these guys (who i refer to as dinos bc theyre superficially saurian) evolved from a flighted ancestor similar to the harris’s hawk in that they were cooperative hunters
like komodo dragons they would mob prey, but eventually loose cooperation beyond mobbing behavior was selected for as it gave the species more hunting success, especially after the prey had been tired out
which progressed into social bonding bc… the more you like the people you work with, the better you work lmao
the forelimbs were first used as a way to manipulate food or nesting materials (or, for grappling prey) and was later co-opted for tool use
blood becomes purple when exposed to oxygen due to the content of hemocyanin in the blood. blood is oxygenated heavily when cycling to the lungs and is thus turned purple! extra fun tidbit is that their tooth plates are copper infused, like rodent teeth are iron infused.
nocturnal in the summer to avoid the planet’s intense summers (probably roost in caves or someshit idk ill figure that out)
crepuscular in the winter to take advantage of daylight before it gets too hot for them even in winter brah
bisex polymorphic species - 3 morphs separate from the biological sex that can affect behavior and physical appearance, although individual variation is. a thing. more on this later
oviviparious- eggs are soft and leathery and hatch in-utero, then re absorbed by the carrier. adaptation for not having to incubate an egg while hunting long distance.
babies who arent yet old enough to run are cared for by the members of the pack in the center-back of the formation to prevent predation and possible hunting-related injury to the chicks
migratory pack-hunting nomads - follow their prey to the northern hemisphere of the planet where it is colder and less likely to kill them, return south when the prey begin to move to greener pastures
have 1-3 offspring at a time?
posess highly modified foot with a singular forward-facing toe and a backwards facing toe on the inner side, like a bird's hallux. on the outside of a foot a small bone-supported clawless and immobile toe helps support and balance out the body.
dinos employ the use of a unidirectional respiratory system, leading from one end of the body (spiracle 1) to the other (spiracle 2), with air flow moving in one direction. the lungs contain a fibrous gill structure in order to scrub as much oxygen as possible out of the air, which contains less oxygen than here on earth. dinos posess a syrinx like terran birds, but rather than connect to a thoracic air sac the vocal bellows are located inside the throat, around the esophagus. specialized muscles pull on these bellows in order to push air up into the resonating chamber of the throat and out through the hole in their mouth, which rests just above the tongue and closes when swallowing to prevent food inhalation.
dinos are carnivorous, chasing down large game and consuming them- along with their bones, which they slowly break open by either brute force or grinding them down with their teeth. they may occasionally supplement their diets with nuts or tree bark, but this is rare. their dental plates aren't well adapted for chewing- rather, they are much better at shearing and holding on to flesh or struggling prey. the keratinous spikes on their tongue grind against their ridged hard palate, mashing up food and making it easier to swallow. the advent of tool use has made the process of food consumption and prey capture much easier.
dinos possess keen nightvision due to the presence of enlarged pupils as well as a reflective membrane in the eye, like many nocturnal animals on earth. their main set of eyes, set further back on the head and pointed forwards, have exceptional vision when it comes to contrast and motion tracking over long distance- although this comes with the downside of being quite farsighted. their second set of eyes, which face forward only due to the weak muscle attachments holding them in place, lack any sort of focus- but due to the multiple layers of reflective membranes in the eyes- as well as hyperdilated pupils- the brain can see images much clearer at night. this gives dinos the advantageous ability to see in almost total darkness.
dinos have a nictating membrane structure rather than true eyelids due to their flighted ancestors needing to see during flight, but also needing to protect their eyes. over time, these nictating membranes became thicker and took the functional place of eyelids.
dinos have sensitive hearing, able to hear a range of low to high frequency sounds- an adaptation for not only tracking prey, but keeping track of their packmates. their ear is superficially reptilian, but is internally more like that of a mammal. the large feather structures around their ears serve as a funnel in order to direct sounds into the ear and provide amazing directional hearing.
one of the most powerful senses these hunters use, scent is crucial to the success of dinos alongside their keen vision. the spiracles at the front and back of their bodies are lined with sensitive antennae that possess not only sensitive nerve endings, but numerous scent receptors connected to the spiracle opening that allow them to detect the smallest scent trails when the dino breathes in and out. contrary to what many believe, the antennae on their head are not actually connected to their respiratory system and are there to feel their surroundings and sense changes in air pressure, wind direction, and temperature, as well as contact with possible obstacles.
their scent antennae are vital to their communication and without them, they lose a crucial part of their language.
while not as well developed as their other senses, they still have well adapted senses of touch, especially in their face. the pads of their feet are thickened and lack the nerve density to make them as sensitive as a person's hand, but they are able to detect temperature and texture in order to not step on dangerous materials- be they hot or spiky. their hands are the most sensitive and tactile, with flexible fingers allowing them to maneuver food or tools= though their tool use is limited by the size of their hands.
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