Pterodaustro dionaliarium - "The Wing of the South" - MonstersHunters

[MonstersHunters]

 

When looking at ideas for a new pterosaur species for Ark Survival Evolved. The species Pterodaustro comes to mind, but many communities create unique designs and suggestions for this species, that don't take into mind the anatomy and background behind the Pterodausto, creating subspecies more similar to Rhamphorhynchus and Dorygnathus, where the animal's teeth are sharp and act like needles. However, while these ideas aren't bad, and in my opinion would work for something else. My team and I personally think that a much larger variant of Pterodaustro, a pterosaur with a baleen like mouth from South America (specifically Chile and Argentina) would and could work as a new rideable flyer to the game (and/or possibly for Ark 2). 

 

 

Common Name:

Pterodaustro

 

Species: Pterodaustro dionaliarium

Time: Early Cretaceous

Diet: Filter-Feeder

Temperament: Docile

 

Tameable: Yes

Rideable: Yes

Breedable: Yes

 

Torpidity Immune: No
Taming Method: Passive
Preferred Kibble: N/A
Preferred Food:  Raw Prime Fish Meat
Equipment: "Pterodaustro" Saddle (Level 39)
Rider Weaponry: Yes
Humans Can Carry: No

 

 

 

cooked pterasaur ...
reddit.com

 

 

Wild:

"Basking in the shallows of Ark's oceans, Pterodaustro dionaliarium is a unique medium-sized ctenochasmatid pterodactyloid pterosaur that lives in the warmer climates of the Ark. Having a mouth full of bristle-like teeth that help the Pterodaustro filter feed, this gentle species lives in moderately sized colonies. Having nesting grounds placed around beaches and coasts, this species migrates and travels around the Ark depending on the season and the amount of food available to that location. However, these pterosaurs are highly adapted to their aquatic environments, and can be found in and around estuaries, lakes, seas and open oceans in search of food. 
 

Being one of the few species of flying animals in the Ark adapted to water, Pterodaustro stride and paddle with their splayed hindlegs, tilting their heads and filtering smaller organisms from the water below, a strategy that they also perform in freshwater environments. Feeding off of crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs, invertebrates, algae, and small fish, these food sources give the pterosaur a pinkish to whitish skin texture and pigmentation. This is a by-product of the metabolization of pigments from their food source, similar to the process with flamingos. After this process, P. dionaliarium will clean its upper coating of pycnofibres that cover its back and the top of its torso in order to keep itself clean and to prevent parasites and further damage to its skin and these fibers. A form of cleaning similar to preening performed by avian waterbirds".

 

 

Domesticated:

"When saddled and domesticated by a survivor, Pterodaustro becomes one of the best aquatic and aerial travel mounts. Instead of having to be fed via fish like other aquatic birds and pterosaurs, this pterosaur can filter feed by sitting on the water’s surface and skimming, using its baleen-like teeth to snare and trap small invertebrates and microorganisms. Alongside that, the Pterodaustro is great at chitin harvesting and with its increased speed and size. It can quickly avoid predators and long-ranged weaponry. The "Pterodausto’s" paddle-like feet that allow it to lightly tread and paddle in the water, the recommended saddle can allow multiple (two to three()survivors to use fishing roads on the sides of the saddle, use the saddle as a storage for supplies and as the perfect aquatic and aerial travel mount".

- Helena Walker

 

 

 

 

Abilities and Advantages:

 

• The pterodaustro can filter-feed anywhere where there is a body of water, freshwater and (primarily) salt water.

 

• The Pterodaustro receives a nocturnal boost at night, this is because of the scleral rings found in Pterodaustro fossils and skeletons that suggests that it most likely filter-fed at night similar to modern day anseriformes and/or waterfowl (geese for example). At night the pterodaustro can use its eyes to detect prey underwater, similar to a Snow Owl's vision.

 

• A natural way that the Pterodaustro can perform to reduce its hunger depletion, is through an ability known as "Stone Digestion". The ability is activated with the swallowing of gastroliths, stomach stones and/or gizzard stones that can be found as standard stones, rocks and even sand piles that coat the shore of beaches and lakes. These stones and minerals can be swallowed by the pterodaustro to reduce hunger depletion in the hunger bar of the pterodaustro by 2.5% (there is a limit of 10 stones that can be swallowed - an overall percentage of a 25% debuff towards its hunger) as the stones and compounds help break down tough materials in the animal’s stomach such as the chitin and hard carapace of crustaceans. This ability is in effect until the animal disposes of the stones through its intestinal tract. When this ability is activated, the Pterodaustro's weight is lightly (barely) affected, but also its buoyancy. 

 

• When swallowing prey such as fish (megapiranhas, sabertooth salmon and coelacanth) and/or gathering chitin from trilobites, ammonites and other invertebrates, it grants a regeneration effect similar to that of an Argentavis.

 

• The Pterodaustro has a 50% weight reduction towards oil, silica and black pearls and chitin, but also has a 10% increased gathering rate of these listed items.

 

• With its large neck muscles and strong spine, the Pterodaustro can lightly skim the water when in flight, for about 2 minutes. Replenishing hunger instantly, but will have to rest shortly after, filling the hunger metre to full and applying the digesting effect. This characteristic might be considered impossible due to drag and other physics applied especially to the animal’s skeletal and muscular system, but it adds to the fictional yet scientific characteristics of Ark Survival Evolved.

 

• Young pterodaustro have a fast growth rate and an imprinting buff towards their health, movement speed, weight, oxygen and stamina stats.

 

• The pterodaustro can perform a “pumping mechanism” or “pumping action” similar to that of flamingos, auks and mallard ducks that has only been found possible in pterodaustro when compared to other Ctenochasmatinae pterosaurs. When performed by a pterodaustro, it uses its tongue to pass water through its baleen like strainer to make filter-feeding more efficient and separate and sift out different organisms from the water below, allowing it to collect specific resources from its environment such as chitin or oil from invertebrates depending on the pterodaustro.

 

 

Weaknesses

 

• After leaving a body of water and settling on land, the Pterodaustro has a 80-90% chance of having to clean itself off, or the pterosaur will have a slowness debuff applied and will have difficulty during flight.

 

• The Pterodaustro can't eat kibbles and other resources such as mutton, but rather chitin, raw and prime fish meat and/or using its filter feeding ability to fill up its hunger bar.

 

• The Pterodaustro have short legs, that allow the animal to launch at a fairly low angle, resulting in the animal having a fairly frantic take off when compared to other pterosaurs.
   

 

 

 

Any suggestions and comments please reply below.

These are my team's suggestions, so all credit and all reference goes to them for the idea (s).

Thanks.

- MonstersHunters

 

 

 

 

Website References and Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterodaustro

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ctenochasmatidae