Paper Hawk

**Common name:** Paper Hawks

**Scientific name:** *Ardokinesia velocitas*

**Etymology:** Fire + Movement Speed

**Size:** 85cm-1m wingspan

50-65cm length (70-85cm in the case of Hive mothers)

**Weight:** 800g-1.1kg

**Analogue description:** Insectoid vertebrate

**Metabolism:** Ectotherm ('cold' blooded)

**Status:** extant, stable population

**Range:** Populations throughout the southern hemisphere

**Habitat:** Temperate to tropical climates. Able to live in most biomes outside of frigid cold.

## Appearance

*Ardokinesia velocitas* is a medium avian organism with four distinct wings and four limbs, giving it a tetrapedal stance. The body of *A. velocitas* consists of traits found in birds and insects of Earth, consisting of a similar body shape to birds of prey, while exhibiting features of insectoids such as segmentation of the limbs and a spiracle respiratory system.

The exterior bony plates found in Ambulospeculids have developed into a form of protective exoskeleton as a method to cope with the forces placed on the body when diving at high speeds and the shock caused to the body upon impact with prey items, with these plates acting as a buffer for the internal organs.

The wings of *A. velocitas* are membranous with a thin layer of bony external plates. This makes them relatively stiff and strong, yet light and able to move freely during flight. These wings are flapped rapidly to allow for the ability to hover in place. The rear wings however remain stationary and act as stabilisers to increase aerial agility and maneuverability.

The rear most pair of legs are long, thin and layered in a hardened exoskeleton due to the force placed upon them when used to strike during hunting.

## Evolution

*A. velocitas* is a late species of Ambulospeculid, descending from the family Arthrokinesia and is the only surviving species within the genus *Ardokinesia*.

## Physiology and Biology

Despite its Ambulospeculid origins the species processes many features unique from other members of this clade, such as a reduced number of proboscises from three to one specialised elongated feeding tube used to extract bodily fluids from prey, as well as the ability to store pressurised chemicals within chambers in their body which are used during hunting and this storage produces heat and aids in regulating metabolic processes.

The digestive system of *A. velocitas* is a simple monogastric digestive tract containing a pharynx, oesophagus, a primitive stomach known as a ventriculus, and a system of nutrient dispersal tubes known as Malpighian tubules. The digestive tract ends in a rectum and anus within the cloaca.

*A. velocitas* is an almost entirely asexual species, reproducing through parthenogenesis primarily. Sexual reproduction seems to be reserved to merely allow for the transfer of genes between members to maintain a diverse gene pool, although it has been theorised that eggs fertilised by male drones may have a higher chance to form potential hive mothers, however this theory requires further research. During outbreaks of disease sexual reproduction is favoured and It's believed that the species does this instinctively to prevent further loss from pathogen outbreaks, possibly by forming more potential hive mothers although as stated this requires further research.

The wings of *A. velocitas* are believed to have evolved from the forelimbs of its ancestors as they adapted to an arboreal lifestyle, slowly developing powered flight originally from gliding or jumping. Fossil records show the species developed flight prior to becoming eusocial and it is theorised this transition to powered flight may have influenced this shift directly.

*A. velocitas* has developed a number of ways to allow for efficient mobility during flight. The third pair of limbs are able to fold almost seamlessly against the underside of the body to reduce drag and the overall mass of the animal is lowered by a system of small air pockets throughout the body.

Due to the intense air pressure high speed travel places on the respiratory system, the spiracles of *A. velocitas* have developed a series of internal fins. These fins break up the air flow and slow it as it passes by which greatly reduces the strain on the respiratory system. During dives a system of rigid muscles lock the larger front wings in place while the smaller rear wings steer the organism during its descent which places less strain on the larger front wings.

The endoskeleton of *A. velocitas* contain hollow, honeycomb structures which lowers the weight of individual bones without sacrificing strength.

### Flight and Chemical Defence Mechanism

The rear most pair of spiracles have fused into one large opening at the rear of the organism. This opening is able to expand and shut using a system of rigid muscles, which have developed cells with strengthened membranes capable of enduring higher temperatures than most organic tissue. Two internal 'fuel' chambers connect to this rear vent. Each fuel chamber contains hydrogen peroxide while special glands produce hydroquinone, both chemicals are naturally occurring in the animal's exoskeleton.

The reaction between these chemicals is rapid and exothermic, and contact with a catalyst generates intense amounts of heat and pressure within the spiracle chamber. This pressure is regulated by special sphincter muscles between the fuel and spiracle chambers. The rear spiracle vent opens slightly, a diameter of around 10-15cm which releases the pressure through a small space creating thrust. All of this occurs in less than a second, and generates a plume of vapour up to 100 degrees Celsius behind *A. velocitas*. This is used both in hunting smaller flying species, and avoiding potential predators. This reaction can also be used as a hive defence as multiple individuals use their vents to scorch would be attackers that stray too close to their nest.

This rear exhaust system also aids to shed waste gases from the body such as carbon dioxide and methane. These waste gases, while not directly impacting the chemical reaction itself, aid in increasing the pressure of the chamber and subsequently improving the efficiency of the system.

It's believed this method of powered flight originally evolved as a purely defence mechanism, with individuals who used it during aerial predation finding a slight boost in speed which aided their evasion. Eventually this would have been favoured until its use became common during flight, and then refined into a more efficient system. The effect of these vapour plumes can scorch attackers at a range of up to 2m directly behind the organism.

### Social behaviour and breeding

*A. velocitas* is a highly social species and a prolific breeder being able to lay 30-45 eggs daily, creating hives which average between 100-500 individuals. Despite being capable of reproduction without the need for mating only around 1 in every 100 female analogues are able to reproduce at all, and these are known as 'hive mothers', with non-fertile females becoming workers. Around 1 in 300 are born as male equivalent drones with the purpose of mating with outside colonies. The cloaca of *A. velocitas* forms a primitive ovipositor which allows hive mothers a degree of dexterity when positioning eggs within their hives.

When a hive mother reaches maturity they take a few members from their birth hive and move on to create a new colony, although some colonies can contain up to three breeding hive mothers. Hives are created by burrowing into exposed cliff faces or steep hills, and can be up to 50m in diameter with an outer wall created by mixing excavated soil and a wax-like oral secretion, creating a substance with a similar texture to sandpaper. These hives are great spheres which litter the landscape within the territory of the colony, and each colony can have consist of multiple hives.

While social in a colonial sense, members of different hives will battle to the death over territory, and are known to attack other organisms nesting nearby such as Whistlers.

Sexual reproduction, while rare, still occurs. On these rare occasions hive mothers release pheromones which lowers the aggression of their hive and attract any nearby drones who have left their colony in search of mates.

Once mating has taken place, the visiting male drone are attacked as their presence afterwards is deemed a threat by the rest of the colony. Hive mothers do not leave their hives in search of mates, and as such the rarity of sexual reproduction becomes more apparent.

### Hunting

*A. velocitas* specialises in hunting smaller flying species by using its superior speed to dive bomb into its targets.

They do this by flying high above the ground and using their keen sense of vision to spot any potential victims. They can beat their wings to almost hover in place to survey the area, and once a target has been spotted they begin their dive using both gravity and their rear vents to accelerate up to 400km/h. They use their powerful hind limbs to slam the target, which at such high speed is almost always a fatal blow. These strikes are able to shatter external plates and can result in internal bleeding and organ failure. They are also capable of skimming water to snare aquatic species close to the surface.

Although more uncommon, if their usual prey items become scarce great swarms of Paper Hawks will flock together in search of larger prey and as a group use a form of cooperative hunting: pummelling larger prey as multiple individuals slam their claws into the target.

Despite this apparent ferocity, Paper Hawks often end up as prey to larger predators themselves.

### Dimorphism

*A. velocitas* shows dimorphism as both sexual dimorphism and social castes. Hive mothers are slightly larger than the workers, around 1/3 or 33%, and have slightly wider bodies. Workers vary slightly in size, between 50-65cm, and are slightly thinner than hive mothers. Male drones are roughly half the size of female workers and lack any coloured markings, instead being a uniform black.

### Lifecycle

The lifecycle of the species is rather simple: eggs are laid within the hive and are attached to a large central column within the structure. Eggs incubate for approximately 10-15 days before hatching as nymphs. These nymphs look almost identical to their adult form, however their ability to harness combustion based flight takes around three months to develop to an adequate level, and a further month to develop fully. The members of the hive feed the young a jelly like substance formed of a special fluid produced by glands in the proboscis and a mix of regurgitated material from the digestive system, usually the flesh of previous catches. Paper hawks are fully mature after five months and will begin hunting almost immediately. Hive mothers sexually mature at six months.

The lifespan of a Paper Hawk is on average three Wallace II years, while the lifespan of a hive mother varies from four to six.

## Design inspiration (Creator: Jaxdahax)

Paper Hawks are a fusion of behavioural and physical traits from various insects, primarily ants, wasps, and hawk moths, while also having features akin to falcons, bombardier beetles and stealth bomber aircraft.

The body shape and flight mechanism mimic modern jets, while using the defence mechanism of bombardier beetles as a basis for how thrust is achieved without the need for flapping, however this is only used in short bursts as consistent just propulsion is a stretch, and the ability to hover via rapid wing beating is still retained. The diet and feeding behaviours are also taken from peregrine falcons, as this is the model used for the diving attack which is close to the true speed of peregrine falcons.

The nesting behaviour is structured on bees, while the nests are a mix of paper wasp and termite traits.