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riverraptor12 — The Fanwings

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Published: 2024-02-02 21:55:25 +0000 UTC; Views: 2674; Favourites: 38; Downloads: 0
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Description Sister clade to the vays , these flying sun lizards are successful throughout Drecel. While the gigantic eversaurs  can approach sizes held only for aircraft, smaller fanwings are plenty viable. Compared to the wings of birds and bats, fanwings are inflexible, still able to flap but most of the power of a wing stroke lies in the shoulder rather then the wrist which is entombed within flesh, more similar to insect wings. Their wings work better as static airfoils, generating lift rather then maintaining propulsion. Eversaurs exploit this by actively seeking updrafts, strong winds, and thermals to get them airborne. Meanwhile fanwings can more easily flap if they keep their wingspans under 10 feet. Because of these trade-offs, there are only a few species of gigantic fanwing and most lineages stay small. 
1. The Cloak. Two distinct morphs or possibly subspecies of these agile fanwings can be found in the Pyreplume Valley; a dark-scaled nocturnal morph found on the valley and a pale morph that lurks deep in the Cavern. Cloaks are perhaps the most skilled flyers of any fanwing. Most species retain long tails, often with some sort of fluke at the end which acts as another airfoil and counterweight to help steer them in any particular direction. But not the cloaks who have but a short fork-tail. They feed primarily on insects but will also go after smaller birds and bats on the wing. Because their wings cannot fold up so completely, just sit compressed against the length of their bodies, and their hind limbs are short and far back, cloaks are clumsy on the ground and prefer to perch on tree branches, structures, and rocky outcrops while at rest. 
2. The Deathsaur. This raptorial species, despite its frightening name, are actually quite social and altruistic towards each other. They live in flocks made up of 20-30 adults, often mated pairs, and their offspring. Each flock sees over a territory and a communal nest, either a hollowed out tree or burrow. Older pairs lead the hunts and patrol the territory while younger pairs follow their lead or protect the nest and flaplings. Deathsaurs produce a very potent hemotoxin venom. Repeated bites and slashes of their serrated teeth and sharp little claws cause prey eventually die of shock due to blood loss or exhaustion. The hunters descend for a feast, gorging themselves before returning. They regurgitate chunks of partially digested meat for those left behind and their young. The spines along the Deathsaur's neck act as an indication of age and rank, growing longer as the animal grows older.  Their long, flukeless tail is used to signal to other flock members flying behind them. They are non-migratory, bearing through the Valley's harsh, cold winters together huddled in a torpor.
3. The Resplendent Spikeling. The defining trait among these fanwings are long, flat scales coming off their wings that do not impede in flight. It is the females who show off spectacular teal and copper-orange scales along their ventral wings, fluke, and head crests. The vibrancy correlates with her fertility, ensuring that she can bear many eggs for each of her suitors. Spikelings are polyandrous with males looking after the nest. If a female can find multiple mates, it means in a increased likelihood of at least one being successful. Courtship occurs during late spring, eggs are laid with successful females able to lay as many as 20 eggs per mate, males must protect their nests through the summer. Hatchlings emerge just shy of fall. The adults then migrate on mass from the Valley northward to Drecel's subtropical coast where they overwinter while juveniles must endure two winters before joining their parents. Spikings are dietary generalists with a weak venom, they eat what they can readily find on the ground, preferring the cover of the forest: slugbear dung, fallen fruits, insects, etc. 
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