What IS an "Ossiodile"
The Ossiosuchus ("oss-ee-oh-soo-kus"), commonly called an Ossiodile ("oss-ee-oh-dial"),is a new, open species created by me, Stirling Charles Denyer, or Wiz commonly.
(other nicknames include: Skelegator, Siberian Snapdragon, Bone Stalker and the local name, костистый охотник, meaning "bony hunter")
Their design takes inspiration from multiple different things, such as: wendigos, crocodiles, skeletons, but was ultimately from my own mind
Ossiodiles come in three main forms:
- The Alpine Ossiodile (Ossiosuchus Alpinus)
(most common and iconic version)
- The Marshland Ossiodile (Ossiosuchus Stagnum)
(similar to the Alpine variant)
- The Desert Ossiodile (Ossiosuchus Caldarius)
(which actually lives in geothermal areas more commonly)
Variants.
Alpine Ossiodiles are the most common of the three.
They choose to spend most of their time in high altitude climates, preferably with large forests, caves, and other shelters.
They are identified by their furry coats and exoskeleton-like "cage"
Marshland Ossiodiles are similar to the alpine variant, except these ones are semi-aquatic.
They tend to spend most of their time hiding under mud and murky water.
They are identified by their much larger "bony frills" and "spikes," which have evolved to act as a sensory instrument, picking up vibrations through the mud and water.
Desert Ossiodiles again, are similar to the prior two, but are the most diverged, and slightly more widespread, but are the least common variant overall.
They live in geothermic areas and somewhat hot climates, like hot springs, or areas with volcanic activity, but are also found in sandy environment like the deserts formed behind a mountain range, e.g: the Chara sands.
Biology.
Unlike their name suggests, Ossiodiles, scientifically Ossiosuchus ("Ossio" meaning bony in Latin, and "Suchus" meaning crocodile in Greek) are actually mammals.
They diverged from the "Eurchonta" lineage around 85mya, the same lineage that gave rise to tree shrews, colugos and eventually, primates like humans.
Having to drastically adapt after the chicxulub impactor event 65mya, lead to their unusual form we see today.
As they dwelled in jungle areas and thick forests we never saw any of them or their ancestors remains in the fossil records as the soil was too acidic and eventually broke the bones down, along with trees and fungi dissolving leftover skeletons.
Like most mammals, they have warm blood, fur, and genders, meaning two Ossiodiles of the opposite sex must engage in coitus to produce offspring. and give birth to live young.
.
"EXOSKELETON"
The Ossiodile gets its name from its bony build, elongated snout and crocodilian teeth. but in actuality, the name is slightly misleading, as the "bony" exoskeleton is actually made from Keratin, the same protein that makes up claws, horns and Armour on Armadillos.
However, the use for this Armour depends on the variant, and varies a lot depending on the individual.
-For Alpine Ossiodiles, this "exoskeleton" acts like a sort of roll-cage around the individual's actual bones, e.g: if an Ossiodile were to fall, the outer Armour would take the brunt of the force and disperse the energy.
-The Desert Ossiodile has hollow Armour, this has been evolved to work as a form of heat regulation.
-The Marshland Ossiodile has "sensitive" Armour, this is connected to sensitive nerves that can feel vibrations.
PHYSICAL AND MUSCULAR BUILD
The Ossiodile is quite tall, on average, an individual can reach 215cm in height (7ft+), but certain individuals, such as "The Consultant", can reach up to 260cm (8.5ft).
Despite looking tall and long-limbed, they have strong, tightly packed muscles, most notably so in the back, tail, abdomen, neck, shoulders and especially the thighs. This is due the heavy Armour they carry, they have adapted strong muscles to ease, and keep their agility unimpaired.
Because of this, an average Ossiodile can strike with a force of around 600-800kg at 10 m/s (1300-1800lbs or 40,000 Joules), and can kick with a whopping force of 1.4-1.6 tons at 90 m/s (3000-3500lbs or 648,000 Joules!), as well as a frightfully powerful bite force of approximately 2-2.3 tons (4400-5000lbs).
Their powerful legs can propel them forward at a top speed of 30-40km/h (18-25mph) in short bursts. Sometimes, they will use their powerful arms to aid them in a chase, upping their top speed to 55km/h (35mph).
Ossiodiles can be semi-arboreal, meaning they can climb trees and ambush prey, but they spend most of their time on the ground.
BONY "FRILL/CREST"
The bony "crest" or "frill" around the head is made of the same material, Keratin, however, this plays a vital role in their hearing ability, and yet again it changes slightly depending on the variant, and is unique to the individual.
- For Alpine variants, the frill is used predominantly for hearing, acting almost like a satellite dish funneling sound towards their ears.
- For Marshland Variants, The frill has much longer spikes, again acting like sensory organs to detect vibrations through the water, and mud.
- For Desert Ossiodiles, The frill is hollow, this way it can help to reduce heat around the head and keep itself cool
EYES
All Ossiodiles have "Duo-Binocular" Vision, meaning they have four eyes in an arranged pattern, two eyes on each side of the head, slightly forward.
This allows the Ossiodile to have a very wide field of view, all while retaining full depth perception.
This is the same for all variants.
FUR COAT
Ossiodiles have fur, the length, roughness, etc, depends not only on the variant, but the individual as well.
Some individuals have black, blue, grey, yellow etc coloured fur, and in some rare cases, have had luminous, iridescent, and other unusual properties.
- The Alpine Ossiodile has the longest fur of all, adapted for cold climates, this is vital for their survival.
- The Marshland Ossiodile is often described as being "short-haired," due to the short, tightly packed hair strands that act as a sort of hydrophobic coating.
- The Desert Ossiodile has little, to sometimes no hair at all, but instead the hair has been found to have widened, and formed into keratin scales, and more forms.
HEAD PLATE
The Ossiodile's head is thick and bony, this again, is for protection, and is only partially formed by Keratin.
The actual skull of an Ossiodile, has been found to be twice as thick on the top, than it is in other parts.
Many parts of the skull have a void between the thick outer layer, and the inner layer, thus making their calls sound hollow and echo-y.
This is the same for all Variants apart from the Desert Ossiodile, who's skull isn't as thick.
ORAL DETAILS
Ossiodiles have two sets of teeth.
The first set is simple, it resembles the jaws of a crocodile or alligator, with the teeth sticking out occasionally, however the strangest part is the second set.
The second set, are these long, snake-like rows of fangs, hidden in the roof, and lower jaw of the mouth
These teeth are highly sophisticated, and are considered "dexterous," meaning they are able to have motion.
The teeth have evolved this way to be able to latch on to prey and not let go, as in their environment, a meal that gets away could mean starvation
When threatened, angry, catching food, asserting dominance, or for other reasons, the Ossiodile will open its jaws wide and stretch all of its second teeth, all while making terrifying screeches and other horrific noises.
VOCALIZATION
Ossiodiles have a wide vocal range, even more so than a human, or other mammal. This is due the large voids in their head and nasal cavities, allowing for more air to be "manipulated" inside its skull, thus, they are able to create a more diverse range of sounds if needed.
Normally, they sound hollow, like speaking through a big plastic pipe.
MENTAL CAPACITY
Despite seeming savage, Ossiodiles are Sapient and have an above average sized brain, and a seemingly in-depth understanding of life, nature and their place in it.
Some Ossiodiles even have a sort of philosopher role in their communities.
During hunts, the Ossiodiles demonstrate a great feat of strategy, coordination, and planning.
Culture.
The Ossiodiles are a race of previously thought to be unintelligent "animals." However this is a misnomer and a stereotype.
Ossiodile's have been found to have a rich culture between them, in particular, the Alpine variant.
They have developed rituals, societies, and much more.
SOCIETY
Ossiodile Societies are far more primitive than modern ones, however they are smart enough to engage in meaningful conversation between themselves, and other species.
Ossiodiles have a bad reputation of appearing like savages, but this is due to their scary appearance, and almost tribal ways.
Some Ossiodiles play key roles in a society, for example, a Medic, Shaman, Philosopher, and sometimes even artistic roles.
However, due to the harsh environment's requirements to survive, roles which require physical strength and fortitude is valued over secondary needs.
VALUES AND BELIEFS
Ossiodiles value physical strength, as stated before. However this does not mean there is no place for those who offer different strengths, most Ossiodile colonies will be accepting to artistic and secondary strengths, but if manpower is low, these individuals will have to take on other roles to fill the gaps.
An Ossiodile society is community driven, meaning that some people might call them "communists," but this isn't a bad thing, as Ossiodiles know they have to work together to survive the harsh, unforgiving environment.
They value individualism and acceptance to a high degree, meaning that many individuals have rich personalities.
Because of this, some Ossiodiles get into fights, at this point, a specific individual is brought over to resolve it, who we will call "The Consultant."
This Ossiodile is usually bigger and stronger than average, however, they do not solve the issue with violence, but with separating the two, and consulting them later.
If the fight is particularly bad, the large Ossiodile will have to use its strength to immobilize the individuals involved by grabbing them in a strong "bear hug" and holding them there until they calm down.
If the fight doesn't resolve, the perpetrators, usually both, are to be punished by the Consultant by keeping them in a sort of rehabilitation center.
Ossiodiles are predominantly hunters.
They hunt in groups of around six to fourteen individuals, led by the strongest female in the colony, however, this is not to say that one gendered Ossiodile is weaker than another, most are equal and don't see many differences between an individual's sex, unlike other species.
If an Ossiodile were to get hurt while in a hunting group, the group would split into three subgroups:
Subgroup one, the persistent: these make up to and above half of the group. these individuals continue to hunt in the nearby area, looking for much smaller prey.
Subgroup two, the shields: these Ossiodiles make up a smaller percentage of the group, usually around four to six.
Their job is to surround the injured, and protect them from other predators.
Subgroup three, the alerts: These make up the smallest portion of the group, usually no more than three.
Their job is to run back home and alert the colony of the incident, and bring back help.
There are a few individuals in the groups too, such as a medic, consultant, tracker and more.
Ossiodiles believe everything has a soul, if a hunting group successfully catch food (which is usually pretty brutal), they perform a sort of ceremony for the animal. Like a burial, they honor the animal's existence and apologize for it's death.
In these ceremonies, the Ossiodiles conclude it with an eerie, yet beautiful form of singing. It is said it sounds like the wind was given a voice.
(Disclaimer, everything written here is a work of fiction, and is not a real creature, or based on any real life race)
RULES
Ossiodiles come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, but all follow a few rules and aspects
If it doesn't apply to the rules below, then it is technically not an ossiodile
CAN:
- have different shaped "crests" (it doesn't have to be all twisty branches)
- have hair
- have accessories
- have different "bone" patterns (e.g the layout of my oc's bone Armour is unique-ish to him)
- be different colours
- be hairless (desert), fluffy (Alpine/default) or short-hair
- have horns
- have different ears
CANT:
- have more, or less eyes than four (possibly only for adopts)
- have wings (possibly only adoptables can)
- have extra limbs
- have no "bones"
- have no "frill"
- be a hybrid (possibly only adoptables can)