Piscorant

Piscorant
Creator	OviraptorFan
Information
Status	Extant
Common Name(s)	Piscorant
Zones	6, H
Roles	Predator
Classification
Genus	Praeveprendracius
Species	Praeveprendracius melanolarus
Evolution
Date	July 18th, 2022
Ancestor	Coastal Diving Cormorant Wyvfin
Descendants	No results

When the Wyvern Plague swept across North Chamegia, Praeveprendracius tridactylus was among the many species that suffered. The species also was ravaged by the Bacterium plagues. There were individuals who had a mutation in their genome that gave them a heightened resistance against the various plagues. While they still got sick, these individuals were able to eventually recover from the infections and from there have an outright immunity. One population had enough individuals that had the mutation that it remained stable. Overtime, this population would give rise to an entirely new species.

1 meter long, 60 centimeter wingspan

The Piscorant (P. melanolarus) is capable of flight, though they have a noticeably shorter wingspan since they spend so much of their time near coasts and do not need to soar. The less dense bones of their ancestor still help the Piscorant remain airborne by reducing body weight. While the stomach remains small, the intestines have grown in size to better extract nutrients from the prey they consume. The prey in question is caught by individuals diving into the water to snatch the small creature before swimming back up to the surface. The large interlocking teeth of the Piscorant help hold onto struggling prey and prevent escape. The wyverns can hold their breath for a minute at a time during their dives.

Piscorants hunt alone, but will pair with another individual to rear young. While they can find a new mate if their partner dies for some reason, individuals will often maintain their pair bonds for life. Piscorants still dig dens, usually seeking out cliffs or ridges along the coast to avoid ground dwelling predators, where they then lay 2-4 eggs at the start of the wet season. The resulting chicks are raised by both parents, who swap between caring for the young and hunting. The young typically take about 2 months to reach independence and then another 4 to reach sexual maturity, though they only begin courting when the next wet season starts. Piscorant males display their crests to females to show off their health, with females picking those with the largest and most elaborate crests. Piscorants have antibodies adapted to fight off the Wyvern Plague and microbes in the Bacterium genus.