Soft-footed hookjaw

Fig. 1: Male with mating plumage trotting

Fig. 2: Female

Fig. 3: Male without mating plumage

Outside of the mating season, male soft-footed hookjaws shed the longer feathers on their crests, resulting in an appearance more closely resembling females.

Fig. 4: Female tail

Fig. 5: Female arm

Only male soft-footed hookjaws possess quills on their arms and tails.  Females lack these quills, and have thinner tail fans.

Fig. 6: Tail display

Male Alteinosaurus rebus grow colorful display feathers on the underside of their tails during mating season, absent in females.

Fig. 7: Extremely soft integument covers much of body

Fig. 8: Coarser coating on wings

Fig. 9: Stiff, dark, quills, varying in size

Fig. 10: Hairlike structures on belly

Fig. 11: Long display feathers

Fig. 12: Short display feather

Alteinosaurus rebus is covered by feather-like structures for display and insulation.  Many of their feathers are very soft to mask sound while stalking prey.

Fig. 13: Size comparison to human

Fig. 14: Alteinosaur tooth

Alteinosaurus teeth are too fragile for combat


Colors:  Tan, with black spots and blotches in varying patterns on the body

Average Weight:  365 pounds in males, 350 pounds in females

Average Height:  3' 2" at the shoulder in males, 3' at the shoulder in females

Average Length:  16' 10" in males, 16' 7" in females

Temperament:  Impassive

Habitat:  Scrub Valley in New Australia

Maximum Lifespan:  19 years

Top Speed: 30 miles per hour on the ground, 68 miles per hour in the air

Diet:  Small animals

Names:  Alteinosaurus rebus, soft-footed hookjaw, feral dragonfowl


Alteinosaurus rebus is a terrestrial ambush predator that relies on its dark markings to break up its outline in the scrub in order to get close to prey, its soft feathers muffling the sound as it creeps closer.  Soft-footed hookjaws are solitary, and prey upon animals smaller and lighter than themselves.  They use their wings and legs to to inch towards their target and stay low to the ground until they are close enough to strike.  The Alteinosaur then leaps forward, using flaps from its wings to extend its stride and aid turning.  Upon catching up to its prey, the predator punches it with the wingwrists to knock it over, then pushes it onto the ground with its arms.  The hookjaw keeps the prey pinned with its wing claws while it secures a grip with its feet and flaps its wings for balance, then uses its weight to keep the victim down while it exhausts itself struggling.  Once the prey has no fight left, the Alteinosaur will claw open the throat of its prey, waiting for its victim to bleed out, then feed.  This process can sometimes take a very long time to see to completion, and if a larger carnivore approaches and attempts to steal the kill, the hookjaw will be forced to abandon it.  Come mating season, males construct nests out of sticks atop boulders or tall plants, and begin rubbing themselves on everything in the area to spread their scent to mark the area as their own nesting site and deter other males  The buck signals his location to females by screeching loudly.  The size of the nest, rather than the actual structure, attracts females, and if a female approaches a male, he attempts to further prove his fitness to the female by performing a display involving rotating while standing upright, shaking his head and arms, spreading his wings, and raising his tail vertically.  If the female accepts him, the male will mate with her, and continue trying to attract more females.  The male will feed the females before the eggs are laid, then, once clutches of 3 eggs are laid, the male will place them in the nest and incubate them for the next 8 weeks.  During the incubation period, the females gather food for the male, and any food left uneaten by the male is squabbled over by the other females.  As the eggs hatch, the male leaves, and the females are left to care for the young.  The females band together in a group to protect their young, but still hunt individually.  The young live with their mothers for 2 years.  The young eventually disperse as well, scavenging off of other predator's kills until they are old enough to make their own kills.  Despite being solitary, young Alteinosaurs sometimes swarm kills in such numbers that other animals are actually intimidated from approaching carcasses.  After 7 years, the juveniles reach sexual maturity and begin to search for mates.