Perching Wyvern
Being eaten by the likes of D. gymnocephalus and U. scorpio pushed a population of hopping wyverns (G. pidimatreximus) to seek more ways of avoiding them while away from their burrows. With the rise of the Adero Acacia (P. akakius), the solution was obvious--using them for protection. Thus, the perching wyvern was born. Already having the ability to fly to some extent, its wings became stronger to help bring itself up into trees where it perches with its already bird-like feet at the first sight of danger. All flying predators at the time it evolved have trouble navigating through branches, so this is very effective. Its tail feathers are shorter, effectively making its tail skinnier and lighter, which also helps it to fly better; its crests are similarly shorter to make its head lighter and more aerodynamic. This all had the side effect of allowing them to safely look for food much further away from their burrows, as they could escape predation anywhere. Like its ancestor, it is 6 inches long and 3 inches tall. It can fly for 1-2 minutes at a time, more than long enough to escape a predator or scale the tallest trees in its environment; it can fly 40 feet straight up, and it is capable of covering great distance by gliding.
The perching wyvern also developed larger, longer ear flaps. This boosts its hearing, allowing it to hear predators far more quickly and accurately than it would otherwise. The ear flaps also generate some amount of lift, much like the ears of real-world bats, which obviously assists in flight. The ears can also be moved to some extent, though most of this is from the skin being pulled by existing muscles elsewhere on its face. It also developed the ability to vocalize--its squeals being effective at warning others, especially its mate and offspring, of a predator, even while helpless in its jaws. The squeal is generated by rapidly vibrating a muscle near its windpipe as it exhales.
The perching wyvern is sexually dimorphic, with males having longer eyelash feathers than females in addition to a beard of feathers on the lower jaw. During breeding season, at any time during the day (but especially sunrise or sunset due to ancestral instincts telling them it’s impressive), males will attempt to court females with feather displays; unlike its ancestor, however, sometimes when more than one male has an interest in the same female they may fight over her. These scuffles are never fatal, but males with bigger teeth are more likely to win; however, bigger teeth are also detrimental to chewing. As a result, the solution was the development of slightly differentiated teeth--the teeth in the front are a bit larger than the ones in the back.
Occasionally, the female will choose the loser over the victor if the victor is in poor health, but otherwise the victor almost always gets the female. Afterwards, the chosen male moves into the female’s burrow where they mate underground. The female lays a clutch of 4-8 eggs, and the parents take turns incubating the eggs until they hatch. They feed their babies on a combination of fresh food and food from their food stash until they are about 8 weeks old. The offspring stay with their parents until they are fully mature at about 6 months old, after which they go out to make their own burrows and eventually find a mate, beginning the cycle over again. Mated pairs will attempt to breed twice a year.
The perching wyvern has the same diet as its ancestor, though due to its habits of being near adero acacias their leaves and seeds make up a very significant portion of their diet; it will still scavenge for meat like its ancestor did. Its escape method is not fool-proof, so it continues to be preyed on by D. gymnocephalus and U. scorpio.
