Broadhead

Broadhead

Habitat: Long Island; Cove Haven 
Type: Giant Predatory Amphibian
Length: 12 to 18 Feet
Head Length: 5 to 6 Feet
Weight: 800 to 1,500 pounds










The Broadhead is one of the largest and most dangerous predators in Cove Haven, dominating the waterways and muddy shores of the bay. It is a massive, heavy-bodied amphibian, most often seen lying motionless at the edge of the water, half-submerged, waiting for its prey.

Its name comes from its enormous, flattened head, which makes up a significant part of its body length. The skull is wide, triangular, and heavy, with eyes set high on top, allowing the Broadhead to remain nearly fully submerged while still watching its surroundings. Its mouth is lined with numerous sharp, conical teeth, well-suited for gripping slippery prey. Two exceptionally long teeth in its bottom jaw fit up inside of specially designed openings in its top jaw when the mouth is closed.

Broadhead, jaws opened











The body of the Broadhead is long and muscular, with short, sturdy limbs and a powerful tail. While it is capable of limited movement on land, it is far more at home in the water. While the massive heads slows the animal down and restricts its movement on land, it is able to swim through the water with surprising speed. When it does venture on land, it rarely strays far from the water’s edge.

The Broadhead is an ambush predator. It relies on stillness and concealment, often remaining completely motionless for long periods. When prey comes within range—usually to drink—it strikes with sudden speed, lunging forward and seizing the animal in its jaws. Once caught, prey is dragged into the water, where escape is nearly impossible. Prey is typically killed by drowning.

Broadhead stalking two female Sailgrazers














Its diet consists primarily of medium to large animals. The Broadhead competes with the Sailhunter for prey, though the two tend to hunt in different environments. Parrot Hogs and young Sailgrazers are frequent targets, and even full-grown Sailgrazers may be taken if they venture too close to the water. A large Broadhead is one of the only regular threats to the Slopeback, and young or sick individuals are often attacked at the shoreline. Strangely, the Slopeback's body shape actually aids the Broadhead. Because it is front-heavy, without a heavy, counterbalancing tail, a large Broadhead can pull it over into the water. Using all its weight to hold the head down, the Slopeback can be attacked and drowned in relatively shallow water.

The waterways of Cove Haven are rich with other life as well, and the Broadhead shares its habitat with a variety of aquatic and semi-aquatic creatures. These include the semi-aquatic Bump Grazer, which often feeds along the same shores, as well as fully aquatic species such as the Giant Lobster, Spine Salmon, Reed Crawler, Shield Fish, Needlefish, and Giant Bottomfish. While many of these smaller animals may occasionally fall prey to the Broadhead, they are not its primary targets.

Despite its size and power, the Broadhead relies heavily on stealth rather than pursuit. Its mottled coloration blends well with muddy water and leaf-choked shorelines, making it difficult to detect until it is too late. Observers are advised to exercise extreme caution near any still or slow-moving water in Cove Haven, as the presence of a Broadhead is often only revealed at the moment it strikes.

Broadhead tadpole






Broadheads are amphibians, and as such, start life out as a fully-aquatic creature. These large, toothed tadpoles are voracious predators in the water, and form large hunting schools. They swarm together to prey on fish, other amphibians, and even small land animals with skin too thin to protect them. After a period of about four months, young, fully-formed, but small versions of the Broadhead will take its first breaths of air from the surface of the water.

The Broadhead is one of the defining predators of Cove Haven’s waterways, a patient and powerful hunter perfectly suited to life between land and water.

Broadhead out of the water








  • Naturalist Note: The Broadhead is a very large amphibian whose teeth clearly identify it. Daniel notes the two lower teeth that fit into holes in the upper jaw. This surely points to Mastodonsaurus, an animal known for its massive, flat skull and long lower teeth. It is no surprise that it is an ambush-hunter. Creatures of this type are well-adapted to shallow freshwater environments, where their body shape and upward-facing eyes allow them to remain concealed while watching for prey.
    The swarm-hunting tadpoles are a surprise though, since not much is known about the tadpoles of giant amphibians.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hellgrazer

Image
Hellgrazer Habitat: Mainland; Upper Forest, Savannah, Lower Forest Type: Medium Herbivorous Dinosaur Height: 8 to 10 feet Length: 15 to 20 feet Weight: 2,500 to 3,100 pounds The Hellgrazer is truly an unusual creature. Its build and design suggest a predatory dinosaur - similar to the T-rex or Allosaur. Its heavy head, sharp teeth, and powerful legs seem like they should belong to a creature that preyed on other animals. But in actuality, the Hellgrazer is a strict herbivore. It uses its powerful jaws and serrated teeth to cut through tough vegetation, which is swallowed whole and presumably digested by powerful stomach acid. Short-tempered and aggressive, the Hellgrazer lives alone. It roams through the grassy Savanna, as well as the upper and lower forests. Most creatures know its distinctive red and green coloration, and are wise to give it a wide berth. Anything that comes too close will likely not do it again. Its sharp teeth and powerful bite would certainly make an effective we...
Read more

Slopeback

Image
Slopeback Habitat : Long Island; Cove Haven Type : Large Herbivorous Mammal Height : 6 to 8 feet tall at shoulder Length : 12 to 14 feet long Weight : 1,500 to 2,000 pounds estimated The Slopeback is one of the largest creatures in Cove Haven. It is a striking herbivore with a body reminiscent of a gorilla. Its long, powerful forelimbs end in large claws, which it uses skillfully to pull down branches and strip leaves. To protect those claws, it curls its fingers up and walks on its knuckles, similar to a great ape. The hindlimbs are shorter, giving the animal a characteristic sloped back. It moves deliberately and slowly through the wooded areas of Cove Haven, although it is capable of moving fairly quickly over short distances. These animals are primarily solitary, although loose groups may occasionally form and dissolve as individuals move and feed. The Slopeback prefers the forest areas within the cove, where it can browse among the trees and bushes. Its diet consists almost...
Read more

Sea Dart

Image
  Sea Dart Habitat: Ring Sea; Coasts of Mainland, Haulout, Rookery; Rock Ring Type: Small Pterosaur Wingspan: 3 to 4 feet Length: 2 to 3 feet (with tail) Weight: 3 to 5 pounds The Sea Dart is a small, lightly-built long-tailed pterosaur that can be seen flying over the surface of the Ring Sea. It can easily be distinguished from other dart species by its deep skull and the male’s bright orange color. Like other long-tailed pterosaurs, the Sea Dart has a rigid flap of skin at the end of its tail that acts as a rudder during flight. When it's flying, it beats its wings rapidly, rarely gliding for more than a few seconds. The dart hunts small fish at the surface of the water. Remarkably, its prey can reach up to 10 inches in length — longer than its head. Flying low over the surface, the dart uses its sharp eyesight to spot its prey and then snaps its head down to seize the fish with its jaws. The venom in its bite works quickly, and the small fish are immediately paralyzed. This...
Read more