THE ARTIFACT

Log 11, Chainjaw snatchers. Journeying deeper into the desert we find something not normally seen in a biome like this, water. Thin rivers and small watering holes have been popping up more frequently, like blue paint dripping down on a canvas. Despite water being present plant life is low, while this area of the desert may seem like it’s full of contradictions there is a simple explanation. Murkosia is a humid planet with most of the water being in the ground or in the air, however, the desert’s heat causes the wet dirt to dry and crack, these cracks open up pockets of water underground which then pool to the surface becoming the lakes and rivers seen. The sand in these rivers is clay-like, plugging up the cracks the water came from and preventing the surrounding ground from absorbing the water, leaving it dry and without nutrients. The first creature I’ve seen in this desert wetland is certainly a striking one. A unique member of the Orindo family with long hooked fingers for catching prey, and stilt-like legs for wadding through the sandy waters. The most striking adaptation though is the chain saw like jaw structure. The split face has fused together, with the gums becoming a disc and the lips peeling back. When feeding they will grab their prey and rapidly move their gums back and forth turning the prey into a mangled mess that is consumed via a hole at the base of the skull. For that reason, I’ve named this species the chainjaw snatcher. The way the “chainjaw” works is that the teeth are disconnected from the jaw and sit firmly in the gums, muscles pull the bottom and top of the jaw back and forth rapidly allowing for the snatcher to shred through its prey. The babies don’t have fully developed mouths with the teeth still being attached to the jaw, this means they are unable to hunt on their own causing the parents to regurgitate shredded prey for their young to eat. The sight alone is enough to deter predators. Certainly the most unique species I’ve found on this planet, who knows what else the desert wetland will have?

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