Cearadactylus atrox

Coloration:
Adult (both sexes) - Dark grey fur on the body, yellowish naked snout, semi-transparent wing membranes naked, leathery, and pink with the veins visible.

Juvenile (both sexes) - Same as adult, only the grey is very light, almost white.

Preferred Habitat:
Like Pteranodon hippocratesi, the highly aggressive Cearadactylus bred on Sorna were never intended to roam free. These fiercely territorial pterosaurs were quite wisely locked up in their own section of the vast Aviary – separated from the other pterosaurs to minimize harm to them as well as that of the InGen staff. Since the human’s abandonment of the island, the Cearadactylus have since managed to escape through rusted dents and holes in their enclosure, and now fly freely around Sorna. They like to nest high in the mountains of Sorna’s Mountain Range, flying out to sea in search of food.

Diet:
Mostly fish, but Cearadactylus will readily consume any creature unfortunate enough to intrude upon its territory, even others of its kind. It may also try to breach into nesting colonies of female Pteranodon longiceps sternbergi in order to steal unprotected eggs and fledglings.

Social Structure:
Family groups consisting of one or two males, one or four related females and young.

Description:
Medium-sized pterosaur. Easily recognizable for its long, slender jaws with menacing interlocking teeth designed for fish-catching, but also serving as deadly weapons. It is these jaws and teeth which have earned the pterosaur’s nickname of “saw-dactyls”. The wings are leathery, and the body has a coating of downy fuzz.

Behaviors:
The first pterosaur cloned by InGen, Cearadactylus is easily the most aggressive and ill-tempered pterosaur on Isla Sorna; perhaps even more so than the infamous Pteranodon hippocratesi. Cearadactylus has the tendency to attack anything that moves, even harmless animals and occasionally its own kind. It seemingly has little fear of the ground dwelling carnivores such as Velociraptor or even the mighty Tyrannosaurus and will attack these carnivores with as much vigor as any other intruder. Both sexes are extremely territorial of their home ranges and fights between rivalling family groups are very common, often leading to deaths or severe injuries. Cearadactylus attacks ground-dwelling animals by dive bombing and striking with their spear-like beaks or the sharp talons on its feet, until the interloper either manages to escape or is killed. These attacks are often so ruthless that if the victim cannot find somewhere that is out of reach, the latter is the usual outcome. In some cases, Cearadactylus may try to snatch smaller creatures in its talons to carry it away, attempting to drop it from a great height. The animals Cearadactylus kill do not go to waste, for this pterosaur will often consume the remains. Other pterosaurs and even its own kind are not excluded from this animal’s carnivorous tendencies.

Cearadactylus is more active at dawn and dusk. Vocalizations include long, low whistles, high-pitched screams, squeaks, gibbers, and also crocodile-like hissing. This pterosaur is an excellent flyer and can manoeuvre with ease even in narrow spaces. Females will lay a single egg (two on rare occasions) in their nests and adults of the same family group each take turns to find food. If food is scarce, the pterosaurs will eat their own young.

To avoid conflicts with P. hippocratesi, both species have established territories on different sections of Sorna. The Mountain Ranges are more populous with Cearadactylus, while P. hippocratesi are more common around the Southern Highlands. Fights between either species are uncommon, with heavy casualties on both sides when they do occur.