Wyvern (Fogwalker Universe)

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Wyverns are a medium-sized flying carnivorous dinosaur in the family Scansoriopterygidae. Like other members of Scansoriopterygidae, Wyverns are capable of flight using large wings made of tissue membranes. They are the largest non-avian dinosaur capable of flight.

Description

Wyverns closely resemble the mythological beast of the same name. They have the typical theropod body plan, but their tails are shorter than most other theropods, and their forearms have evolved to be large membraned wings. Wyverns closely resemble the Eurasian bearded vulture in terms of coloration and patterning. Their underside plumage is typically white and rust colored, whereas their backs are usually gray, black, and brown. They have black eye band patterns over their eyes. Wyverns have a small beak on the end of their snout, followed by a standard mouth with many sharp teeth.

Ecology and Biology

Diet and Foraging

Wyverns hunt a lot like birds of prey such as eagles and hawks. When dealing with smaller prey, Wyverns will dive from above and grab their target with their sharp talons before flying away. When dealing with larger prey, they'll either pin their target to the ground and finish it off with a bite to the throat, or they'll bring it down on foot. Wyverns are also frequent scavengers.

Life Cycle

Wyverns hatch from eggs and spend the first 4 months of their lives completely dependent on their mother. By a year old, Wyverns are capable of flying and fending for themselves to a degree, though they'll stay with their mother and siblings for another 2 and a half years before going off on their own. Wyverns usually tend to travel in groups called squadrons, but they don't form any strong bonds with their squadrons, and they often tend to squabble and compete over food. Only female Wyverns take care of their young, however the males build the nests in order to attract females. The males leave after breeding. Wyverns can live up to 35 years in the wild.

Behavior

Wyverns are highly aggressive, and extremely intolerant of other large flying animals in their vicinity. Large squadrons of Wyverns have been known to bully Spectre out of their airspace or off their kills, and they also tend to be very aggressive towards human aircraft. Infighting within Wyvern squadrons is very common, as individuals will often fight over food and mates. Wyverns generally aren't too territorial towards other members of their species, as squadrons have been seen scavenging on the same carcasses, and hunting the same flocks of birds without much issue beyond the usual squabbling.

Conservation

Wyverns are listed as least concern by the Shrouded Rangers and other similar organizations, due to their very opportunistic nature as well as their evasiveness. Spectre's and sometimes humans are the only animals that really pose much of a threat to an adult Wyvern.

Natural Abilities

Flight
Teeth
Talons - Wyverns have sharp talons on their feet that they can use to slash or puncture prey, as well as carry them into the air.

Trivia

The design of the Wyvern originated from an unrelated project that involved redesigning the Mutadons from Jurassic World Rebirth.
The taxonomic family the Wyvern is part of is a real family of dinosaurs that evolved flight using wing membranes separately from birds. However in real life, the largest known member of this family is Yi Qi, which was only about the size of a pigeon.
Wyverns were originally planned to be a type of pterosaur before it was changed to be a member of the Scansoriopterygidae family of dinosaurs instead.