Mitted Gnaw

This large carnivore is a rising apex predator of Glickerian forests. Despite its mean looks, it usually lazes around until it smells prey. When it spots its next meal, it will use its sharp beak and killing claws to tear into the tender joints of prey. The specialized beak on its upper jaw is quite thin and sharp, similar to a parrot’s. Its wide lower jaw lets it move its kill in the event that a rival predator spots it.

Being a tad smarter than its prey, it has developed a unique instinct: parental care. This form of parental care is extremely simple, somewhat similar to that of a terran scorpion. The babies will follow the mother, usually hiding under her muscular legs. The mother does not actively give her offspring any food, but the mother is not bothered by the babies eating parts of her kills. This happens for around 3 months, until the babies are large enough to hunt small prey on their own. These babies, being small and vulnerable, will have brown stripes running down their body, somewhat like a terran chipmunk or badger. These stripes start to fade away after they stop being cared for by the mother.

This creature sports another strange feature. The reproductive organ has developed a ring of muscle, protected by a thick layer of hide. This allows the ovipositor to open and close at will, protecting it from infection.