Drakoniskian Bjournaratta

While the Drake Tundra proved to be a safe haven for the last populations of Fishing Grasper, the only member of the greeper lineage to have made it past the Bloodian, the warming climate trends for the last several periods has presented the species with the opportunity to move out into new areas. This would lead some populations to split off from their ancestors as they moved south and became the drakoniskian bjournaratta.

The drakoniskian bjournaratta has grown to double the size of their ancestors, which allows them to better retain heat in the colder parts of their range. It also allows them to take advantage of a wide range of foods, which coincides with the species shifting away from being obligate carnivores and now being on the more omnivorous side of the spectrum in terms of diet. While the drakoniskian bjournaratta does still consume a lot of meat, which it usually catches either in or near waterways, they will also feed on various species of flora. In particular, the populations found in the more temperate parts of their range have a particular taste for fruits and berries from purple flora like the Fuzzpile or Carnosprawl. In comparison, the populations found in the Slarti Salt Bog are more carnivorous in habits since the biome has less flora in general that would be worth eating. Much like their ancestors, the drakoniskian bjournaratta has a layer of fat in their skin that provides some minor insulation, with the fatty hump on the shoulders also being present though the hump functions more as an energy reserve when food becomes scarce for one reason or another.

Much like their ancestor, the drakoniskian bjournaratta’s index finger is opposable and helps with manipulating food. While this originally helped with snatching aquatic prey like Gilltails or Larvabacks from the water, the drakoniskian bjournaratta will also use the appendage to get fruit and berries or to tussle with larger game such as small Ukfauna or small Plent species. The Nodent indeed often preys upon the local species of Uktanks, with some individuals feeding on little else, due to how easy it is for them to restrain the critters. When they come across an uktank, a drakoniskian bjournaratta will grab one of the ukfauna’s legs and yank them into the air, causing the uktank to fall over which then makes pinning them down and dispatching them much easier. Any bits of food the drakoniskian bjournaratta obtains will be first processed by their two buck teeth, which slide against each other and help slice their food into smaller pieces which can then be further processed by their molar-like back teeth. Only once the food has been turned into a gooey mush, does the nodent proceed to swallow it.

The long limbs of their ancestor allow the drakoniskian bjournaratta to wade in relatively deep water, whether this is in a river or in the intertidal zone of the beach. They also allow the nodent to cover more distance in each stride meaning they can cover a lot of ground pretty quickly. The drakoniskian bjournaratta can also rear up onto its hind legs for short periods which can be useful for intimidation, accessing food in higher up spots, or for gaining height to see farther away.

Drakoniskian bjournarattas are territorial, with the species aggressively defending their turf from other drakoniskian bjournaratta that are in the area. This habit is similar to their ancestor, but one big difference is that the drakoniskian bjournaratta will pair for life, with the male and female sharing the same territory even if they forage separately. The time the male and female come together is when they rear their young, with their litters consisting of 2-4 pups at a time. The pair will take turns guarding the pups and foraging for food to bring back to the den they have dug out to raise the litter. The parents will act aggressively towards any perceived threats that are present in the area when rearing young, since species such as the Bannertail, drakeshrog, and Marsh Loafshell will eat their young if given the chance. It can take the pups about 3 months to reach maturity, after which they will leave their parents to establish territories of their own.