Terror-jaw
9th June 2016
Terror-jaw
This article refers to the Archaean predator. For the 2030s Boston-based punk-pop band, see Terror-Jaw (Band).
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A terror-jaw (also known as a shark-dog[1] or bullet-raptor[2]) or Pseudoraptor georgii[citation needed] is a small,[citation needed] warm-blooded[3] predator[citation needed] first observed in suburban Brownsville in Texas, United States in 2033,[4] although their current range is believed[by whom?] to extend as far as Florida and California. Hairless, thick-skinned quadrupeds with larger hind limbs than forelimbs, a large balancing tail and a crested skull, they bear a superficial resemblance to “raptor” dinosaurs, although terror-jaws are currently still unclassified in biology.[citation needed]
Appearance and Anatomy [edit]
Terror-jaws have thick, hairless hides similar to pachyderms,[5] with colouring from brown to grey-brown to black observed,[6] although whether these shades represent different subspecies or just individual variation is uncertain.[citation needed] No specimens have yet been found with any sort of fur or hair; the distinctive patterns of growth discernible on most terror-jaws’ hides was found, by researcher Julio-Maria Mendes in February 2032, to be a form of benign parasite similar to whale-lice.[7] Terror-jaws are relatively small,[citation needed] with no confirmed specimen yet found more than 102cm from the snout to the tip of the tail,[citation needed] although eyewitness reports[by whom?] suggest creatures up to twice that length may exist.
The high crested skull differs significantly from individual to individual, although it has been theorised[by whom?] that some variation is due to trauma, as terror-jaws are frequently observed[citation needed] butting each other with their skulls. Terror-jaws are polyphyodont, with individual specimens so far found to have between 56 and 108 sharp, narrow teeth in up to three rows.[8][9]
Diet and Behaviour [edit]
Terror-jaws are carnivorous[citation needed] and predatory,[citation needed] relying chiefly on birds and rodents for their diets, although conflicting reports[by whom?] suggest they will attack larger prey and survive by scavenging.[citation needed] Terror-jaws appear to hunt in small packs,[10] although larger, older animals may become solitary and territorial.[11]
Life Cycle [edit]
Terror-jaws are oviparous, laying eggs in clutches of at least three or four,[12] although significantly larger numbers have been noted.[by whom?] Reports are inconsistent as to the size of terror-jaw eggs, varying between 5-6mm[13] and 35-65mm.[14]
Classification [edit]
Main article: Taxonomy of the Archaeobiome
Warm-blooded, hairless, scaleless, oviparous and polyphyodont, terror-jaws have so far eluded classification.[15][16] In their paper “On the Classification of Pseudoraptor, Pseudodasypus and Neogorgonopsia,”[17] Drs. Emma Chambers and Lu Xiuchang of Magdelene College, Cambridge proposed that all three new animals be assigned to an entirely new biological class under Tetrapoda, tentatively named Archaea.
The classification is fiercely debated,[18] with strong support for Chambers and Xiuchang’s proposal from advocates of the Archaeobiome theory.[19]
See also [edit]
• Locust Armadillo
• Bird-Dog
• The Archaeobiome
• Cryptozoology
Would you like to know more? Check out Extinction Biome: Invasion