Uktan

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

## Description

The Uktan is a macro-predatory megaraptoran Characterized by their large size and extravagant mane and tail feathers in males. With the average individual reaching sizes of 10-12 meters and 5-7 tons, these dinosaurs are one of the largest known predatory animals in Ni'Khar and Kairul.

Uktan, like other robust monarchs are powerful animals, not only having a fatal bite but also large claws and powerful arms, of which have been documented to carry stallions in both arms while maintaining a reasonable pace, because of their powerful jaws and arms, they have maintained a stable niche as top predator in most every environment they reside in. Unlike other megaraptorans, Uktan exhibit prolonged parental care, a factor which has played into the extreme biodiversity of the Houze Prairie, letting open the micro and mesopredatory niches for other animals.

Uktan exhibit a noticeable genetic variation, primarily in the vibrancy of their skin, facial crests, and feathers.

Like Earth megaraptorans, Uktan 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, Uktan have 2 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.

Uktan exhibit sparse but broad feathers across their body in adulthood, and despite appearances, these feathers are for cooling purposes, being quite light and shaken to exude heat off the skin and feathers.

An Uktan confronts a Ghlanos stallion- Keenan TaylorAn Uktan holds down a Bokodu boar- Keenan TaylorTwo subadult uktan bring down a giant buffalo bull. Many uktan follow herds of these imposing bovids, hunting with unrelated animals as a courtship ritual. These hunts are dangerous, but when successful, good indicators that the pair have a strong future.- Keenan TaylorAn Uktan rests under a Houze maple on a clear sunny day- Keenan TaylorUktan Stretching- Keenan TaylorOld Uktan Profile
## Habitat

Houze Prairie of Ni'Khar and Western Kairul. Equatorial populations are low, as their caloric intakes are not satisfied in such a low energy environment, but they do occassionally pass through the equatorial Ni'Khari desert.

## Phylogeny

The Uktan is a megaraptoran dinosaur in the 'robust monarch' clade , Apeirovenatoridae\*, with closest relations to the Chaku Ku Bawe of Kairul which it shares the genus Thanatobates with.

## Ontogeny

Like many animals, the Uktan goes through distinct ontogenetic (growth) stages. When they are very young, they are completely dependent on their parents and older siblings. By the time they reach around four years of age, they are able to run and hunt small game, although they still depend on their elders for protection and most sustenance. Around the age of nine they are fast and begin to join their parents on hunts, corralling prey to their parents. They continue to live with their parents, protecting their younger siblings and helping with the hunt until one day, sometimes as early as twelve but often not until they reach adulthood around sixteen or seventeen, they will journey far from their parents' territory, sometimes with the temporary company of a sibling or two, until they find a mate and start a family of their own.

Unlike adults, juveniles exhibit thick coats of feathers for keeping cool in the cold prairie nights, they also have blue eyes until adulthood, a trait which as of now is a mystery to kaimeran naturalists

Uktan Cranial OntogenyOld art displaying basic levels of Uktan Ontogeny
## Sexual Dimorphism and Social Dynamics

Uktan show a high degree of sexual dimorphism once adulthood occurs. Adult males of the species have a large keratinous boss which runs down the snout which branches into three large yellow hornlets on each brow, a yellow keratinous jut coming out of the jugal area, a yellow hue to the skin, a large reddish brown mane and tail plumage, and slightly thicker body plumage. Adult females most often have a grey hue to their skin, lack a boss, minimal hornlets and jugal jut, and a thinner and more desaturated plumage males.

  Uktan are extremely socially complex. Adults are usually monogamous and mate for life. They establish and defend a territory, having 3-8 eggs each year depending on nutrient availability. While they provide processed food during the young's first year, after that, young can either scavenge or hunt for themselves. They are, however, protected and encouraged to remain for as much as a decade after hatching.

There are two primary methods in which an Uktan bull courts a female, the first being 'hunting trips', where two unrelated individuals will cooperate to take down a prey item, and depending on the success of the hunt, a female will be more inclined to choose the male. The other is display, where in which the male will open his arms and lift his chin, exposing his throat pouch, then engaging in a form of dance.

Despite strong familial bonds, Uktan are highly territorial, and even cannibalistic, and will readily attack, kill, and eat other individuals within said territory.

Uktan, though not quite Sophont, are highly intelligent animals, and have been recorded to exhibit intergenerational learning behavior, such as specialized hunting methods and construction of nests. Like elephants, Uktan have a wide vocal range of infrasonic calls which they use to communicate long distance, also like elephants, Uktan seem to assign names to each other, using specific calls to address specific individuals.

## Human Relations

The Uktan, much like many other macropredators on Kaimere, are not dedicated or even common man eaters as would something like a panther or dromeosaur might be, but may the opportunity arise, an Uktan of even adolescent age can take down even an armored warrior with ease, it is because of this evident size and danger the Uktan can bring that the Dolani people of the Houze Prairie have referred to this beast as the Uktan, a name roughly translated to 'King of The Prairie'.

Uktan, also like many of the spectacular animals of Kaimere, are sometimes tracked down and captured for the menageries of the ruling class, one case of which had gone fatally wrong, with an adolescent Uktan given the name 'Ukjali' escaping it's enclosure , killing multiple people in the process, and now occasionally spotted still stalking the isles of serpent cove.

## Book appearances

* Koban's menagerie
* Songbird's lament

## Redesigns

The Uktan has had a total of one redesign\*

Original Design for the Uktan- Keenan Taylor