Xeno Pakahe

The xeno pakahe replaced its ancestor. After the ice meteor raised the sea levels, sinking Huggs Island, the remaining pedeeater pakahe population had to adapt to fully aquatic life in the shallows. Due to the benefits of island gigantism, the pedeeater pakahe evolved, growing 5 times it's size. After evolving, the xeno pakahe spread to Jujubee Open Ocean. In the shallows and in the open ocean, the xeno pakahe found many different varieties of food it could feed on. The xeno pakahe's mouth is much different than before. The mouth has been reshaped, in a way in which it can snap up prey much more easily. As shown in the diagram above, a fold of skin covers the beak externally (which is now serrated), in the form of lips. The lips serve as manipulators for food and kissing, and as a sensitive membrane to detect movements in the water. Due to these changes the xeno pakahe has a bite force of about 1000 psi, and will not let go. It's leaves can still photosynthesize, but also paddles, increasing the xeno pakahe's speed. Speaking of flippers, the xeno pakahe's flippers have also improved, having added more bones beneath the skin, and adding claws at the end of each flipper, discouraging other animals from biting it's flipper. The xeno pakahe now moves its flippers in a plesiosauric manner, pulling each one forward, then pushing them back. The combination of speed in this animal would allow it to swim up to 55 nautical miles per hour. In an effort to become more streamlined to reduce drag, the upper fin of it's tail was removed, and the breathing hole moved near to the hind flippers. The lungs have moved to the upper half of the body, considerably improving it's respiration, allowing the xeno pakahe to hold it's breath for up to 20 minutes, and able to dive a deep as 100 meters. The xeno pakahe's brain has also enlarged slightly. However, the xeno pakahe is socially the same as it's ancestor, hunting solo. They mate early in the winter, giving birth in Xeno Shallows during mid spring. The young are born tail first, and spend most of their childhood in the shallows, learning how to hunt and survive through mimicking their parents. Their young mostly feed on smaller prey, and after 6 months they are ready to leave the safety of the shallows. After 2 years they reach adulthood and can mate. They can live to be 35 years.