Creekree
| Creekree | ||
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| (Cinclivolucris pervicax) | ||
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| Information | ||
| Creator | TheBigDeepCheatsy Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/168 | |
| Habitat | Residential: Always Montane Riparian, Always Temperate Riparian, Jeluki Montane Riparian, Jeluki Subtropical Riparian, Glicker Montane Riparian, Glicker Subtropical Riparian, North Darwin Alpine (Rare and Nesting), Always Temperate River, Jeluki Montane River, Jeluki Subtropical River, Glicker Montane River, Glicker Subtropical River | |
| Size | 25 cm Long | |
| Primary Mobility | Obligate Biped, Erect Legs, Powered Flight, Wing Launch, Swimming | |
| Support | Endoskeleton (Chitin) | |
| Diet | Carnivore (Smaller Frabukis, smaller Larvabacks, Miniswarmers, Grabbyswarmers, Thorny Toadtuga eggs and tadpoles, Spineless Toadtuga eggs and tadpoles, smaller Mudfish, larval Sruglettes, larval Cloudswarmers, Vermees, smaller Scuttlers, larval Neuks, Common Fraboo larvae, Tonboswarmer larvae) | |
| Respiration | Active (Unidirectional Microlung Network and Air Sacs) | |
| Thermoregulation | Endotherm (Feathers) | |
| Reproduction | Sexual (Male and Female, Hard-Shelled Eggs in Nest) | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Kingdom Subkingdom Phylum Clade Subphylum Superclass Class Subclass Superorder Order Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Binucleozoa Symbiovermes (info) Thoracocephalia Coluripoda Vermitheria (info) Cephalischia (info) Ornitheria (info) Sceloptera Volucriformes Volucres Parvavolucridae Cinclivolucris Cinclivolucris pervicax | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
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The creekree split from krikrees living in the North Darwin Alpine near the riparian zones within it and have further evolved in order to take on a combination of an airborne and semi-aquatic lifestyle. While its general appearance is hardly any different from that of its ancestor at a first glance, it does have some notable surface-level changes that differentiate it from the krikree. The creekree is slightly larger than even the largest of its ancestors’ and its talons are longer and more hook-shaped, allowing it to grip tightly onto rocks; this comes in handy for when it has to deal with rocks near the river being wet and slippery, as the claws keep the creekree from falling off said rocks.
The creekree has also made some important adaptations for its semi-aquatic lifestyle. The first of these is that a pair of its salivary glands have modified into glands that produce preening oil that it rubs all over itself in order to guarantee that its feathers are waterproof, preventing the creekree from freezing once it is finished with hunting underwater and to allow it to fly directly out of the water as well. The second most important adaptation it has is that its endoskeleton is no longer hollow, reducing the creekree’s buoyancy and helping it stay underwater, even being able to walk down beneath the water by gripping onto submerged rocks; despite having a solid chitin skeleton, the creekree can still fly due to its small size. Another important set of adaptations it has are the many clear nictitating membranes that protect its eyestrils without compromising its vision when it is diving and its ears can close off any water that could get inside of them when it is diving. Plus, its wing-legs are stronger and better shaped for a mix of flying and swimming, making it an impressive diver in spite of its appearance. Finally, because of the creekree evolving from alpine-faring krikrees, its blood is capable of storing more oxygen than the average krikree, allowing it to stay underwater for around 30 seconds at a time.
The creekree is fully carnivorous as it prefers to feed on various aquatic swarmers, worms, and toadtuga tadpoles that it snatches up with its beak while diving underwater. Much like its ancestor, the creekree caches food during the fall, in order for it to stay healthy during the winter, although they still do swim for food at times if its cache gets too low.
Unlike the krikrees, creekrees are much less sociable than their ancestors, preferring to live in pairs as mated couples while neighboring creekress keep their distance from one another until mating season, but they are not necessarily quick to fight one another unless competing for mates, preferring to bob their heads as their means of warding each other off. Creekree songs tend to be very loud in order to be properly heard while in areas with loud rushing water. Furthermore, the creekree does not use tools like the krikree did, but it does retain enough intelligence to craft durable nests that are highly unlikely to be affected by its environment.
To make a proper nest, the creekree first finds a safe enough location that is near enough to water; whether that is on a cliff, a boulder, a crevice, or in fallen logs. The creekree then uses a mix of twigs, cuttings and puffs from Wallace Puffgrasses, loose downy feathers from various snappers, plent cotton, and their own molted feathers; the creekree shapes all of this nesting material into a dome-like mound with a side entrance for the young to peek out of. The creekree lays 4 to 5 eggs that are incubated for 16 days and are protected by the female until they hatch. The young creekrees are then tended to by both the mother and father for about 24 days, after which, they will become fully independent after 2 more weeks spent with their parents.