Giant Ambush Axolotl

The Giant Ambush Axolotl, sometimes called the Walking Mouth, is a predatory relative of the Axolotl, that fills a similar niche to the surface crocs of Rathnir.

Appearance
Ambystoma suchis is very similar to it's smaller relative, however there are some glaring differences between them. The Giant Ambush Axolotl measurs about 7 and a half feet (229 cm) from snout to the tip of the tail. It has a wider head to support more jaw muscles to generate more bite force capable to crush bones. It also sports grander gills that can give it the appearance of a mane. The nostrils and eyes lie on top of the head, so that it can smell and see any bats coming too close to the surface of the water. There seems to be only one subspecies of the Walking Mouth, one that resembles the Lucy subspecies of Axolotl in color scheme.

Diet and Hunting Strategy
The Giant Ambush Axolotl's main source of are bats that fly too close to the surface of an underground water lake or a flooded part of a cave. If a bat flies within range (or even better sits on the ceiling), which is between 1 or 4 meters of the surface, depending on the axolotl's skill, age or power, the hunter lunges out of the water with immense speed, grabing it's prey, crushing it's brittle bones, and falls back into the water where it drownes the prey if it's still alive and then eats it whole. However, in times of need the Walking Mouth is not picky. It also preys upon cave-dwelling fish and squid, it's cousins the common axolotl, or a giant spider too close to the water. The Giant Ambush Axolotl also kills Zombies as their flesh helps heal stomach ache and Skeletons for their bone marrow.

The Threat of Strip Mines
As many people of Rathnir delve into the deepths of the earth to find precious gems and metals, they create massive strip mines that litter the underground, chances are that if you dig straight down you will sooner or later find a strip mine (or a lava pit). Because of this massive destruction of the underground, bats have become less common and many of them live in the abandoned strip mines, The narrow corridors are too tight for the Walking Mouth to follow them and are also too dry for the water predators. Bridges are constructed on the surface of the underground lakes to further the corridors. This stresses the axolotls so much that they even refuse to breed.

♆ Article by Wildlife Guild ♆