Perching Phyler

The perching phyler split from its ancestor. It has made adaptations to allow it to prey exclusively on armapede. To fill this niche it has evolved in several ways. To enable itself to perch more easily on the arbodron its body/muscle mass has shifted to its hind legs, strengthening them to provide the power to perch for longer periods when hunting armapedes. The forelimbs have shrunk to avoid becoming obstructions during the hunt. They serve as ancillary appendages for grappling with prey and feeding. All limbs now have claws to better grip prey and support perching. It has developed a slightly longer hook so that it can sweep under the armapede avoiding its horned upper body armor. The small hook on top of its mouth helps to keep the prey locked in position so that it can more easily dislodge it off the arbodron. Undulating muscles above and below its forehead increase the pressure impact of its double-beak like jawed mouth.

The perching phyler cannot perch for prolonged periods of time so has compensated by improving its aerobatic maneuvers by shrinking its size by half and doubling its wingspan. To keep the wings strong and light it has evolved large cellulose scales within the wing membrane. This makes it lighter with greater lifting power. Allowing it to hover in position for a short respite until it is able to perch again to resume a failed hunt.

Hunting the armapede is no easy feat but with its smaller size a single successful hunt can sustain it for a whole day or two. Its worth the effort and saves on energy spent on the long run.