HOME | DD

Description
Unlike birds, pterosaurs have never truly evolved a flightless form. The main reason for this is because pterosaurs hatch from their eggs already able to fly, so the bones and muscles that support the wings are well-developed by the time they hatch as opposed to growing in over the course of the animal's adolescence. This means they cannot atrophy. However, in this timeline where pterosaurs never became extinct, one species has managed to circumvent this in an unusual way. The O'o'ihe (Hemiapteryx volcanus) -- the name comes from a Hawaiian word meaning "spear-thrower"--is the apex predator of the Hawaiian islands, a heavily built, fifteen-foot-tall azhdarchid with tiny wings compared to its body. It is unable to fly, but is a fearsome terrestrial predator of the other pterosaurs and flightless birds that call Hawaii home. However, the usual restrictions of pterosaur wings still apply in its case, so how did it lose the ability to fly? The answer is simple. Juvenile O'o'ihe are still perfectly able to fly, and can do so as soon as they hatch. Once they reach about half their adult size, however, they begin growing in such a way that they become too large for their wings to lift, and become completely terrestrial. By the time they are sexually mature, they cannot fly at all.

This apparent regression is actually useful-- it allows the flighted juveniles to avoid competing with their massive, ground-dwelling elders for the limited resources of their island home. Because the juveniles can fly, they are able to disperse between islands even though the adults cannot, and consequently the O'o'ihe is found on all of the major Hawaiian islands. Other than the fact that the adults cannot fly, much of its lifestyle is typical of any azhdarchid. It is a terrestrial stalker of prey small enough to swallow whole, which it bludgeons to death with its massive, pointed beak. After mating, females lay their eggs in a mound nest of rotting plants, leaf litter, and soil, which they guard viciously for three to four months until the eggs hatch. Once the eggs hatch, the young are independent immediately, and leave their mother as quickly as they can. While the adults are predators of large ground-dwelling vertebrates, the young spend a great deal of time in trees, where they feed on insects.

Description
Unlike birds, pterosaurs have never truly evolved a flightless form. The main reason for this is because pterosaurs hatch from their eggs already able to fly, so the bones and muscles that support the wings are well-developed by the time they hatch as opposed to growing in over the course of the animal's adolescence. This means they cannot atrophy. However, in this timeline where pterosaurs never became extinct, one species has managed to circumvent this in an unusual way. The O'o'ihe (Hemiapteryx volcanus) -- the name comes from a Hawaiian word meaning "spear-thrower"--is the apex predator of the Hawaiian islands, a heavily built, fifteen-foot-tall azhdarchid with tiny wings compared to its body. It is unable to fly, but is a fearsome terrestrial predator of the other pterosaurs and flightless birds that call Hawaii home. However, the usual restrictions of pterosaur wings still apply in its case, so how did it lose the ability to fly? The answer is simple. Juvenile O'o'ihe are still perfectly able to fly, and can do so as soon as they hatch. Once they reach about half their adult size, however, they begin growing in such a way that they become too large for their wings to lift, and become completely terrestrial. By the time they are sexually mature, they cannot fly at all.

This apparent regression is actually useful-- it allows the flighted juveniles to avoid competing with their massive, ground-dwelling elders for the limited resources of their island home. Because the juveniles can fly, they are able to disperse between islands even though the adults cannot, and consequently the O'o'ihe is found on all of the major Hawaiian islands. Other than the fact that the adults cannot fly, much of its lifestyle is typical of any azhdarchid. It is a terrestrial stalker of prey small enough to swallow whole, which it bludgeons to death with its massive, pointed beak. After mating, females lay their eggs in a mound nest of rotting plants, leaf litter, and soil, which they guard viciously for three to four months until the eggs hatch. Once the eggs hatch, the young are independent immediately, and leave their mother as quickly as they can. While the adults are predators of large ground-dwelling vertebrates, the young spend a great deal of time in trees, where they feed on insects.