literature

The Hippalectryon

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Literature Text

The Hippalectryon (Hippalectryon fulvus) was a species of herbivorus pterosaur indigenous to Atlantis.

Physical description
Ancient sources describe the Hippalectryon as roughly the size of a horse and covered mostly in tawny pycnofibres with dark green on the underbelly and legs. The lower back was decorated with long, blue feather-like structures. The wings were mostly dark green with blue stripes on the upper side, and the front feet resembled a horse's hoof. The head was bald with red skin, a long snout and a wide beak for cropping grass.

Behaviour
Hippalectryons were peaceful, timid creatures that lived in large herds. Males and females exhibited very little sexual dimorphism, and practiced mutual sexual selection. The Hippalectryon was more adapted for running than it's distant cousin the Peryton (Peritius borgesi), but was still capable of flight. Hippalectryons lived on a diet of grass, and other low-lying vegetation. As there were no equids or similar ungulates indigenous to Atlantis, pterosaurs were the predominant grazers on the archipelago.

Distribution and habitat
Hippalectryons were found throughout Atlantis in lowland floodplains and savannah.

Domestication
Ancient artwork from Atlantis, and the continental Occident of human warriors riding Hippalectryons, indicates that the species was once domesticated by the prehistoric Atlantian civilization. Their speed, strength, and agility on the ground made them ideal for this purpose, but it is unlikely that one could fly with a rider on it's back.

Extinction
At the end of the last glacial maximum, rising sea levels flooded much of Atlantis, leading to a decline in Hippalectryon numbers. They persisted for some time in small populations scattered throughout Aphrikus and Panterra, but were seldom seen, and probably died out circa 6th century BCE. 
~Sinornithosaurus was right. It is indeed a Hippalectryon. I gave him a hint, but I'll give him a llama badge anyway.

Close-up of preview image: themorlock.deviantart.com/art/…

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Zgerken's avatar
Beautiful sounding animal, shame it never existed!