[Pterraforming] Bennett's Waveridge

I'm open to suggestions for a better name. The current name is named after Dr Chris Bennett, one of the most well known pterosaur researchers. 

This time around I showcase the last major group of flightless pterosaurs, the unguldactyloids. Unlike the spearbeaks and the titanodactyls, the unguldactyloids are unrelated to azhdarchids, and instead lay closer to the Tapejarids. The pose is, yet again fairly stereotypical, having it posed in a light gallop. Another problem is that the crest came out so large that it ended up off the page, along with the front hoof. As far as the actual design goes, I did base it heavily off of deer (primarily elk), but tried to keep the pterosaurian proportions intact (tight compact body, large head, long neck, legs in front larger than legs in back, etc). Once again I kept the wing finger present, but this time it's used for visual communication/display rather than as a weapon or a grasping tool. The non wing finger metacarpals are so reduced in real pterosaurs that I don't think it would make sense to get rid of the wing finger, or at least the wing metacarpal. As the name "unguldactyloid" suggests, they do indeed have ungulate feet and walk about on hooves, although certainly not on the wing finger like Dougal Dixon has suggested with his lank. On the front I made the first finger into the hoof finger, as since real pterosaurs have their fingers twisted to the side it seemed like the most efficient digit to use. A problem with that though might be the number of phalanges in the finger, which for the first digit is two (horses, another animal that walks on one toe, has three). The other fingers are present, but reduced and off the ground. I decided against the more mammalian like appearance for the reduced toes, keeping them more avian. The membrane on the wing finger extends to the forearm, but no further. It would probably have bright colors and patterns on it. for the back legs, I actually decided to make their size a bit more even. Unguldactyloids depend on running to keep safe, so they would probably need to have a more balanced leg size to accomplish it. On the back, the feet are even toed like deer, as real pterodactyloids have four toes on the foot, an even number. Again, the non hooved toes are reduced and off the ground, and have a more dinosaurian like appearance to them. As far as the head goes, I wanted to give them a type of beak that could easily crop tough plants like grass, so I made the beak into a self sharpening cropping shape. The beak itself extends and combines into the crest, which, while somewhat hollow to compensate for possible weight issues, is extremely strong. Females have much smaller crests, similar to the horn size difference between male and female bighorn sheep. Likewise, males use them to butt heads, and to ram into predators. Without the crest, males stand over eleven feet tall, with females a little over nine. The flightless pterosaurs would be able to grow much larger than mammals due to their air-sac system, which can help thermoregulate and keep themselves from cooking alive at larger sizes. Plus they are not fully viviparious like mammals, so the offspring can remain small and are much less taxing on the mother.

As the crest size suggests, this is indeed a buck Bennett's Waveridge (Wapitimimus gracilis). This is a larger species of unguldactyloid native to the forested areas of western and Midwestern North America, much like that of the mammalian elks. Despite their size, for the most part false elks are rather timid, and will bolt at the drop of a hat. However, males will react quite aggressively if they or any of their herd members are threatened, and will kick, bite, and headbutt predators until they back down or are killed. False elks are extremely vocal, and communicate with one another through howls, honks, screeches, and bellows. they also communicate non verbally, and if one suspects danger they will communicate by silently flashing their "wings" to other members of the herd. They can also flash them in an attempt to startle predators if they are cornered or surprised.

-And as always, critique is highly welcome. Please feel free to indulge in the scientific jargon that is speculative biology with me!-

--
All current Pterraforming info and pictures can be found here in the Pterraforming folder of my gallery. You can also find it under #pterraforming #pterasimian and #homopteranus

Chupacabeak (a spearbeak/iaculumarchid)
Raptodinosauroid (A ruling raptor/tyrranoraptorid)
Spotted sealbill (A sealbill/pteropinniped)
Black Crested Pterogorgon (A "raptor" pterasimian)
Northern Mudstilt (A pterasimian)
Southern Whalebone Biter (A pterasimian)
King Drayix (A regemtaurosaurid)
Bornean Gorillawing and Ferntail (A "gorilla" pterasimian and frondtail-raptor/feugeraraptorid)

ORIGUNUL SPESHIEZ DONUT STEEL!!! _/s