Carakiller

RefName	CARAKILLER
Type	Flightless bird
Time zone	5 million years
Type:Flightless bird	2.5 metres high
Ancestor	Caracara, a South American Falcon
Ancestor:Caracara, a South American Falcon	In Grassland
Diet	Babookari
Diet:Babookari	Nothing

The Carakiller is the evolution of the Caracara, a bird that spends a lot of its time walking. The Future is Wild speculated that it grew larger and taller, lost flight, and claws began to grow on its wings. It stands three meters tall and hunts in packs.

In the absence of established ground predators this descendent of a caracara has evolved into a large velociraptor-like bird. About eight feet tall, with a large, hooked beak and razor-sharp claws they are fearsome predators. They have long legs and are well adapted to short bursts of speed.

Classification

S - Caracaraoccisor caracara

G - Caracaraoccisor

F - Falconidae

O - Falconiformes

C - Aves

P - Chordata

K - Animalia

Behavior

The carakiller hunts in roving packs of six or seven. They hunt prey by chasing them while another carakiller goes around in front of the prey. They nest in a single spot protected by the Carakillers of it's pack. They feed off the fire's edge running down anything that escapes the flames (Mainly Babookari). The birds run ahead of the flames, snapping up small mammals, snakes, birds, and lizards as they are flushed from their hiding places.

Description

Carakiller a large stocky phorusrachid-like birds with a crown off plumage resembling a saddle cock. They have red and bits of black feathers with creamy white skin. The wings are still muscular and aerodynamic. They act as stabilizers when the birds run at speed, helping then to turn corners quickly. They are covered with insulating feathers – shaggy on the back and legs and fine on the chest. The head and neck are bare – like a vulture’s – feathers would get sticky when eating prey.

Feeding

Carakillers are the velociraptors of the future, hunting in packs across the Amazon Grassland and signalling with their colourful plumes. They hunt baboon-like babookari.

Hunters signal with their long neck feathers – raising and lowering them. Each wing has a large, large sickle-shaped claw.

They run down and kill babookari – sharing the victim.

When fire races across the grasslands, the carakillers run ahead of it, snapping up small fleeing animals. They also pick over charred corpses.

Breeding

Nothing is known, but the caracara breeds as follows:

Carakillers lay their eggs on the ground communally during the wet season, when fires are less frequent. Crested Caracaras build a massive stick nest in a palm, cactus, tree, or on the ground. The female usually lays 2 - 3 eggs that are incubated for 28 - 32 days. The young caracaras have a drawn out fledging period, taking up to 3 months before they are flying as independent birds.

Notable Carakillers

• Subo, Zodek, Zaba, Zork, and Zobo.