Caelipiscator

Caelipiscator nobilis (noble fisher of the sky) is a genus represented by a single species of giraffapiscatorid, *gomphiobian*, dispeculate which inhabits the long mountain chains of the Media Insula continent. Its closest relative is the Arborecursor genus and, like this, it feeds mainly on small ambulospeculids, however Caelipiscator has developed a series of surprising adaptations for mountain life including active flight.

## Description

Caelipiscator nobilis can reach wingspans of almost one meter and a similar length considering the tail. The main features of the genus are:

-An elongated body equipped with three pairs of very specialized limbs for aerial locomotion.

-Each limb has the same number of fingers as in other members of Giraffapiscatoridae but one of that fingers is extremely elongated and curved backwards, and supports a membrane that extends to the next limb and allows the animal's active flight. The fourth pair of limbs is lost like in the genus Arborecursor.

-The tail is long and at the end it is horizontally flattened, which gives the animal greater stability during the flight.

-As in the other members of Giraffapiscatoridae the head is composed of bone plates that in this case form a kind of funnel-shaped opening that acts as the entrance for food.

-The two typical tentacles of the family are very short in this genus and end in a kind of bone semicircles that fit together and serve to close the animal's mouth.

-As in Arborecursor there is no trace of the original lower mouth or “third proboscis”.

-The males have a dorsal cartilage candle from the head to the first pair of limbs.

-Two breathing orifices in the typical position of the giraffapiscatorids.

## Lifestyle

These animals live on the cliffs and vertical walls of the mountainous areas of Media Insula building their nests in openings and gaps between the rocks and occasionally leaving to hunt small flying or terrestrial ambulospeculids. Normally they take advantage of their great agility to hunt other flying organisms, catching them directly in their mouths and closing these quickly with the bony semicircles of their tentacles. Other times they have been seen on the backs of large herbivores in the area, such as the Mountain Sprinter, looking for possible parasites that these animals have on their skin.

Like the Arborecursor genus, these animals pair for life and mate once a year. The female spends the entire incubation period of the eggs without leaving the nest while the male brings her food. When the young are born these are not abandoned but fed by the father and mother until they are old enough to fly and leave the nest.

The main predator they have to face in the mountains is the genus Sauromimus, specifically the species S. oros. This agile predator is a great threat to Caelipiscators especially when they land to drink water. In that brief period of time, Sauromimus oros is able to sneak up on the unsuspecting animal and then sprint to capture the surprised animal in a final jump.

In mountainous areas further south Caelipiscator is not safe even in the air because these areas predators such as the Paper Hawk patrol in search for prey. These animals are very specialized in hunting smaller flying species, using their high speed to ram their prey so that can plummet and kill the animal in flight, before it even knows that it is being hunted.