Minerva (ID: m996)

Grouping: Avian

Falcoraptors are small, social pack predators with a complex hierarchy. Highly intelligent and easily trained by one it sees as dominant to it, these avians have been observed in the wild to use their pack hunting strategy to drive off predators from their nests, including Dontorexes and even young Lightcatchers. They appear to be the natural predators of Aceranguis, displaying an immunity to the snakes' venom and the perfect evolutionary traits to keep them from escaping. Equipped with fantastic clarity of vision to pick out their camouflaged prey, raised switchblade-like claws to pin it down, and a spiked beak to prevent a slithering escape, Falcoraptors are one prominent reason why travel through Crop Circle Canyon doesn't have so many reports of Aceranguis attacks. Able to both run and fly swiftly, very few animals are able to escape a well-coordinated pack in full pursuit.

Though fiercely defensive of their own species in the wild, this appears to be a byproduct of the tightly-knit packs which these raptors form. Though captive specimens can identify unfamiliar members of their own species, Falcoraptors display disinterest in each other in favor of their handlers and any creatures with which they were raised, seeing them as packmates. They display remarkable emotional intelligence, being highly intuitive and attentive to the emotions of their handlers, and have been known to comfort or even outright act in defense of them. The avians are capable of following complex commands and improvising if a command isn't given. Research is being done into the species' communicative and cognitive abilities, and whether or not they can be considered sapient.

Artwork: Keileon