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| My take on Up's Kevin | |
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| Topic Started: Jan 31 2010, 04:37 PM (545 Views) | |
| Carlos | Jan 31 2010, 04:37 PM Post #1 |
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Adveho in me Lucifero
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Common name: Greater Snipe Scientific name: Specialopezus paradisea Description: The Greater Snipe is native to the plateaus of Venezuela, specially in the zones sorrounding Angel Falls and the Roraima plateau. [general physical description rendered unnecessary since you can see the bird in the movie, so only a few major detials now] The Greater Snipe, as mentioned before, occurs in the mountainous zones of Venezuela; the plateus themselves are quite inhospitable, so while they spend a lot of their time in the safety of these areas (being devoid of large predators), it often travels down to feed on the tropical rainforests; unlike ratites the Greater Snipe retained the hallux (albeit quite reduced) and the toes are very flexible, to grasp the rocks as it climbs; the wings, while small, still have powerll pectoral muscles attached to them, thus being able to generate WAIR. As a result it is not just one of the most efficient large sized climbers, but is also capable of climbing trees much like a goat, allowing access to fruit and arboreal prey. It is an omnivore, being capable of digesting most animals and plants; this allows one of these birds to take the maximum advantage of the scarce food on the top of the plateau, as well as to consume venemous plants on the lowlands. Animals are caught in a stork like manner, but bigger prey can be disabled by pecks in the head and neck and disembowled by the beak. Has a strange prefference for brown food items; since birds can't taste it may be an artistic choice, given the bird's intelligence. This bird's closest relatives are seriemas, and it is believed to be a basal member of Phorhusrhacidae, which survived for being an oportunist instead of becoming specialised into hunting. May attack animals as big as a tapir, but most of its diet is composed of either plant matter or invertebrates. It is a quite sociable animal, gathering in flocks in the top of the plateaus as the night ends. The male is a colourfull animal, and because there are no specific breeding seasons it spends a lot of his free time advertising himself. Females are brown and dull; after choosing a female the male builds a nest where she lays her eggs. Afterwards she leaves him to take care of the eggs and chicks; being over three meters tall and usually choosing a hard to access area anyway few predators bother the male. After a month the chicks are born, and the male travels around searching for food, which regurgitates to them. Even after they can walk the male will still take care of them, well until they are four months old and about a thrid of his size. |
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Lemuria: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/ Terra Alternativa: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/ My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Carliro ![]() | |
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| Scrublord | Jan 31 2010, 05:46 PM Post #2 |
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Father Pellegrini
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Very, very well thought out. Sort of like a flightless version of a marabou stork, I guess? I was going to start a topic like this, but my version had him as a relative of the screamers. |
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My Projects: The Neozoic Redux Valhalla--Take Three! The Big One Deviantart Account: http://elsqiubbonator.deviantart.com In the end, the best advice I could give you would be to do your project in a way that feels natural to you, rather than trying to imitate some geek with a laptop in Colorado. --Heteromorph | |
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| TheCoon | Feb 1 2010, 12:01 AM Post #3 |
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Happy merry Jesusmas inhabitants of the Spec Forums!
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I also saw this on DeviantArt. Well done, but I'm with Squibbonator. They're more of screamer-like birds. |
Greetings young life form! Procyon Lotor at your service.
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| Carlos | Feb 1 2010, 03:25 AM Post #4 |
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Adveho in me Lucifero
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Screamers are not terribly colourfull, and if it was a flightless screamer I'd expect it to be a quite violent critter; instead we have a bird that prefers to avoid fighting with dogs. Besides, it does looks a bit like a phorusrhacid |
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Lemuria: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/ Terra Alternativa: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/ My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Carliro ![]() | |
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| TheCoon | Feb 1 2010, 12:32 PM Post #5 |
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Happy merry Jesusmas inhabitants of the Spec Forums!
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Maybe they're not Anserine Birds, but it's very possible they share a very close common ancestor. Maybe this birds separated from the Anserine order when it's species got trapped in the plateus, so they developed a bigger, colorfull, and less agresive form. |
Greetings young life form! Procyon Lotor at your service.
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