Struti

In the absence of large herbivores, a population of Dracowyverious gymnocephalus evolved to fill the niche. The struti is taller than its ancestor, with a longer neck to reach high branches. Its jaws are powerful and made to grind plant matter; they’re even strong enough to break into the juicy branches of E. phylloakidus. Its teeth are flat with serrated edges, perfect for chewing leaves. Unfortunately, the struti's wings are too small for it to fly--but it has little need to anyway, as it can run at speeds of around 30 mph to escape potential predators. It stands about 3 feet tall at the hip, and it’s about 6 feet long from nose to tail tip not counting its tail feathers, with just under half of this length coming from its neck; taking into account that most of the height and length increase from its ancestor coming from its legs and neck, respectively, it isn't much heavier than its ancestor overall.

It evolved colorful display feathers on its horns, wings, and tail, along with bouncy fluff around its neck and down its back, which are used for mutual sexual selection via elaborate mating dances. It lays 2-6 eggs in shallow nests dug in the ground, and its young hatch out of the eggs after 6 weeks already able to walk. Both parents participate in raising their young, but once they can fend for themselves the parents go their separate ways. Struti are fully grown at 6 months of age.

The struti’s tympanic ear is partially surrounded by patagia stretching from its horns, creating a sort of pseudo ear canal. This allows it to more easily listen for predators, such as D. volturcephalus.

The struti eats a variety of polyphs, including S. phyllosymplegmus, S. desertensis, S. chaliza, and its favorite, E. phylloakidus. Its preference for E. phylloakidus is due to the polyph's juicy water-rich branches and the lack of anything else that ate it at the time.