Park** located in Sacramento, California, but in February 11th, 2047, all 11 American cockatrice subadults were stolen by yet-to-be identified criminals, who released them, possibly due to the criminals being unable to care for them due to having little to no knowledge of caring for formerly extinct species. After this event, the populations of the American cockatrices in the western portions of the United States and Mexico had exploded from just 11 individuals to more than a million in a little more than a century. The American cockatrice has a body length of 32 centimetres (13 inches) and a weight of 306 grams (0.675 lbs). Like other scansoriopterygids, the American cockatrice has a short, blunt head, a hyper-elongate third finger, and a fine coat of feathers. Like several other scansoriopterygids and unlike most dinosaurs, the third finger of the American cockatrice is attached to the wing membrane, or patagium, and its fingers are surrounded by membranous tissue and has limited mobility. The American cockatrice is named for its slight resemblance to the mythical creature of the same name, however, as a real organism, the American cockatrice does not have supernatural powers (such as killing people by either looking at them — "the death-darting eye of Cockatrice" — touching them, nor, sometimes, breathing on them) nor do they hatch by simply having toads incubating them. The American cockatrice is a poor flyer, and usually only glides with the help of its membranous wings. The American cockatrice is an omnivore with the diet primarily consisting of insects, seeds, fruits, leaves, and pollen. The American cockatrice grinds its food in its stomach by swallowing gastrolith (stomach stones) to aid its digestion, similarly to many birds. The American cockatrice is a primarily solitary animal and prefers to live alone except during the breeding seasons, which takes place between early-to-mid spring. The males compete with each other and raise their ribbon-like tail feathers to try to intimidate each other until one backs down and the victor mates with the females. The females either build their nests made of sticks and other vegetation or make nests in tree crevices, depending on the environment, and they lay between 2 and 3 eggs in just 2 to 3 weeks after mating. The eggs hatch in early summer and the young are cared for by their mothers for between 2 to 3 months until the young are juveniles, when they become independent from their parents. The average lifespan of the American cockatrice is between 15 and 18 years, although some specimens have been known to live more than 20 years. The conservation status of the American cockatrice is **Least Concern** due to successful conservation efforts, the American cockatrice's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.