Posted by Alex CF on March 22nd, 2013
Status: For Sale
Measurements: 18 inches tall x 38 inches long
“The mounted skeleton of a young Draco Alatus, preserved at death”
Merrylin made great strides in understanding the anatomical and behavioral traits of the species that he identified. One species, that was on the brink of extinction during his years of research, is the Draco, a winged theropod, related to a subspecies of dinosaur that survived the KT extinction event. There is evidence of more than one subspecies of Draco, yet little physical examples. This very well preserved Draco is a young infant. Adult examples are of course cumbersome and more or less non existent. Within the Merrylin archive we have a number of younger specimens, this being one of the finest.
The basic anatomy is very similar to the dromaeosaur, not unlike Dienonychus or velociraptor. A bird like theropod, the forearm digits elongate into large wings which would support a membrane, like that of Pteranadon. Very little fossil evidence exists of this divergent species, that carried such a unique wing type, not found in other species of true dinosaur. What fossil evidence there is suggests that earlier forms of Draco Alatus had a downy covering, yet it appears that the species evolved to eventually shed these feather-like coats, and in place developed a thick horny epidermal adaptation, which not only provided some degree of insulation, but also the creation of keloid scarring in mating rituals. Draco Alatus are capable of producing a combustible secretion from the mouth. These displays created bizarre and unique markings to attract a mate.