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Wild- In all my years I never expected to find a eusocial pterosaur, let alone one with such a... unique method of defense. Sordes cornucrepitus are related to the more common dimorphodon, yet unlike their cousins they are extremely aggressive in the wild, resting in their towering wasteland hive structures where their king and queen sit safely at the central chamber. Whenever prey or predators venture too close to the hive a specialized caste of drone are released from the hive in droves whose only purpose is to dive bomb the enemy and through a process of muscular constriction rupture their own bodies, explode on impact dealing grievous damage to their target. The process in which the creatures self detonate is fascinating, possessing several specialized organs full of volatile chemicals surrounded by constricting muscular structures, at a whim the creature can constrict these structures, building enough pressure that the creatures body cavity ruptures, exposing the chemical contents to the air and causing a violent explosion full of bone shrapnel. The self destructive drones hatch ready to fly within moments and ready to give their lives in defense of their hive. Taming- Taming your own hive of sordes is a daunting task, one must approach and rile the hive, surviving the swarming onslaught of exploding drones, if one can exhaust the hives supply of drones then the king will emerge and attack the survivor, being the largest and most dangerous member of the hive this will in itself be a dangerous task, the king is a swift flier armed with sharp teeth and vitality surprising for such a small creature. When the king sordes falls in combat only the queen will remain, plump, helpless and unable to fly away she will attempt to flee the hive and crawl away to safety, it is at this time a survivor can attempt to win her trust through hand feeding of their favorite food, mutton, after this process is complete you can bring your new friend home to have her build a new hive tower. Domesticated- A domesticated sordes hive has a surprising number of uses, the structure itself being roughly as durable as stone structures built by survivors and can be commanded to hunt and gather meat from passing wild animals, this meat stored in large chambers within the hive where its spoilage will be drastically slowed. The base defense possibilities of the hive can also not be understated as few creatures can withstand the onslaught of the hives drone attacks. One can also take a queen and have her form a small "hive backpack" which cant house as many drones but can still make a potent defensive option while exploring the wastelands. A tamed hive can also have the chemical composition of its explosive drones influenced to achieve different explosive effects, incendiary, poisonous and flashbang drones have all been documented and who knows what other clever chemical compositions can be achieved. Breeding of sordes in captivity can technically be achieved, a "Founder" egg can occasionally be found in a destroyed hive the wild, this actually being a pair of two fused eggs that can only be incubated within a tamed hive, upon hatching this will produce a new king and queen that can produce an entire new hive upon maturity.

Common name: Protochelydra Species: Protochelydra zangerli Time: Late Paleocene Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Aggressive Breedable: Yes Rideable: Yes Wild: Protochelydra zangerli is a creature I've had the displeasure of encountering in the waters of the ARK multiple times in the past. It resembles an alligator snapping turtle, except if it was the size of a Diplodocus with the aggression of an allosaurus. Protochelydra usually hunts as an ambush predator, using its worm-like tongue to lure in smaller prey and eat them, much like its modern-day counterpart. Unlike the alligator snapping turtle, however, if the Protochelydra fails, it will immediately charge at its prey, ramming into them to stun them, and finishing them off with its incredibly powerful bite. It's surprisingly quick despite the obvious factor of it being a turtle, though it seems to only be capable of short bursts of speed on land. In the water, it's quite quick, making escaping it in the water unlikely. One's best bet in terms of combatting this titanic turtle is to wear it down from a range. I've observed Protochelydra displaying high levels of aggression towards Spinosaurus, usually immediately upon spotting one. The two commonly fight, but on most occasions both creatures will come out alive, merely wounded. Protochelydra seems to enjoy preying on Sarcosuchus and other semi-aquatic predators, as well as Paraceratherium, DIplodocus, and toher large herbivores. It's recommended to keep these creatures away from an area with Protochelydra present. Domesticated: From what I've seen, Protochelydra is an excellent choice for one to tame. It's heavy defenses and powerful jaws allow to menace foes, and many that haven't seen it don't expect it to charge at them. A very technologically advanced tribe I've met attached cannons to its shell, allowing it to deal with flying enemies with ease. Combined with its defenses, it's able to combat threats on land, sea, and in the sky! Taming: Protochelydra would be given bait by the player, which it would use to lure and eat other creatures. Perhaps one could even sacrifice their own tames in this process. Larger creatures would yield higher taming effectiveness and progress on the taming bar. Saddle: The Protochelydra saddle would have anti-air cannons on its back, and be unlocked around level 70 or so. The rider would be in an enclosed seat, protected from harm and provided with infinite oxygen. It would have a corvus at the top front of the shell that could be used to board enemy platform saddles and rafts, as well as get on buildings. Spawns: Protochelydra would spawn in basically any in-land body of water on the map, as well as in the swamps and marshes. ----------------------------------------------------Abilities and uses -------------------------------------------------------------- -Bite: The left click attack of the Protochelydra. Hold left click to charge the bite up for a high damage attack that only has it's damage reduced by half the normal amount that the enemy's armor would normally reduce. -Rushdown: The right click attack of the Protochelydra. Short burst of speed that deals decent damage to multiple enemies. Applies a slowing and bleed debuff and activates the corvus (roman naval boarding device, it would merely extend, not lock Protochelydra in place). -Shell Armor: It's shell reduces damage taken by 20%. Protochelydra can retreat into its shell, bringing the resistance up to 50%. While in this state, Protochelydra can use two more abilities. This makes it excellent for tanking, especially in bossfights. -----Cannons: Protochelydra's rider can control its cannons, which deal decent damage on their own, but either have a 50% damage boost towards fliers or knock them out of the air. It's important to note that other tribemates can control the cannons while its not in its shell, but the rider gains the ability to do so. -----Shell Spin: Protochelydra can spin while retreated in its shell. It cannot move while spinning. While spinning, it removes any debuff it has and if it's being grabbed by anything large enough to pick it up (Rhyniognatha and Tek Skiff), the spin releases it from its grasp. If on the ground, it spawns a temporary shrapnel hazard that deals average damage to grounded creatures but high damage to flyers and bulky creatures, further making it a threat to them. The Shell Spin would also knock enemies back, acting as a "Get off!" attack. -Lure: Protochelydra can have bait placed on its tongue, acting as a more effective fishing rod. On top of this, it would also be capable of attracting creatures without triggering their aggression. -Aquatic Affinity: Protochelydra does not need oxygen, and it moves quite fast underwater. It would also gain the hydrated buff. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I decided to submit Protochelydra as I'd love to have a giant snapping turtle in the game. I think they're pretty interesting and underappreciated animals. Ark only has 2 turtles in the game, one of which is a fantasy creature, and the other merely exists as a soaker and sacrifice creature. I would like to note that while yes, a giant turtle with cannons on its back is similar to a certain monster from a successful franchise, no, I didn't base it off that. I was like halfway through making this thing when I realized the similarity. Please consider voting for Protochelydra, as it would be a wonderful addition to the game. Though my post obviously isn't as well made as some other posts I've seen, I do think it deserves a chance. Image source: https://twitter.com/TomHoltzPaleo/status/1312001720940138503