Western Desert Wyvern

Descended from Dracowyverious deserta which migrated to Zone E where there was more edible polyphyta, D. gymnocephalus is more adapted for the desert environment compared to its ancestor. This winged omnivore has a featherless head, legs, and tail (excluding a 4-feathered fan at the tip), an adaptation for releasing excess heat that would otherwise be trapped by feathers; and its eyelash feathers are thinner and more efficient at catching sand. As it rarely perches in trees, the hallux of each foot is converted to a dewclaw. Its teeth are curved and serrated, allowing it to tear through both meat and polyph matter. Its tail is also somewhat shorter, allowing more efficient flight. It keeps warm at night by tucking its featherless extremities under its fluffy body, and it cools off during the heat of day by seeking shade under tall polyphyta. Its wings are membranous and have feather "sleeves" like those of its ancestors.

In a notable case of convergent evolution, it also has a simple tympanic ear associated with its jaw; though it can't hear very well, it's just enough to detect prey that it wouldn't otherwise see or smell, and it allows sound to be incorperated into its mating display. The location on its head is justified by its closest hearing relative, Varanusuchus aborealus, also having its ears on its head; this would seem to imply vibration-sensitive bones or other features that could be precursors to hearing ancestrally present in the jaw of Varanusuchiformes. Further, the position is close to the brain and, being on the head, can easily be moved around to listen to different things.

It is 1.6 feet long, which when taking the shorter tail into account makes it larger than its ancestor, and and about 0.8 feet tall at the hip; this size increase is justified by a more efficient digestive system, which allows it to get more nutrients out of tough desert plants. It has a wingspan of about 5 feet, though it doesn't fly often; with its reduced plumage, elaborate wing dances combined with hisses and grumbles have replaced some of the mating display functions of its missing feathers. Females lay clutches of 6-10 eggs and buries them in the sand; the parents periodically checks on them until they hatch, before leading their offspring which are already able to walk on hunting and foraging trips. Both parents participate in raising their young, and they generally stick to only one mate unless one of them dies.

D. gymnocephalus preys on U. subterrania and U. saharus, which it kicks out of the sand with its feet when it sees or hears them, and their eggs which it detects by scent. It will also hunt A. tropheus nesting on the shore if it sees an opportunity. It also feeds on various polyphyta in its environment, including S. chaliza and S. desertensis, by flying up and grabbing leaves in its mouth; when especially hungry, it may brave the spikes of the various polyphyta in the genus Donus.