Zentaur

Disclaimer: The Zentaur is a fictional animal from Keenan Taylor's Tales of Kaimere.

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Earth Ancestor: Megaraptora sp.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Dinosauria

Order: Megaraptora

Family: Apeirovenatoridae\*

Genus: Sicaricestus

Species: S. carnifex

## Description

The zentaur is the apex predator in the forests of Arvel and Ni'Khar. They are low-slung, heavyweight assassins that specialize in large game. When taking prey, they capture and restrain in powerful jaws, then claws up to a meter long are thrust into the windpipe or between ribs. Compared to uktan, which are hollow-boned open-prairie pursuit predators, the average zentaur weighs 2 tons more despite comparable length. While the uktan usually takes ungulate prey between 500 pounds and 2 tons, the zentaur routinely targets prey in its own size range, like hukolgur sloths, giant thescelosaurs, drenduga, and subadult titans, though they will hunt smaller game when the need arises.

Like Earth megaraptorans, Zentaur use their massive arms to grapple their prey, however, Uktan have adaptations that make this hunting method even more efficient. Like other 'robust monarch' megaraptorans, Zentaur have two sabre teeth, which they use alongside their claws to grab and keep hold of struggling prey. Alongside grappling jaws, these dinosaurs were able to take this method a step further, their third, highly reduced digit is actually quite muscular, and more importantly, precise, this allows uktan to extract the claws from their prey and re-pierce their vitals with surprising speed, power, precision, and finesse, causing the creature to eventually succumb to blood loss.

Zentaur stalking- Keenan TaylorA Zentaur grappling a hukolgur in a successful hunt- Keenan TaylorA Zentaur is deterred by a Hukolgur, as these animals are ambush predators, not brawlers- Keenan Taylor
## Habitat

Forests of Arvel and Ni'Khar. They fare much better in more closed habitats, mainly the Titan Gardens, which are able to mask their shape, sound, and scent.

## Phylogeny

The Zentaur is a megaraptoran dinosaur in the robust monarch clade, Apeirovenatoridae\*, with closest relations to the Oritaku of Pakardia.

## Ontogeny

Unlike Uktan, which form tight familial bonds, and females will drive away their young once they reach around the size of a large dog at around 6-8months old. While in this juvenile stage, they focus on small game and observing their future prey and learning their habits. Juveniles are all leg and their skulls are wedge-shaped, giving them a wide field of vision during this vulnerable stage in their lives. Once Zentaur reach their subadult stage, they begin to develop their wide faces and binocular vision, like other large theropod predators, subadult Zentaur are some of the top mesopredators in their ecosystem, and though their ungainly legs may seem ill-suited for a forest environment, due to thick vegetation, this traits serves them more in endurance than speed, and also keeps them above the thicket. The subadult bodyplan of Zentaur are sometimes so efficient that, when times are tough, between 2-5% of adults never grow out of it. This 'gracile morph' is so successful that many populations have a higher percentage of it.

Zentaur Juvenile- Keenan TaylorSubadult/ gracile Zentaur- Keenan TaylorAdult Zentaur- Keenan Taylor
## Human Relations

Kaimerans, particularly the Children of the Wilds view titanosaurs and megaraptorans as terrifying monsters, although zentaur in particular are sometimes revered as great protector spirits, as they keep smaller predators in check or at least cautious.