Jumpscare Shieldnewt
As new species of Thalassiids adn Dracilians evolved A. megaloceros faced greater competition. As they faced high amounts of competition, populations would try out different niches, but most of these did not last that long. One population became ambush predators, evolving into a completely new species.
40-60 centimeters long
As the Jumpscare Shieldnewts (Amfivioslontus deprendops) evolved, they became more and more carnivorous compared, developing larger heads and more powerful jaws to consume larger prey. Since they have their limbs splayed out to the side they can’t really chase down prey. Instead, they will partially bury themselves in soil with their tails and hind limbs. From there, the Jumpscare Shieldnewt lies in wait, watching for any potential prey to get within reach. Once prey does get close, the Jumpscare Shieldnewt will erupt out of the soil, slamming their tail on the ground at the same time they push up their forelimbs so it can leap forward. The larger jaw muscles mean they can easily crush their prey if it's caught, killing the prey quickly. If the prey escapes the initial lunge the Jumpscare Shieldnewt will very rarely continue the attack, as the prey can likely flee far faster than it.
The scales can still be rattled side-to-side thanks to small muscles, which can be used by younger individuals to deter predators while in adults it is used in mating rituals. During the early spring male Jumpscare Shieldnewts will stop feeding and wander around the jungles, stopping regularly to produce a long, steady rattle with their scales that last for about 10 minutes. If a female is receptive, she will respond by rattling her own scales, in a pattern where she rattles them for about 30 seconds before stopping for another 30 seconds and starting up again over a 10-minute period, the specific pattern allowing the male to locate her and recognize her as female.
Once the male and female meet, they will dig a nest and lay their 15-25 eggs before covering it up. Mucus protects the eggs from desiccation. Only the male Jumpscare Shieldnewt will protect the eggs, with the female leaving the area so the two adults do not compete for prey. The species does external fertilization, which means the female does not have the bear the burden of caring for the unlike Thalassiids that do internal fertilizations such as A. victor. Additionally, since the male had not been eating in his search for a mate, its easier for the female to move somewhere else and the male guard the nest since he will need to settle to feed once more. The nest is usually made around polyphs that are regularly grazed upon by herbivores, so the male guarding the nest has a semi-guaranteed meal. The eggs take 6 weeks to hatch, after which the 4-5 centimeters long young are able to fend for themselves and leave their fathers to live on their own.
Since they are ambush predators, camouflage is very important for successfully catching prey. As such, the Jumpscare Shieldnewt has lost nearly all of the bright colors seen on their ancestors. Instead, the Jumpscare Shieldnewt possesses dark brown scales and dark grey skin with the stripes being either very dark brown or black. The once colorful scales and horns of their ancestors' heads have given way a light brown color.
