Diving Struti

Diving Struti
Creator	Disgustedorite🌺
Information
Status	Extant
Common Name(s)	Diving Struti
Zones	17, E, G
Roles	Base-consumer, Predator
Classification
Genus	Strutiocheilius
Species	Strutiocheilius katadysius
Evolution
Date	August 9th, 2019
Ancestor	Duck Struti
Descendants	No results

Descendants of the [[Strutiocheilius china|Duck Struti]] (S. china) continued the trend of becoming increasingly aquatic, as it gave them access to more and more food. The diving struti is 2 feet long, a change caused by the shortened tail for better swimming, and 1.5 feet tall at the hip. Its nostrils have moved further up its face to allow it to breathe without bringing its whole head above water, and also allowing it to track potential prey underwater while taking a breath. It can hold its breath for up to 30 minutes, allowing it to feed underwater--though it still likes to swim at the surface and wade around in the shallows, as that is what its ancestor did.

The diving struti has further streamlined itself for swimming, including shortening its tail and reducing the fluff around its neck to a mere white marking to avoid drag. To help avoid losing too much heat while swimming as well as to streamline previously naked areas that would otherwise become less streamlined as they move, feathers have crept back up its neck and down its legs. Its tail feathers are very stiff, allowing it to use the fan as a paddle in combination with its webbed feet to propel itself through the water.

To reduce drag when moving its head underwater, its crests have shortened--leaving it with rounder, more mammal-like ears; its ear feathers, too, are placed closer together and shaped to form a slightly rounded shape that also creates less drag. Its wings now have webbing between the grasping fingers which have also been lengthened for greater surface area, and it uses its wings to help steer as it swims.

The diving struti is otherwise very similar to its ancestor. It uses its colorful display feathers to mutually select mates, and it nests on the banks where it lays 2-6 eggs in shallow nests.

After 5 weeks, their babies hatch and can already walk and swim, though they have to be taught how to dive. They mature in 6 months.

The diving struti has the same diet as its ancestor, but thanks to its diving habits it has access to food that resides even in the deepest parts of Zone 17.