Quail Raptor

The quail raptor split from its ancestor. It can be thought of as a miniature version of the Interbiat, as it has a similar diet and feeding habits; it is to the interbiat as a quail is to a chicken. However, it has undergone some physical changes which serve to optimize it in its environment.

The quail raptor's internal teeth are very small and more numerous, serving more as oral spines which prevent food from falling from its mouth, a necessity given its jaws open sideways rather than up and down. It does not use them to process food at all, though they remain mobile, if only because the same muscles that move them are also used to swallow food. The increased number of teeth is reflected in its increased number of eyestrils, as they are developmentally tied to the teeth; in order to fit so many eyestrils on its face, the scent line is wavy instead of straight or slightly curved as it is on other saucebacks. The reduplicate eyestrils also allow it to see better in the darkness of the obsidian forests.

The quail raptor has narrow, slightly upturned mandibles compared to its ancestor. This makes it better at rummaging through soil and leaf litter for food. It usually eats small things, though occasionally it might dig up a mature teacup sauceback larva (at the "fat hairy sausage" stage); when this happens, it does not hesitate to try to devour it, even if it's half its own length, because the mature larva is helpless to stop it and is effectively a free sauceback nugget. It also consumes berries and shrooms when they're available.

The quail raptor also bears a pair of slightly mobile spikes on either side of its tail. These are actually true branches of its tail, produced by a similar mutation to that which created the namesake of the extinct two-tailed saucebacks. When a quail raptor flees upwards into a tree, the spikes dig into the bark, allowing it to cling to the trunk more easily than it can using only its wings. They can also assist in stability while mating, which is an awkward ordeal in flying saucebacks due to their long wing feathers getting in the way.

Like its ancestor, the quail raptor is still capable of echolocating, an ability which it uses to help it navigate the dark forests. When frightened, it goes completely silent and sits still, waiting for any potential danger to pass. Its dark coloration is cryptic among the dark leaf litter, not only to us but to jewel-eyed sauceback predators such as young argusraptors, as it has many ultraviolet spots which match the hues reflected by leaves. Like its ancestor it can fly; its wings are larger than they appear when it is on the ground because the feathers are pulled upwards to keep them clear of the ground, and when unfurled they are broad and round.

The quail raptor nests on the ground, though it no longer does so communally to reduce the chances that its nest will be discovered. It prefers to nest somewhere where it won't be seen, such as in a hollow log, a small natural cave, or in an abandoned burrow left by another species. The nest includes leaves, twigs, feathers, and tufts of fur and plent cotton as bedding for comfort and warmth. It mates in the spring and both parents watch over the eggs, and once the chicks hatch they follow their parents around much like many Terran ground birds.