Kuru kulla

## Kuru kullaKnowledge Woman

* Adult
* Juvenile

***“ A female Kuru kulla, a relative of Velociraptors. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
***Kuru kulla*** (named after "Kurukullā", a female Tibetan Buddhist deity whose name means "Knowledge Woman") is a genus of velociraptorine dromaeosaurid that lived in the Barun Goyot Formation, Mongolia, 72 - 71 million years ago, during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period.

## Description

***“ She is extremely hungry, but wary of the Corythoraptors' powerful beaks and claws. But she has one key advantage. Her night vision is better than that of the owners of the nests. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
*Kuru kulla* is currently only known from a fragmentary skeleton and a partial skull. Even so, with these few remains, it was concluded to be a velociraptorine that possessed a skull more robust than those of related dromaeosaurs, as well as proportionally-longer limbs and reduced sickle toe claws.

For its depiction on Prehistoric Planet, *Kuru kulla* appears to use the same model as *Velociraptor* with only a few differences like a slightly smaller size, a slightly shorter and smaller face, and a lack of the stripe that runs from the eyebrows to the midline of female *Velociraptors*. The juveniles appear to share the same model as the *Pyroraptors* in Oceans, with the same black and yellow coat of feathers. These similarities are mostly masked by the setting of the scene, with the darkness of the night obscuring most of their features.

## Habitat

*Kuru kulla* lived 72 - 71 million years ago in the Barun Goyot Formation, an area that would one day become the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. The formation shows evidence of a world of sparse vegetation, sand dunes, and rocks heavily eroded by strong winds. Even so, small, intermittent lakes and seasonal streams can still form in this desolate region.

## Behavior

***“ If she's quiet, she can sneak into the colony undetected. She picks her target carefully. This is her chance, but not to attack. This predator is also a thief. She will eat as many eggs as fast as she can. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
As a predator, *Kuru kulla* exhibited stealth and cunning, staying low and using a combination of the darkness of the night, her better eyesight compared to the *Corythoraptors*, and how the oviraptorids are not fully attentive when it comes to guarding their nests, to pick out an unguarded nest and feed on as many eggs as she can. Once caught, she also ran off with one last egg to ensure food for her hatchlings.

***“ She now has a chance to enjoy her stolen egg in peace. But this thief shares her spoils. With these purring sounds, she calls her young. Her chicks are not long out of the nest themselves. They need to learn that this strange, new object is food, and discover how to break into it. Maybe their beak. Or perhaps, a claw. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
The juveniles, while not as experienced, exhibit a similar degree of intelligence when it comes to solving problems. Once it was made clear to them that the egg they were presented with is food, they attempt different ways to break it open, with their snouts and claws, and even exhibit playful behavior by pushing the egg around on the ground in hopes of breaking it until it fell off a low ledge. While this success was more due to luck than skill, they will surely learn from what they experienced that night, and will use what they took away from that experience to become good egg thieves like their mother when they grow up.

## Appearance

### Badlands

In the third segment of the episode, a colony of male *Corythoraptors* brood over the nests of the females, shading their eggs from the hot desert sun at the cost of their own health. During the cooler night, some leave the nests to hunt for food, while the rest stay to guard over the colony's nests. A *Kuru kulla*, taking advantage of her better night vision, stealthily targets a nest that seems less guarded than the others, and feasts on at least four eggs before being spotted, the sentry alerting the other *Corythoraptors* present with bird-like calls.

***“ Time's up. She's been discovered. One last egg to take away. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
The dromaeosaur picks up one last egg from the nest and rushes away as the *Corythoraptors* pursue her, failing to catch the intruder. The *Kuru kulla* arrives to a far-off area with her stolen egg, and calls out to her two chicks, giving them the egg and letting them know that it is something to eat.

***“ Success, perhaps more than luck by skill. But still, a vital lesson for this next generation of egg thieves. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Badlands*
The two hatchlings, not long out of the nest themselves, try poking and pushing the egg with their snouts and claws. Together, they roll it along the ground and, in the end, push it off a low ledge, shattering it on the rocks and allowing them to feast on the contents as their mother observes them learn their first lesson in egg consumption.

## References

1. ↑ A New Dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Coelurosauria) from Khulsan, Central Mongolia