fan dossier [Fan Dossier] Dakotaraptor

[Hope]

So I've been wanting to make fan dossiers for a long time now but I was going to make them in art form. Unfortunately I found myself with more ideas than I could draw, so I'm just going to write them up and then maybe do art of a handful of them instead.

So, to start off with this, introducing...
 

Common name: Dakotaraptor
Scientific name: Dakotaraptor pachyavis
Time: Late Cretaceous
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Territorial

Wild
One of the few dinosaurs found on the island fully covered in feathers, they can be found in the cooler climates near the Redwood forests as well as any dense jungles or wooded areas. This seems to have resulted in them favoring staying in packs to hunt together, using the think foliage to ambush prey. This pack-like behavior seems to invigorate Dakotaraptor pachyavis and results in larger packs being able to outrun even the faster prey items on the island. What is more curious about Dakotaraptor is that by itself, they seem to be slower than the other raptors found on the island. I will have to research more on what may cause the increase in speeds when they are in packs, but one thing is for sure: a pack of Dakotaraptor is not something you will be able to outrun safely.
 

The Dakotaraptors of the island are hardy creatures that seem to be able to traverse even the roughest of terrain for miles upon miles. They are able to jump with little effort through the air, whether it is to reach spots they normally could not approach on foot, or to tackle smaller prey items and pin them to the ground. It seems their stamina knows no bounds, and that their strength is great. I have witnessed a lone Dakotaraptor lift the carcass of a Parasaur into a tree to feast upon safely, a feat that shows the great weights it can carry.

Domesticated
While some tribes I have seen use the Dakotaraptor for war mounts, I have seen far more tribes make use of its endurance and weight lifting capabilities to make caravans of the creature. The fact that it grows stronger and faster in packs seems to almost encourage this use, as large quantities of materials and other important objects can be carried quickly in a small pack halfway across the island. And because they are efficient predators, this allows them to protect themselves as well as any other creature that is a part of the caravan from most small to medium sized predators, barring anything as big as or bigger than a Rex. It seems that their ability to pin even comes in use for dealing with any flying threats that get too close for comfort.
A most interesting sight I have seen is of a pack of Dakotaraptors perched on the back of a Paraceratherium as it moved along in a caravan. It seems like their fondness for roosting allows for convenient ways to bring them along aside from on foot.

[FlyinJapman4]

They would be the leopards of ARK, with the ability to jump and pin prey, and get a pack-boost speed increase.

[Cailean556]

Granted my word doesn't really count for much but I could see a place for Dakotaraptor - feathers and all. I find its ability to carry prey and perch as well as the pack-boosted Speed to be a very interesting mechanic (though I think a jumping into a tree with a Parasaur in its mouth may be a bit too much) and I found the reference for it perching on a Paracer to be quite humourous - brings to mind those birds that perch on a Rhinos back.

[Hope]

On 1/3/2017 at 6:11 PM, Cailean556 said:

Granted my word doesn't really count for much but I could see a place for Dakotaraptor - feathers and all. I find its ability to carry prey and perch as well as the pack-boosted Speed to be a very interesting mechanic (though I think a jumping into a tree with a Parasaur in its mouth may be a bit too much) and I found the reference for it perching on a Paracer to be quite humourous - brings to mind those birds that perch on a Rhinos back.

Yeah, there would definitely be some balancing needed for it to work. I imagine it would definitely have a size limit partially based on how big the animal and partially based on the weight it currently has.

And yeah, I just thought of how birds perch on stuff including sometimes other animals and decided it would be cool to have it be a tame that could store itself away but still be capable of being brought place to place.