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Description

Submitted by Noah Riccio
Size: 0.9144 metres (3 feet) and 21kg (47lb)
Niche: Woodpecker niche
Planet of origin: Agnos

Description: A creature that delicately clambors in the canopy in search of small colonial invertebrate-like organisms. This organism has evolved a miraculous series of compromises in favor of unique adaptations, they have lost their hind leg and have developed a pair of robust forelimbs. Without legs, they have developed a long muscular tail which aids in coiling around foliage. Their arms do most of the heavy lifting and are packed with muscle, but they can only go so fast in the treetops. Their peripheral eyes have sunken into the flesh, but their parietal eye has developed quite radically, allowing them to pinpoint the location of predators trying to sneak up on them from above. When a threat is spotted, their hood unfurls and aims to threaten the predator away. These animals feed on small invertebrate like organisms that exist in large colonies, typically under the safety of petrified lumber. Most insectivores are unable to secure these, but the lesser tatzel can. With the aid of its large claws, it can scrape away at the outer layer of wood that keeps their prey safe. Once they reach the cambium layer, they grip onto the trunk and lock their spinal chord tight. They contort and hold a firm grip on the tree. Path of least resistance usually leads the force to transmit through the bark, thus breaking open a layer of the tree and exposing the invertebrates. Once this is done, it shoots out a long tongue with a series of barbs at the end of it to hook prey and draw it in. Because the food they acquire is often hard-shelled, the tatzel needs a way to process them once ingested. Rather than possessing teeth, they have a calcified sheath of exoskeleton material similar to a beak. When prey is in the mouth, the front of its skull shifts to “chew” it’s prey. In tough situations, this beak can also dig further into the tree to reach the larger morsals with the prime hiding spot by simply pecking into the wood.

Description

Submitted by Noah Riccio
Size: 0.9144 metres (3 feet) and 21kg (47lb)
Niche: Woodpecker niche
Planet of origin: Agnos

Description: A creature that delicately clambors in the canopy in search of small colonial invertebrate-like organisms. This organism has evolved a miraculous series of compromises in favor of unique adaptations, they have lost their hind leg and have developed a pair of robust forelimbs. Without legs, they have developed a long muscular tail which aids in coiling around foliage. Their arms do most of the heavy lifting and are packed with muscle, but they can only go so fast in the treetops. Their peripheral eyes have sunken into the flesh, but their parietal eye has developed quite radically, allowing them to pinpoint the location of predators trying to sneak up on them from above. When a threat is spotted, their hood unfurls and aims to threaten the predator away. These animals feed on small invertebrate like organisms that exist in large colonies, typically under the safety of petrified lumber. Most insectivores are unable to secure these, but the lesser tatzel can. With the aid of its large claws, it can scrape away at the outer layer of wood that keeps their prey safe. Once they reach the cambium layer, they grip onto the trunk and lock their spinal chord tight. They contort and hold a firm grip on the tree. Path of least resistance usually leads the force to transmit through the bark, thus breaking open a layer of the tree and exposing the invertebrates. Once this is done, it shoots out a long tongue with a series of barbs at the end of it to hook prey and draw it in. Because the food they acquire is often hard-shelled, the tatzel needs a way to process them once ingested. Rather than possessing teeth, they have a calcified sheath of exoskeleton material similar to a beak. When prey is in the mouth, the front of its skull shifts to “chew” it’s prey. In tough situations, this beak can also dig further into the tree to reach the larger morsals with the prime hiding spot by simply pecking into the wood.