A drawing of an Alhtuputh.
The Alhtuputh is the most terrible of the organisms that Ageriul has to offer. This beast comes close in viciousness to the Terrortooth, although it doesn't quite catch it. In body, though, it is even worse.
Biology[]
Most of the Alhtuputh's known biology comes from corpses killed by natural causes or, rarely, another Alhtuputh. It is clearly an Archogigian. The skull and neck are the most lethal parts of this brutal organism. The bone in the
A drawing of a young male alhtuputh, affectionately known as Duu.
main jaw is made from solid rock. Behind it, in the neck, are two different pairs of sacs. The first, higher pair are acidic (probably descended from rock-dissolving fluids). The second, lower pair are venomous. Combined, they create a chemical reaction like the Bombadier beetle's. Due to the rocky jaw, though, this reaction can be allowed to go to full heat if needs be. This is most commonly used to blind enemies or threaten other Alhtupuths. They also have one of the most powerful bites known, ranking with Deinosuchus on strength. The wings of the Alhtuputh are in two pairs. They have vicious talons and powerful muscles. The muscles both help it keep its bulky body airborne, and can eviscerate prey when combined with the talons. The animal is bipedal, and reaches up to 9 metres in length. They have antennae, descended from scrafs.
An alhtuputh flying, in all its brutal glory.
Cockrel (male) alhtupuths have much more brightly-coloured heads than hens. On males, the head is purple-brown, with dark red-brown outlines of the lower jaw and jaw muscle and the skull having small streaks of blue and green. The antennae of a cockrel have a bright orange centre and blue strands. On hens, the head is a dull dark brown.
Behaviour[]
Alhtupuths, like the terrorteeth, are social animals. They are most commonly known to be in groups of 5, with two parents and three young. They will often play with each other, most commonly by one trying to keep its jaws touching the other's while the other is moving around. They have massive territories, and will have knowledge of every species living there. If they discover a previously unknown organism, they will try to eat as many as possible, in case they leave before there is a chance to be hunted. They will commonly use a certain area for gnawing rocks to be ground down for certain bones (most notably the jaws). Ancient territories may have caves made entirely by Alhtupuths. They may herd animals to good areas in their territories, for the purposes of being eaten later. Ecosystems on Ageriul can handle this mighty beast due to having lived and evolved with it. If a large enough population escaped on to a different planet, they might cause untold devestation. A starving Alhtuputh will destroy large areas, in an attempt to flush out prey. It is best to treat these beasts in the same way you would a Terrortooth.