roy3100

Thank you! I really wanted this to be a jack of all trades mount rather than have it specialize in just one thing. Not many creatures in Ark can detect environmental shifts, so I figured it be interesting ability to incorporate.

I really like this suggestion! It definitely was not something I was expecting to see in this vote, but I like what you've come up with. The actual animal was very strange and unique, and, similar to what I've submitted and submissions I've been upvoting, is something obscure that I think deserves some spotlight. Best of luck to your submission, I'd love to see this in game!

Pachystruthio is a giant bird known from Europe and Africa’s Pliocene and Pleistocene eras. This giant bird was nearly 1,000 pounds and around 12 feet tall, meaning it ranks alongside the giant moa and elephant bird as the largest bird to ever live. Unlike the two however, it lived on a mainland continent alongside many predators, and early human relatives. Already accustomed to such challenges, these birds have managed to make out a living on the Ark. Often seen sprinting across the wastelands of Extinction, these giants can be a useful taming companion, fast travel mount, or even an effective war bird. Whatever the situation calls for you can trust your feathered friend to have your back. Abilities: -Wall runner: When in a full sprint they can traverse and scale steep walls, rocks, and other structures that tend to block most creatures. -Stone launcher: Large bird species today tend to swallow rocks and stones to help grind up the food they eat. In game you’re able to passively feed tamed birds stones. Once it eats enough stones it will gain the ability to perform a new attack, that being the ability to spew out the digested rocks at attackers like a living slingshot. The resulting stones being spat out can cause heavy topor and temporarily blind attackers. -180 degree spin: Able to twist and spin while moving at full speed, then rapidly charge forward in the changed direction -Peck: A basic peck that does damage and collects resources -Boom call: Modern ostriches produce loud, deep booming vocalizations to communicate with each other. Struthio does this as well, and this boom hits at such a low frequency that it can be used for two methods. The first can be used to scare smaller creatures, corrupted or not, away. This works on animals up to carno size. The second can be used to detect resources, as the struthio will boom if you're getting close to a desired resource. You can train the struthio to locate certain materials in a similar way to a moschops. -Weather detector: Able to detect meteor showers minutes before they happen, the struthio will alert its rider of the incoming threat by ruffling its feathers and shaking its wings. -Eggs: These massive birds lay equally massive eggs, and these eggs on their own provide massive nourishment. They are most useful however when used in recipes, as they can be used as substitutes to craft antidotes, and can be used to craft any type of kibble. Predators love the taste of these eggs as well, and they provide a similar use to them in the way that raw mutton does. -Insulation: Their fluffy feathers keep the rider insulated from both hot and cold temperatures. -Kick: A kick that cause bleed and knockback -Duststorm: When in the middle of a losing fight, these birds can rapidly kick up sand and dust, temporarily slowing down the attacker and providing an opportunity to escape. Swimming: Modern ostriches are actually decent swimmers, able to float and propel themselves forward with their powerful legs. While not the fastest swimmers, don’t be afraid to cross water with your Pachystruthio. They’ll be able to pass the map's waterways just fine at a decent speed. Appearance: Unlike modern ostriches who have bald heads and necks, these birds have fluffy down on their heads and necks. The rest of their bodies are covered in tough, weather resistant feathers. The only parts of their body not feathered are their legs and feet. Males tend to have brighter plumage while females have duller, faded versions in comparison. Size: Absolutely massive, and undoubtedly the largest birds in Ark. Large bodied and a long extended neck, they stand taller than an allo. Behavior: These birds usually travel in small flocks made up of one to two males and a handful of females. They are naturally passive unless provoked or if they’re eggs are stolen. If a member of the flock is attacked, the females will sprint away in all directions while the males will charge and attack the aggressor. If the attacker is overwhelming the males, they’ll kick up a dust storm and retreat. When unprovoked and peacefully wandering around, they will frequently partake in dust baths. Taming method: These birds are very resistant to tranqs, and cannot be tamed in the traditional way. Instead a survivor must approach them while they’re having a dust bath, mount them and hold on for dear life as they sprint around trying to knock you off. While dashing around they’ll knock into objects like rocks and trees, and after a while of this they’ll crash and fall, briefly tired out. Once they're like this you can passively feed them their preferred foods, fungal wood, blue crystalized sap, or superior kibble. Rinse and repeat until tamed! Saddle: There are multiple types of saddles you can equip with the Struthio. You can ride them without a saddle, the next is a multi purpose saddle that acts as an extra bit of added armor alongside a mobile crafting station, and finally a small platform saddle. The platform saddle is smaller than the platform saddles of other creatures, but still large enough to carry the basic necessities you’d need during travel or for battle. The multi-purpose saddle acts as weather resistant aid, protecting the tame and rider against the negative effects induced from being out in the wasteland. I’ve left an example below that gives a good idea of what I’d be going for. Additional references:

Thank you! Even tho I'm gonna bring this submission back for the Valguero vote I'd still definitely love seeing it in mod form. Knowing how high quality Ark Additions is they could definitely do this idea and creature justice. Plus since mods are coming to consoles with Ascended it would mean that everyone could enjoy it, which would be great.

I love seeing the ideas people come up with for their prehistoric bird submissions, this a really good concept! I love how colorful you made it as well, and what you've proposed is something I genuinely haven't seen before so good job. Best of the luck, I hope this gets more attention.

Made some alterations and specifications based on what you said, thanks for the support on the idea.

Hell yeah, giant eagle solidarity!

This is a really good submission, and this creature in general is just really fitting for the Center. Nice work!

As someone who also submitted a giant eagle for this vote, Haast's Eagle, I love your idea and hope it does well.

Haha, I figured something that scares off pests would catch people's eye, especially for the Center with all the seagulls on the beach and microraptors in the Redwoods. And thank you, I really wanted to make this bird feel different from the ones we have so the games avian wildlife feels more diverse. Since the talons of both living and extinct eagles are such a crucial part of their survival, I figured it is best to give them abilities that heavily incorporate this aspect of their biology.

Definitely, a really fitting submission and the Center's deep oceans could be great. I love the submarine saddle concept, I myself had the same idea for one of my submissions but this is arguably more fitting given this creature's sheer size. Good luck with the vote.

This a great submission! As someone who also submitted some flyers for this vote, I'm glad a lot of people showed up with some aerial creativity of their own! Good luck with the vote, I could definitely see this feeling very at home on the map.

The Haast Eagle, scientifically known as the Hieraatus Moorei, is the largest species of eagle to have ever existed. Native to New Zealand, this eagle was the uncontested apex predator of the ecosystem, tackling and bringing down prey as large as the giant moa and possibly New Zealand's first humans. Its genus name in Greek means harpax, meaning grappling hook, and it’s very likely the influence of the folklore of giant man-eating birds in New Zealand like the Pouakai and Hokioi. Adapted to hunt prey larger and heavier than itself, haast eagles would divebomb prey on the forest floor from trees, slamming into them at high speeds while slashing away with their tiger-sized talons and beak. The force exerted by this would be similar to having a large cinder block dropped on you from a four-story building. Accustomed to life in the jungles, haast eagles are commonly found soaring across the Center’s many forests, redwood biome, and floating island. These powerful predators are well adapted to snatching prey, predators, or egg thieves that encroach on their territory or threaten their nests. Please read: The dossier used above WAS NOT created by me. Abilities -Divebomb attack that temporarily stuns land and flying creatures up to the size of a yuty or quetzal on impact. While diving the eagle can perform a barrel roll and quickly change direction to avoid missing the target. However unlike the pteranodons they can take this roll a bit further, be able to claw strike and dive while rolling. -Perch: While sustained long periods of stamina are what argents specialize in, haast eagles specialize in maneuverability and speed. To conserve stamina the eagle is able to lock on and perch on the many various surfaces with its massive talons, primarily they can perch on the vines/zip lines connecting the rock formations across parts of the map, While perched on these vines, provided there's enough space, they can slide down or shuffle up in a similar manner to ravagers and gigantopithecus. Doing this does not drain any stamina. -Swoop: Like the snow owl and griffin they can swoop -Passive scare: Small animals are frightened by the eagle, and will passively flee from it. These animals include microraptors, pegos, troodons, hyaenodons, and ichthyornis. -Insulation: Similar to the direbear, the eagles course and fluffy feathers provide insulation to the rider -Wing attack, after soaring/diving for a short amount of time will gain the ability to perform a new attack. When landed, a built-up wing beat will result in a gust of wind that pushes attackers back. Works up to creatures the size of a carno/baryonyx. The resulting hit has the potential to keep several attackers back for several seconds. The wing beat will also collect nearby resources if not being used to attack anything. -Eagle eye: Birds of prey have some of the best eyesight of all animals, and I think it should be utilized. These eagles are active both day and night, and utilize their eyesight to spot enemies and prey at all times of the day. Eagles are able to spot and point out enemies in a large vicinity, these enemies include those buried underground. When ridden the eagle eye function can also view the stats of creatures you're directly looking at. -Enhanced agility , able to turn on a dime at high speeds through the trees -Prime meat collector can collect prime meat from smaller creatures with its talons. In turn a reduction of prime meat, meat, and hide is present. -Maneuverability is one of the birds main strong suits, riders will be able the benefits of its more nimble frame compared to tames like argents and pteranodons -A screech that frightens small creatures, this works on creatures up to the size of a direwolf -Pest Control: when set on wandering it targets small creatures in a large vicinity like troodons, pegos, dilos, and ichthyornis(this factors into the whole prime meat collector thing). If the eagle doesn’t kill them in one hit it will seize them with its talons and tear them apart while airborne. This can be particularly useful on beaches where these creatures are a constant annoyance. -The pest control ability would also target non tribemates on foot trying to sneak into your base, so having some of these soaring or perched around the base would be very beneficial from getting raided -Carrying: These large birds can pick up the majority of the Ark's smaller creatures. While not able to hold creatures as large as the argent, they can carry heavier animals than the ptera. They are able to attack any creatures that they're holding. -Talon snatch: Having the most powerful grip of any of Arks flyers, these birds can latch onto and drag foundations, dead and unconscious creatures up to carno size, survivors, and even fish near the water's surface! Traditionally a forest eagle, these birds are opportunists and take advantage of the abundant good located in the Centers waterways. Taming Method: There are two ways of taming haast eagles. Adults can be passively tamed by being ensnared by a net gun. Once down they can be passively fed their preferred food, mutton. They will however be able to still snap and cut through the net so move quickly. Once freed they’ll briefly retreat but return to the attack, in doing so they can be ensnared again and the taming process can be contained. Be careful, as the speed at which adults can move can make this difficult. The alternative is more straightforward and is done by collecting eggs from nests in large trees and cliffsides. Once eggs are collected the parents will go after you, so get out fast. -Climbing: Able to land on vertical structures with its talons like the tapejara, it can stay hooked on and shuffle up structures slowly without draining stamina. These talons are a great multi purpose tool for what you need! Nest loot: Eggs aren't the only thing that can be found in nests. Most large eagle nests today are full of fur and bones from previous meals, so even if the eggs are the main focus one could collect some pelt or additional resources from nests/empty nests. Nest loot can range from items like hide, wood, thatch, gems, and mushrooms, to melee weapons like hatchets, picks, and climbing picks. Appearance: Appearance loosely based on the largest living forest eagles like a harpy, crowned, and philippine eagles, but with obvious differences to give it a distinct, different look. To some extent, it would make sense for it to have some slight resemblance to the little eagle(ironically it's closest living relative). Having a crown of feathers like some other large raptors that could be a color region would also add to its look. A small detail that should be mentioned was that in real life it had a fairly long beak compared to most eagles. Another detail that should be acknowledged is its broad, rounded wings. These wings would be more robust and rounded compared to those of other flyers in a similar look to the real creature, which gave it less ability to soar but allowed for its extreme aerial maneuverability. Also similar to modern eagles, its posture would be in a tall, upright stance when grounded or perched. Spawn locations: A forest eagle by default, these birds can also be found on the maps of mountainous and canyon regions. While less common, they can be found on the maps snow regions as well. Colors: Small detail that can be taken into consideration regarding appearance, Maori(New Zealand's first people) oral tradition from the late 1800s records described it as apparently having “red, black, and white plumage with black feathers tinged with yellow or green with a bunch of red feathers on the head”. Source: https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/haasts-eagle#:~:text=Maori%20oral%20tradition%20from%20the,of%20a%20small%20golden%20eagle Drops: Feathers, raw meat, raw prime meat, hide, and talons(dropped talons can be used as a keratin subsitute) Crafting: Once killed and harvested the natural loot collected can be used for weapon advancements. Eagle talons can be used to craft certain melee weapons and can be used as a substitute for keratin in other crafting. Items that eagle talons can be used to craft include climbing picks, sickles, picks, etc. These weapons do more damage and have more piercing ability compared to their normal metal counterparts. On other hand, eagle feathers can be used to boost the accuracy and firing speed of weapons, specifically arrows. Simply add a feather as an attachment on your crossbow and your arrows will do boosted damage, fly faster, and have a higher chance of hitting a moving target. Ideas from past comments: -When grabbing enemy players, if receiving too much damage, the eagle will keep flying upward before dropping them from a great height. This idea actually makes a lot of sense as large eagle species have been documented doing this to animals. -Is able to swoop like the snow owl -When diving and slashing, the eagle can rip a parachute. -Spawn in the high mountains and redwoods. -Specialization: Can be trained to specialize in attacking certain creatures like insects, theropods, mammals, etc. Aberrant variant: These flyers do spawn in the map's Aberrant cave, and have an Aberrant variant that can only be found there. Image Credit(please read): /THE IMAGE IN THE PROPOSED SIZE COMPARISON AND DOSSIER IS NOT MY ART/. The art in the proposed size is from Cenozoic Life.blogspot. The illustration of the eagle is from Jurassic World Alive, who’s done a great job of displaying the animal. The outline for the eagle with wings expanded can be credited to Emily Stepp over on Twitter as well. Be sure to follow her if you're a fan of great paleo art. Keep in mind I do not intend for the creature in-game to look exactly like either depiction, but both are good reference points. Once again, I take no credit for any of the art used in these, only the abilities, ideas, and suggestions. Thank you for reading. Other Notes: Rideable, can go with or without a saddle, although like with almost any creature a saddle is preferred. Smaller than the argent but bulkier/taller than the pelagornis. Regarding the wing attack, think of the build-up being something similar to the wooly rhino's charge. Its crown of feathers could flare up like a dilo's frill during its boosting shriek. As always feel free to give suggestions, drop your art, or even a dossier in the comments. I’ll be sure to take what I can into consideration and be open to adding new things so long as they're not unrealistic or too ridiculously OP. I’d love for this amazing creature to be something that we can all find fun and useful. Also, feel free to give me any ideas on how I can make this even more fitting for Ragnarok, I was originally going to submit for a different map vote but decided to give it a go for this one as well. POV: The last thing you see on Center:

Cygnus Falconeri, also known as the giant swan, was a very large and heavy species of swan from the late Pleistocene period. Living on the islands of Malta and Sciliy, it evolved its larger size and heavier frame through a phenomenon known as island gigantism. It’s often depicted in paleo art bullying the dwarf hippos and elephants it shared its environment with. Given the Center's geography, being of very high peaks and vast bodies of water, this giant amphibious bird would be right at home here. Seemingly evolved past its conventional behaviors, this beautiful bird has adapted well to the opportunities and challenges this Ark brings. Abilities: -Long haul flier: These big birds are solid flyers, and while not the fastest, will still take you from point A to B at a decent speed. Some species of modern swans can actually fly several hundred miles a day while migrating, and Cygnus seems to have inherited this trait. These birds can stay in the air for very long periods of time as they’ve adapted to being able to cross the Center's oceans in a single trip. -All terrain mount: Capable of flight, swimming, and slow but still effective walking. -Diving: While Pelagornis simply perch on the water's surface, Cygnus have adapted a method that takes this ability a step further. While they can land on the water's surface, they often choose different methods of resting and feeding. In shallow water, they’ll bob with their rears in the air and neck extending underwater. In deeper water, they’ll fly and then dive under water, using their large wings like paddles and swimming through the water's depths. Both of these work while ridden.-Honk: Modern swans are very territorial birds, and have been documented scaring off much larger animals with their shere aggressiveness. Cygnus share this personality, and can emit a loud honk alongside the flashing of wings and ruffling of feathers that tend to scare off small to mid sized creatures. This attack can be charged up, and after several honks from a high leveled bird you can even scare off things as Yuty to Mammoth size. -Wing slap: A slap from their wings that causes damage to large creatures and a temporary stun to smaller ones. -Item collector: When bobbing for food, they’ll stir up the shallow water sand and muck, and have the chance to unroot hidden loot like chitin and pearls! -Eggs: Swans are known as symbols of beauty and grace, but their eggs appear rather dull compared to the eggs of most creatures on the Ark. This is only superficial, as their eggs can be fed to creatures, which when bred will have their babies be born with a greater degree of “outer and inner beauty”. Swan eggs allow for baby creatures to be born with brighter and more appealing colors alongside a 25% higher chance of mutations occurring. Appearance: With its long neck standing above that of a survivor, Cygnus is a rather large bird. It has an impressive wingspan, and while swans are usually known to have one universal color, these birds have more of a broad range. They typically have 3 alternating color spots, their beaks, necks, and bodies. Male swans have a small bump on their beaks like Black Necked Swans do, this is mainly for aesthetics to tell the genders apart. I’ll leave an example of the variation of modern species and their colors for some examples in the further references section. Taming method: Swans are passively tamed. They construct nests on the Center’s beaches and offshore islands, and mated pairs defend these nests fiercely from even the largest creatures. The parents, when away from the nest, are generally passive and can be clammy approached. When near their nest however they become aggressive and will charge you on sight. They do have a weakness however, they can be distracted with shiny objects. Pearls, metal ingots, gems, are all effective tools against the parents. First place a shiny object in the last slot of your inventory bar, preferably pearls, and approach the nest/parents. Simply wait for a swan to charge, then drop the shiny object once it gets close. The bird will stop and analyze what you drop. If the item is not very impressive, perhaps a single chunk of normal metal, it will be unimpressed and walk off. If the item is of higher value, like a pearl, it will be temporarily distracted and while they are you have a very small opportunity to feed them their preferred food, Longrass or a Sweet Veggie Cake. Back off and wait to repeat this process until tamed. Because Ascended has wild babies you can claim any eggs and chicks in the nest once the parents have been tamed.

The Josephoartigasia was the largest rodent to ever exist, approaching near the size of an american bison. Living in South America from 3 to 2 million years ago, it was a neighbor to other iconic south american megafauna like giant ground sloths, glyptodonts, and terror birds. Living on an island continent, it filled the ecological niche that hippos fill today, that of large, amphibious herbivores. Given this, and the geography of the Center, I believe it would be right at home on the map. A useful, amphibious tame full of abilities, this giant rodent can take you across the map's landscape, travel across the waterways, and even fulfill your deep sea diving adventures. Abilities: -Standard bite: A standard bite that can deal damage and collect materials -Pacify: Modern capybaras are renowned for their ability to get along with seemingly all types of creatures, and on an Ark full of predators the Josephoartigasia has taken this a step further. Like their modern relatives, their fur is oily. This oil in their dense fur secretes a serum that pacifies the creatures around it. Once tamed this oil can be passively collected and refined into a new form of darts, which, opposite to the ammonite bile darts that anger every creature around them, pacifies all creatures around them. This, in the right hands, can be very beneficial for taming as it’ll make your target docile for a short period of time. This oil can also be used the same way normal oil can, and can be rubbed off onto a survivor giving them a temporary passive effect for as long as the oil stays on. -Water buff: Similar to the spino and shadowmane, while making contact with water it will receive a buff that gives it added speed and damage. -Chomp and knaw: Rodents have some of the most durable teeth in nature, and the biggest rodent is no different. Able to knaw and chomp on structures they can wear down and break all structures below metal and tek. Behavior: Josephoartigasia are generally passive creatures, and can be approached safely by survivors. While not completely tied to the water, they are most comfortable around it. When attacked, they will fight back, but once their health has been lowered enough they’ll attempt to pacify before running back to the water. They can actually run fairly fast, meaning that they can get back to the water quickly. While they spend most of the day in the water with regular but quick trips to the shore to forage, they spend most of the night grazing on land. This makes taming at night easier since they are more readily available to begin the process. During the day while in the water they are often seen submerged with their heads, nose and ears sticking out of the water, similar to a hippo(see reference below). Taming: Tamed passively, these large animals mainly subsist on aquatic foliage, however they like to knaw and maintain the condition of their teeth every now and then. Survivors can tame them by placing structures near them, then wait for them to approach. Once next to a structure, the Josephoartigasia will gnaw on said structure. This preoccupies them, allowing for a survivor to approach them and feed them their preferred food, honey and superior kibble. Note that wooden structures seem to be best suited for this, with wooden foundations paired with walls and door frames being most suitable. Saddle: There are two options when it comes to saddles. A basic saddle that can be unlocked earlier, and a submarine type saddle that can be used as a small mobile water port. Similar to the andrewsarchus turret saddle but for the water, this small submarine type saddle comes equipped with a light that can make swimming through the map's abyss easier. When inside their advisable air, meaning no matter how deep you go you won’t have to worry about running out of air while inside. The submarine is small, proportionate to a small platform saddle, but is still large enough to have a harpoon launcher and jets for added speed attached to its sides. This saddle can hold two passengers, while the normal saddle can only hold one. Appearance: While resembling the real animal, it has color patterns similar to its closest living relative, the Pacarana(see reference down below). Its appearance and color pattern will also greatly resemble a capybara but with a broader build and longer tail. About the size of a trike, they are sizable creatures and much bigger than Ark's other amphibious rodent, the castoroides. Additional visual examples:

This is a fun idea and has a creature that's fitting for the map, I'm really loving seeing more prehistoric cats making appearances in these votes. Nice art btw, good luck with your suggestion!

Just fixed it, my bad it was late when I submitted the idea and that went totally unnoticed by me. To be fair the name is a long one.

Something I just remembered makes this suggestion even better, whether it's a coincidence or not. Ornnimegalonyx lived in ancient Cuba, and when its bones were discovered they were initially confused for those belonging to a member of the terror bird family. The fact that they filled the same vacant niche in Cuba that terror birds were filling in nearby South America, and mentioned in the dossier are doing the same but on Aberration makes this all the more fitting. It gives the creature and its role a more realistic touch on a deeper level to its extinct counterpart.

Pavo Bravardi is an extinct species of peacock, larger than it's modern relatives but sharing their colorful plumage. These large colorful birds have evolved ways of surviving in these aberrant depths, and in a place void of light have found ways of making their own in ways that help them impress mates and fight off attackers. Abilities: -Flashlight: Males often coat their feathers with bioluminescent algae found around the caverns. When they open up their plumage it emits a massive light illuminating a large area. Fmelaes can also do this but are restricted to a smaller area due to lacking large tail feathers. -Flight and gliding: While females are capable of powered flight, the males weighed down by their feathers aren't. They instead glide by jumping off ledges and opening up their tail like a fan, gliding through the caverns. -Blinding attack: When threatened, males will open up their tails and blast a beam of light. This blinds the attacker for a short period of time and terrifies any light-fearing creatures like nameless and reapers. It's enough light to even overstimulate seekers, who will fly around distracted for a short period of time. Females can do this as well, except they open up their wings to this. -Feathers: Feathers are passively dropped often and can be used to boost weapons and projectiles, making them more accurate and faster when attached. -Spurs: Both males and females have spurs that they use to claw attackers. These attacks cause bleed. -Eggs: Having the most colorful eggs on the Ark that seems to pass over to any creature that eats them, their eggs can be fed to tamed creatures, which will increase the chances of mutations by 30%. How to tame: Attracted to light, they can be passively tamed by first getting their attention with charge lights, then passively fed blue gems. Saddle: Level 55 Spawn zone: Blue zone

This is an amazing suggestion, I love seeing prehistoric birds getting more attention. Hope this gets more votes in the next few days, good luck!

Olortitan is a hadrosaur from the late Cretaceous period, and these giant herbivores have made some interesting adaptations to Aberration. With a name meaning titanic swan, they are a valued tame to have and can provide plenty of uses depending on the type of situation you need. Abilities: -Honk: A honk that buffs allied herbivores and debuffs enemy carnivores -Tail swipe: A tail hit that causes stun and knockback -Lighting crest: Commonly found feeding on bioluminescent algae, their crests are capable of lighting up and brightening a large area. This light can help you navigate through the caverns, scare off reapers and nameless, and even overstimulate seekers, forcing them to leave you alone. -Stomp: A devastating and crushing stomp that can cripple attackers -Swimming: With a name meaning titanic swan, they are naturally great swimmers. Size and appearance: Slender and elegant in appearance, these beasts are just as big as mammoths. Far outsizing the Ark's other hadrosaurs, they are formidable creatures. Saddle unlock: Level 65 Taming method: Knockout using catapults.

Panthera atrox, also known as the American lion is one of the largest felines to ever exist, being nearly twice the size of modern lions. Hunting many of the ice age's iconic megafauna like giant sloths, bison, and mammoths, these cats were incredibly powerful predators. Only outsized by the giant short-faced bear, they were the largest predators on the continent. Aberration is the ideal map for a large cat like this to thrive. Already adapted to being comfortable in caves, these cats have taken further adaptations to rising to the top of Aberrations food chain. Abilities: -Swipe: A fast-paced swipe from its massive paws can cause a temporary stun and knockback to other creatures -Bite: A standard bite that causes bleed -Roar: A roar that negates the effect of the yuty and rhynio while also paralyzing smaller creatures(up to ravager size) -Cave climber: Adapted to the Arks caves, these cats can climb, scale and slide down nearly anything -Zip line accessible: They are the largest creatures capable of crossing gaps using ziplines -Pounce and hook: An impressive jumper, these cats can leap and latch onto the backs of larger creatures. The resulting mauling can deal incredible damage in a short amount of time. -Pack/Pride bonus -Ambush: Cave lions, like all cats, are ambush predators. Able to sneak up and pounce on nearly any creature, they can compete with the majority of the larger carnivores of the Ark -Speed boost: While not the fastest creatures in term of sustained running, atrox can have an extreme, short boost of speed when charging towards their prey -Drag: Like a survivor, they can drag bodies of creatures, except of course much larger creatures. While they can do this with dead bodies, they can also drag unconscious creatures of a certain size as well. -Flexibility: As the same with any cat of any size, cave lions are extremely agile and flexible. They can turn on a dime to attack enemies behind them, scale cliff edges, and hook and slip through the narrowest of crevices in caves. Behavior: Cave lions, like their modern relatives, are quite intelligent. Instead of running head first into prey like most of the Arks predators, these hunters stalk and ambush the target over time. Hunting in small prides, one member typically spot prey from a wide vincity in view of their den, alerting the rest of the group who will slowly encircle it before all pouncing at once, ripping the target to shreds. That being said, individual cats will go after survivors when the opportunity is present, and at night these animals use the darkness to their full advantage. When alone or in pairs, these cats will wander great distances in search of prey, sometimes even wandering outside of the Aberrant caves during the night cycle and retreating once the day starts. Appearance: Male lions have slight fluff around the head and neck, but importantly don't have full manes. This is accurate to the real animal, who we know didn't have full manes like their African counterparts. Females lack this, but both genders are notably shaggy rather than overly sleek, giving them their primal look. The legs and underbelly have striped and spotted patterns to blend in with their surroundings. When in complete darkness, their eyes dimly glow(I’ll leave an example of this with a real lion and a frame depicting a related European cave lion from the documentary Ice Age Giants). Taming method: Adults cannot be tamed, but near the spawn locations for adults are dens that spawn cubs which can be imprinted once the parents have been dealt with. It's best to grab the cubs as soon as possible and evacuate the area, as the adults don't leave cubs unattended for long.

The Uintatherium, meaning “beast of the Uinta mountains' ', was a large herbivorous mammal that lived during the eocene period. A bizarre, superficially rhino like animal, it had the features we’d associate with other groups of creatures. It had a large and stout rhino like body, six knob like ossicones on its head, and a pair of long saber-like fangs coming out of its mouth. Abilities: -Body slam attack: While the wooly rhino specializes in piercing its target, the uintatherium specializes in breaking through structures by slamming its body into them. This attack when given enough room to charge does massive damage to structures up to stone. When used against enemies this attack does damage and knocks back larger creatures and flat out stuns smaller ones. This attack can be used to gather resources as well. -Saddle armor: The uintatherium has the option for two saddles. The normal which is unlocked at level 40, and one that can be unlocked at level 65. This higher tier saddle resembles medieval horse armor, and this armor provides much further resistance to damage from firearms and explosives. This armor notably makes the body slam attack do more damage. -Headbutt: A standard headbutt attack with its ossicones that does damage and knockback. -Bite: Standard bite that does damages and collects resources -Carry weight: As a large, dense herbivore the uintatherium is able to carry large amounts of resources for long distances. -Living grinder: Utilizing its saberteeth and ossicones it is able to grind up materials when put in its inventory. -Swimming: Like asian rhinos, uintatherium are capable of swimming, something that is useful when traversing the many lakes and rivers across Aberration -Cargo: The default saddle comes strapped with saddlebags and extra inventory slots Appearance: It’s up for debate whether the uintatherium had fur or not, but I think a mix of both could work well. It should still resemble the real animal, but possessing armor plated skin similar to an Indian rhino would add to its design. Regarding fur patterns, there’s paleo art that depicts it with fur resembling that of a bongo or okapi, so I believe that would be a great reference. I’ll leave examples of all in the images section. Taming method: Uintatherium are generally passive, but become aggressive when approached. When provoked they’ll charge at an aggressor, and this is what starts the taming process. Once locked onto the target they’ll start charging, and a survivor can lead them inadvertently crashing into rocks, walls, or trees. This leaves them temporarily dazed, allowing for a survivor to feed them their preferred food, superior kibble.

Love this suggestion, really hoping it can stay in the top ten.

Thank you! You are correct, harpy and haast eagles both have shorter wings in proportion to their body size for enhanced agility for flying through the forest, and I really wanted to incorporate the forest eagle lifestyle the real animal had into its suggestion. I didn't include the ability to pick up creatures since I figured that since I included it being able to pick up survivors for its pest control ability it could pick up creatures. I will add this on its own now to clear up any confusion, and I will make sure to make this distinction from the beginning for the next vote. The concept and idea are something I've been working on for a while, so again thanks for noticing. I do plan on submitting this for some of the future votes on maps that it could be accustomed to, and I also hope it's able to make its way into the final 10 at some point.