Venandidominid

Venandidominids are the basal most clade of Notonychia. Splitting off from their relatives early on, the Venanidominids made a name for themselves as primer apex predators of Terra Septentrionis. They are all characterized by having six eyes, bony fused skull plates, a jaw that is similar in structure, reduced forelimbs, a furry integument, live birth, and a fused proboscis.

## **Genus: *Venandidominus***

* *Venandidominus leonix*

Clearly the most iconic species of venandidominid, Leonix otherwise known by its more colloquial name the Boopsnoot is one of the largest predators of Terra Septentrionis, though it’s still dwarfed by the mighty Sahleenodon its still the largest predator of the Tundra. They can reach a massive length of 13 meters and have an appetite to match. Their primary prey are Woolly Snuffs, Snowshoe Fuzzbuckets, and Diadematus among many others. They dispatch their prey by ramming into them with their Spiky protrusions and ripping open apart with their powerful jaws that can be angled at a 180 degree angle.

## **Genus: Felisdominus**

* Felisdominus lynxus aka the Bobbyboop

Bobbyboops are much smaller relatives of the northern giants that are Leonix. They fulfill an almost lynx like or cougar like role on the environments of the Dominiang Biosphere. They prefer to live on the northern and drier side of the mountains, this is likely a measure to avoid competition with another large terrestrial predator of these areas, the Griffinwolves, a relative of the Bobbyboops that’s much more dog like in behavior.

These animals are largely solitary, rarely interacting with other members of their species, except when mating and with child rearing. When its mating season, during the late summer times and at the beginning of fall, they start to call out for one another, making clapping sounds by rapidly opening and closing their jaws and making their teeth hit each other rapidly. They also have been seen making loud but very very low growls to try and find their mates. Once they have found each other, the female Bobbyboop starts to see if the male is a suitable partner. Bobbyboops are slightly sexually dimorphic, with males being stockier, having longer ear crests, a central head crest, more redder colorations and bigger tusks. All this features help tell the female Bobbyboop that the male might be a suitable and healthy partner. Once they mate, they tend to make their nests higher up in the mountains in small crevices or caves. There the female bobbyboop will generally spend much of her time resting with her pregnancy developing during the winter, with her mate helping her finding food to keep both alive. When spring arrives, that’s when the mother gives birth, welcoming the cubs right into the season with the largest amount of resources on the mountains.

Bobbyboops tend to prefer smaller prey organisms then itself, their top prey tend to be alpine jumpers, alpine fuzzbuckets, young meloncrackers, young Ibisvans and even the occasional river Os. They are ambush predators, hiding until the last minute where they jump at their prey and subdue it with their front limbs. While their larger relative, the Boopsnoot, would impale its prey with its tusk like teeth, the bobbyboop employs a very different strategy. It lands on its prey and begins subdoing it slowly until it doesn’t move anymore, then they grab them with their long tweezer like jaws and start biting and impaling the neck of their prey and other vulnerable areas. These leads to a quick death to their prey as they begin bleeding to death. Many Bobbyboops even employ their sabre like tusks while trying to impale their prey.

## **Genus: Beccilupus**

* Beccilupus montis

Beccilupus Montis aka the Alpine Griffinwolves are one of the largest predators of the Dominiang mountains, though are dwarfed by their non-alpine brethren. They are a bit longer and taller than their close relatives the Bobbyboops, but generally aren’t as heavily built, this is primarily down to their differences in niche and hunting styles. bobbyboops only live on the Dominang mountains and are generally solo hunters, meanwhile Griffinwolves are pack hunters but usually have very small prides consisting of about 5 members(though non alpine species have larger packs). Griffinwolves also hunt far more on the wetter side of the mountains as opposed to the bobbyboops which hunt on the drier part. Despite what their names might suggest, the family structure of Griffinwolves are actually more like elephants than wolves. Griffinwolf prides are led by a dominant female called a matriarch and her pups and adult daughters. Male Griffinwolves are called Gunslingers and usually don’t stick with a pride, often splitting off after the breeding season(Mid Summer). Outside of the breeding season, gunslingers often form duos that hunt prey just as the Matriarchies do. These duo often form lifelong bonds with each, being analogous to the relationship between Achillies and Patroclus from Greek legend. Griffinwolves have a gestation period of up to 300 days. As a result of the mountains having less food, the Griffinwolves usually only have a litter size of about 2-3 cubs as they generally can’t afford having anymore.

While Griffinwolves have small individual packs, they’ll usually work with other packs when tackling large game or especially dangerous prey such as meloncrackers. Speaking of prey, Griffinwolves have an extremely varied diet in terms of food. They hunt Meloncrackers, Snakestorks, Silver and Tawny Os, and Alpine Fuzzbuckets just to name a few. When killing their prey they usually pin the prey down before consuming it alive, but have also been observed breaking the prey’s neck before consuming it. As mentioned before they’re pack hunters and have exceptionally pack hunting skills that are comparable to that of wolves and harris hawks. The cubs always eat first followed by the matriarch and then the adult females, though there are cases where the matriarch is overpowered thus allowing the other females to get a bite in before the matriarch.

## **Genus: Ursus**

* Ursus leonix

SnootBoops are known to be one of the more territorial apex relatives of the Leonix and Lynxus. These dispeculates are well equipped to resist the harsh climate of Terra Septentrionis. With a thick layer of fur, this beast can servive up to – 38.4 Celsius. these dispeculates are great hunters but are even greater scavengers. They are more likely to find an already taken down pray or dispeculate that is hiding under the snow or between rocks, Then actually taking down a big dispeculate like a fully grown snuffler. This is because they have a great sense of smell this is especially helpful when they must locate food sources. Even witch all this they have been known to take out dispeculate bigger than itself.

When a SnootBoop hunts they use stealth tactics to stalk their prey down, when their prey is in the perfect position, they will use their bulk and strength to take out the opponent. They have even been seen hunting in small packs of 2 or 3 but if this happens, they mostly just fight of the food afterwards.

Their diet exists mostly from meat but switch around to plant matter season to season or when to food source is scares.

SnootBoops are highly territorial against other dispeculates or even to their own. A SnootBoop will fight another SnootBoop to the death for their territory.

Around mating season male SnootBoop will show of the vibrant orange tail plate to the females to hopefully attract a mate. These show-offs are done in lager gatherings, mostly around a lake when food is in abundance. This is the only time of the year that you can see SnootBoops come to getter in a group larger than 3.

After mating season, the female stands again alone to the harsh cold again waiting 5 earth months to get around 2 to 3 cups at a time.

## **Genus: Oops**

* Oops boops

O. boops are so named after a series of misunderstandings and animal remains that led to their discovery and identification. O. boops is a browsing animal, and is quite comparable to Earth boars in form and behavior. As O. boops are opportunistic browsers, they will eat anything. Fossil evidence suggests its ancestors were much smaller, and existed cotemporaneously with a small browsing animal that's extant on a wider range of the islands. After the separation of the islands, the endemic population of O. boops was isolated and underwent island gigantism.

Groups of O. boops are usually led by a single male. Multiple groups can gather together to form a single aggregation during the spring, with multiple leading males; though they tend to fight for mating rights. Members of O. boops are protogynous hermaphrodites, only changing into a male after the previous male has either died or been driven off. Males are larger than the females, with more pronounced humps, and the quills on the front limbs are longer and more vibrant. The males use their front limbs in combination with trumpeting vocalizations to communicate.

Females are duller in coloration; typically brown and white with more cryptic patterns. Shortly after birth, females will cradle their offspring in their rear limbs for the few weeks of its life, unless the mother is resting; during which, the young animal will explore its surroundings like a young kangaroo. Babies also engage in anal trophallaxis to build up their gut bacteria, and boost their immune systems.