Ophaur

An ophaur, drawn by me.

### Habitat

Forests, grasslands, and any place that doesn't have constant snowfall. where deforestation is severe, they live in cities.

The **Ophaur** (*Neobauria toxicodon*) is a species created by Olliethebabyshark. The Ophaur inhabits a world where one lineage of therocephalians survived to the present.

## Appearance and Anatomy

The ophaur is a medium-sized carnivorous animal, weighing from 60-80 pounds, and being up to 5-6 feet long, but can be larger depending on competition and predators. The body is stocky and long, similar to that of mustelids and euplerids (malagasy carnivorans) their legs are semi plantigrade, with the heel being raised, but not fully raised up as it is in many mammalian carnivores. The head is flat and vaguely reptile-like in appearance, with the front of the snout having a wide,wet patch of skin similar to a rhinarium. The body is mostly a brownish orange color, with rosettes and 2 large stripes near or at the shoulder area of the animal. Ophaurs are also the only known non-mammalian synapsid to have retractile claws, an adaptation that aids them in climbing trees and prey capture. Ophaurs are also venomous, converging on the long extinct therocephalian Euchambersia, which ophaurs were once thought to be related to.

Though the ophaur has a distinctly mammalian appearance, they are rather different anatomically. Though having pinnae suggests they have a modern mammalian ear, their middle ear consists of one bone, the articular, meaning the way they hear is notably different from living mammals, but still rather similar. The ophaur skull is also different from mammals, closely resembling the skulls of other therocephalians. One thing that makes their relation to mammals clearer is their dentition. Something unseen in therocephalians, ophaurs have carnassial-like teeth made up of 4 fused together teeth. Unlike all the other teeth in the ophaurs mouth apart from their grooved canines, these carnassial teeth are unable to be replaced after they lose their milk teeth. The molars are extremely simple when compared to mammals, just being a flat, crushing surface without any complex formations as seen in modern mammals. The grooves on their canines are deep, yet narrow, allowing them to inject venom with precision. These teeth are also incredibly sturdy, able to withstand the force of stabbing them into muscle. Ophaurs have a total of Their tail is rather long, thick, and covered in bushy fur, and is used as a counterbalance when climbing. Their retractile claws are noticeably thicker than the claws of felids, with an increased ability to pierce and cut deeply into flesh. Similar to all non-mammalian synapsids, ophaurs have a cloaca where they urinate, defecate, and reproduce out of.

## Ecology

### Behavior and Intelligence

The ophaur is a mainly solitary species, but couples can share bonds with one another even after mating. they are sometimes characterized as aggressive, ferocious creatures due to their tendency to become extremely protective when they are about to lay eggs or when any animal approaches their den with eggs. This characterization is very misleading, as outside of when female ophaurs have eggs, they are fairly shy creatures and don't like confrontation with humans. As male ophaurs don't have to deal with eggs to protect, they are seen as more docile. Another contributing factor to their aggressive reputation is their venom, which, even though they don’t use enough venom to kill a human when not hunting (unless allergic), has made some people wary of them. Due to the relative tameness of ophaurs, they have become increasingly popular in the pet trade, and the negative associations with them are slowly fading. ophaurs are around the intelligence of a house cat, with some people insisting that it exceeds that of a house cat. they also have similar mannerisms to house cats, as tamed ophaurs use litterboxes and chase random objects.

### Diet

The ophaur is an obligate carnivore, preying on all sorts of mammals and reptiles. For hunting large prey, the ophaur  may ambush them from a tree or using their powerful legs to leap onto their back. Using these strategies, ophaurs have been known to kill animals as large as wolves. In areas where they overlap with feral cats, the cats may also be seen as a food source. Ophaurs may also eat plants from time to time for medicinal purposes. Ophaur venom has both hemotoxic and myotoxic properties. When prey is bitten, muscles struggle to get oxygen due to the venom targetting both myoglobin and hemoglobin, blood clots and has a reduced capability to carry oxygen, and the prey becomes fatigued enough that the ophaur can easily take them down. if the prey is bitten directly in the neck, death is guaranteed without medical intervention due to the clotting blocking bloodflow to the brain.

### Reproduction

Ophaurs prefer to reproduce in warmer seasons, such as spring, summer, and early fall. Females in heat produce a scent from their cloacal glands that attract males to the area. The female chooses the best male to reproduce with, and usually lets the male stay in the territory for a while, before driving them off. A few weeks later, the female lays a clutch of up to 15 round, leathery eggs. The eggs hatch about a month after being laid, and infants resemble the adults, but smaller and completely toothless. These infants, called kits or puggles, are able to see, hear but are unable to walk immediately after hatching. Inherited from their bauroid ancestor, the ophaur secretes a milk-like substance out of pores similar to the ones seen in monotremes. This milk is rich in calcium and protein, so infants quickly grow in their teeth and become independent after 3 weeks. When baby ophaurs are growing in their teeth, their carnassial teeth are unfused. There is a correlation between the amount of time it takes for these teeth to grow in and fuse and how quickly they gain independence. Female ophaurs with eggs are commonly seen chewing on bones for the calcium. the depth of the burrows where eggs are laid depends on how cold the environment is.

## Trivia

* The ophaur is the last surviving non-mammalian synapsid, and is apart of a lineage that were the only therocephalians to survive the triassic
* in order for proto-ophaurs to not get outcompeted by non-mammalian cynodonts, they progressively became more mammal-like.
* the ophaur is a direct decendant of *Bauria cynops*.
* a group of ophaurs is called an envenoming.
* both adult and baby ophaurs are lactose intolerant, as ophaur "milk" contains no lactose