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Geb - Raptilingua

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Description

Name: Raptilingua
Name meaning: Fast Tongue

Phylum: Pteropod

These medium-sized pack hunters inhabit an area of the Great Savannah just north of the equator and close to the western mountain chains. That region has many hills, some formed by an ancient glacier from the ice age. Despite being a mere 3 meters long (small compared to other predators on Geb), it enables these flightless Pteropods to conceal themselves among the hills and the tall grass as they hunt herds of Dazzlers or young Gravivultus.

Their arms are wing-shaped to help them catch the wind which helps them gain momentum and save energy when running. The downfall is that in doing so, their scent would be picked up by the very animals they're trying to ambush. To counter this, they roll themselves in dirt to cover up their scent and they drink lots of water to reduce the stench of their urine. Additionally, they remain in the shade during the hottest days of summer to prevent themselves from sweating.

Without any scents to spread, Raptilingua packs need alternate means to mark their territories. The solution is to pluck a feather from the top of their heads and place it in the bark of a tree. To most herbivores, it just appears like a meaningless feather that got loose and was caught in an obstacle. Feathers are commonly found near waterfalls, a common gathering place for these aliens.

Raptilingua are very intelligent and can coordinate their pack hunting. The pack alpha keeps its head low as it travels around a herd. It can easily navigate through the tall grass thanks to their periscope-like tail. The tail feathers at the tip reflect like a mirror and allows it to see above the grass without having to lift their heads. Once the alpha is in position, it signals its pack members by reflecting sunlight on their mirrors. The alpha then chases the herd into the awaiting ambush and the unfortunate prey is assaulted by whipping spiked tongues.

"These creatures were originally going to have lizard like legs, but that would have caused complications. The hunting strategy was inspired by the Carakiller from The Future is Wild."
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Comments4
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Solifugus's avatar
The idea of using biological mirrors to see expand your field of view is ingenious! I'll have to use that idea sometime, with your permission of course.