Creature Profile: Crawler

Creature Name

Crawler

First Appeared In

Lost Under Two Moons

Physical Description

Crawlers are about the size and body mass of a small deer, though they’re somewhat lower to the ground. They have one pair of muscular legs and large wings that are useless for flying which they instead use like a second set of legs, crawling forward with the wings folded back. Despite their apparent awkwardness, they can move surprisingly fast, and use their large, predatory beaks to catch and eat prey. The crawler is covered in bluish green feathers to better blend in with its environment.

Natural Environment

The crawler is native to the Sea of Grass, where its aqua-marine plumage serves as excellent camouflage in the long, flowing grass. Its preferred prey is the small, slow meal-bird, though it will also frequently hunt banded runners. Its camouflage and prowling abilities also allow it to take down much larger prey such as the sailbeast or scissorleg. The crawler’s biggest danger on the plains are the roaming packs of bigamouths, which are a constant threat as the dominant predators of the Sea of Grass.

Behavior

Crawlers are territorial and often solitary creatures, the main exception being when a mating pair are hatching and rearing their young. Crawlers usually lay a single egg and take two years to mature after hatching. While crawlers will usually avoid fighting with each other, preferring displays of plumage and aggressive posturing, they will not hesitate to attack even a full-grown double-throat if their egg or fledgling is threatened.

Additional Background

When agitated or threatened, the crawler makes a strange, low buzzing noise by vibrating a special membrane deep in its throat.

Inspiration

The idea for the crawler came from a nature documentary I saw that featured a particular type of predatory bat. This fascinating creature, while still capable of flight, did all of its hunting on the ground, due to a lack of other small ground predators and the plentiful supply of beetles and other prey on the forest floor. I was intrigued by the idea of a flying creature that stalked its prey on the ground, using its wings as a second set of legs to crawl forward. It was always my idea that the crawler bird had originally been an aerial predator, but had returned to the ground so that it could support the bulk necessary to bring down larger prey.

I hope you enjoyed this month’s Creature Profile. Next month’s feature will be the shrew snake from Lost Under Two Moons. If you’d like to contribute artwork to the profile, send your pictures to lindsay@lindsayschopfer.com and put “Shrew Snake Picture” as the subject. Deadline is October 20.