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My submission for this creature vote is the Haast Eagle, also known as Hieraaetus Moori. It went extinct in the 1400s, and was the largest eagle that has ever existed with talons the size of tigers claws, and has been credited with being the inspiration in New Zealand behind the legends of giant man-eating birds that would carry people away. It was the apex predator of its environment and was capable of killing creatures multiple times its size such as moa, huge birds that were nearly twenty times its weight. It is believed to have killed very large prey by divebombing vulnerable areas, and wrestling it to the ground while slashing with its massive talons. The impact of such a blow has been compared to that of having a large cinderblock dropped on you from a five-story building. Given this, I think it could function well as a powerful apex predator of the skies of the ark. Ark barely has any birds, and only a handful of them are actually very useful. Having the Haast eagle soaring the skies of the arks mountains and jungles would provide a new powerful flyer that would not only allow for a fast way to travel around the map but also be a useful tame full of utilities depending on what you need. Abilities -Claw slash that inflicts bleed -Divebomb attack that can stun flyers mid-air and lock them in place for ten seconds(works on creatures up to the size of a quetzal) -Pest Control + Eagle Eye, when set on wander it'll target and snatch small creatures in a large vicinity like microraptors, troodons, pegos, dilos, and ichthyornis, sinos, bugs(this also factors into the whole prime meat collecting ability) -The pest control ability also targets non-tribemates on foot trying to sneak into your base, so having some of these soaring around the base would be very beneficial from getting raided -Wing attack, after soaring/diving for a short amount of time, it will gain the ability to perform a new attack. When landed, a built-up wing beat will result in 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 a short time. The wing beat will also collect nearby resources if not being used to attack anything. -As a result of its pest control feature, smaller creatures are terrified of it and flee while it's being ridden(this includes hostile creatures like troodons, microraptors, pegos, etc -Enhanced agility, able to turn on a dime at high speeds through the trees -Perching, like a thyla or tapejara it can land on large enough tree branches to regain stamnia -Prime meat collector, can collect prime meat from smaller creatures with its talons -Extremely fast, quick attacks, average stamina, and average weight but does get a reduction on the carry weight of meat and pelt -Insulation, provides warmth from its feathers when flying through the colder regions of maps -Does decent damage to armor with its talons -A screech that boosts other allied flyers similar to the Yuty Taming Method: Adults can be tamed by being brought and fed smaller creatures; the alternate and preferred form is by collecting eggs from nests in large trees and cliffsides. Pest Control: As this ability would be important I figured it's worth explaining more. The pest control feature would work in a manner comparable to the icthyornis hunt and retrieve feature, with added differences. You can determine how large of a vicinity you'd like to have it cover, then by setting it on wander any small hostile wild creature or enemy-tamed creature it spots will be quickly snatched, lifted up, and disposed of. As this works with enemy tribemates the eagle is capable of snatching survivors and attacking them until they've either escaped or been killed. 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 its 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 it had a fairly long beak in real life. (Credit to artist Ben Garrod for the nest art of eagles, it's very accurate in showing the longer hooked beak. He's an amazing paleo artist so credit to him.) Nests: The main goal of searching a nest is to find eggs, however even empty nests serve an additional purpose. Many large predatory bird nests are full of what's left of previous meals, so by passively searching a nest you'll be able to pick up pelt and keratin. This is the norm for most nests, but on occasion, you'll be able to find rare loot the birds have brought back to the nest like metal hatchets, picks, bows, sickles, crossbows, and pikes all ranging from primitive to ascendant quality. Nonweapon items that can occasionally be found include metal, flint, stone, fiber, blue, red, and green gems, and in rare cases, element shards. Nests even without eggs act in a similar way to loot drops, so no matter what you'll still be able to get something from them. Other Notes: Rideable, can go with or without a saddle, although a saddle is preferred. Smaller than the argent but bulkier/taller than the pelagornis. It would have a slightly shorter wingspan, but more broad and robust wings in general. Posture wise it would stand similar to living eagles and have a tall upright stance when grounded. Regarding the wing attack, think of the build-up as similar to the woolly rhino charge. During its boosting shriek, its crown of feathers could flare up like a dilo's frill. Spawns with nests in the redwoods, near cliffs, and in the colder areas of the map at a higher elevation. The dive bomb attack could be viewed as acting similar to the Baryonyx's spin stun in the water, like an aerial counterpart. Drops feathers(pelt) and talons that can be used for crafting when killed. As a rule, they typically spawn in pairs, and where there are adults nests are usually very close by. Extra ideas in the comments are always welcome.

Dearc Impuslum, a species found rarely upon rocky outcrops next to the coast, is a large species of rhamphorynchoid pterosaur from the Jurassic, but somewhat adapted to dealing with predators on the ark. The species has taken on similar features of the Peregrine Falcon and the Gannet, flying high into the sky and crashing down from the heavens at such a speed that it could knock even a Rex out cold with a single dive. Despite this being an incredible advantage for tribes that somehow manage to tame one, there are multiple drawbacks. Upon collision with its target, Dearc will be heavily damaged, completely stunned for two minutes and unable to run or defend itself, making it an easy target. The target that Dearc collided with will also be inflicted with a debuff called Dearc Concussion, making it unable to be fed taming food until a chunk of time has passed, meaning you would have to keep it asleep and safe until the debuff wears off. Wild Dearcs are also incredibly hard to tame, being a passive tame makes it seem easy but it is a lot more difficult than you'd think. Dearc is quite neutral to anything but its favourite prey, Leedsichthys, meaning either getting them angry to provoke them into diving or luring their favourite meal to do the same thing. Once a Dearc dives, it very rarely misses its target so you will have to dodge and weave as fast as you can on a flying mount or else you will be collided with and turned into glue. If the dive collides with something, there is a 15 second window to feed the Dearc some Prime Fish Meat, which it requires large quantities (up to 40 if its a high level) and with you only being able to feed a Dearc 10 times per dive, you will need to survive the bullet of the ark 4 separate times to tame a good level one. Dearc would be large enough to ride, but only barely being slightly smaller than a Pteranodon in size. It flies quite slow, slightly slower than Argentavis and its bite is quite weak, hitting about as hard as a raptor. It is incapable of swimming and its weight capacity is quite low, although being surprisingly bulky for a flyer at 450 base health. The main reason you get Dearc though is the dive, with the dive requiring high altitudes to be used. The damage this dive does is massive, with it hitting up to 1000 damage easily, although like stated earlier the dive heavily cripples the pterosaur and makes it very weak; which leads to its uses being either a suicide dive to do huge damage but then get destroyed or an extremely useful taming tool to only be used in safe environments. Dearc Impulsum is unique and weaponises the diving mechanic well, making it dangerous to be around but having its counters and weaknesses. Dearc could also possibly have a target and lock on system with its dive to help it hit its target well.