Coalskin Skywatcher

The coalskin skywatcher replaced its ancestor, the bloodskin skywatcher, on Maineiac Island. As the largest predator outside of the island's interior, where the glacial sauceback lived, it soon grew bigger, eventually becoming over three times its former size. The saucebacks living on the island's peaks had become more or less entirely herbivorous due to the lack of prey animals in that environment and were thus easy prey for the larger, well-camouflaged coalskin skywatcher. Despite the coalskin's status as alpha predator on Maineiac, in its movements into the sauceback's territory it provided them with a new food source- the coalskins' young. The coalskin skywatcher has gained a few new traits that allowed it to drive its predecessor to extinction. For one, it has greater camouflage; its black-grey hide, with white stripes, allows it to blend in well with the dark volcanic rock and white snow of Maineiac's polar climes. As this does not benefit it when hunting saucebacks, which lack eyes, it is largely used to ensure that, should the sauceback population decline, it can hunt the myriad other fauna that dot the island's beaches. Its dome head-plate has grown larger and is now equipped with horns. It is used as a weapon to stun or kill smaller prey, with the coalskin flailing wildly to clobber its prey to death. To support its enormous skull, the muscles of the organism grew, with truly prodigious strength in its neck to maneuver its vast head. As with their ancestors, males also compete to attract females by banging their domed heads on the ground as loudly as possible. As it is too slow to run down its prey, it instead adopts ambush tactics. When hunting its favored prey, the glacial sauceback, it waits, almost motionless, beside a volcanic stream or hot spring area where such prey frequent. Relying on its stillness to fool the blind saucebacks, it waits for them to come close, then strikes wildly, thrashing and twisting in an attempt to knock the saucebacks out as quickly as possible. Once they are subdued it uses its powerful jaws to crush their bodies in a vice-like grip.