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The Mesospherian Devil

canis diabolus

This is a fictional species, a work of paper and ink. I go to a school that utilizes PBL. This stands for Project Based Learning. We use projects and hands on work instead of the classic pen and paper work. This is an assignment for BioComm. In this article, we were to invent and describe a species, and create a model.

Origin

The canis diabolus was an animal experiment gone wrong. In an effort to create a super weapon, scientists of the United States took genes from many different animals and placed them within a Red Fox. It's genes included cloaking genes from chameleons that allow it to match its background, the jaw strength of a crocodile, the regenerative powers of a starfish, the back leg strength of a kangaroo, and the speed of a cheetah with increased endurance, the bite strike speed of a Gaboon Viper, and venomous saliva of a Komodo Dragon. The part that was not anticipated was the fact these genes were abruptly introduced, which caused physical mutation and extreme aggression. The former Red Fox mutated to absorb the physical shock, it grew twice its size and gained much more muscle. In an attempt to remove and hide the problem, the lead scientist, Dr. Eugene Steward scheduled a space shuttle to be launched towards Saturn. Unfortunately, the shuttles fuel container ruptured around the mesosphere (Hence the name "Mesospherian"), and the shuttle fell back down to Earth. The shuttle landed in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, where the creature began a rampage of catastrophic measures. The Devil ate most small animals it found, others it mutilated. Action was taken by the Government after the Devil killed five humans that tried to approach it. The city was evacuated, most citizens had to leave everything behind. The city was left abandoned for four years, meanwhile the Devil bred with common house dogs, such Labradors, Pit bulls, and more along that line. on the fifth year, a small squad was dispatched into the city to observe surroundings. The original Devil was nowhere to be found, while its descendants could now be domesticated. The Mesospherian Devil is now a house pet, and science has found a way to remove the venom glands. The rest of its abilities seem persistent in the genes of each new generation of Devil.

Lifespan

The Devil had an estimated three year lifespan, judged from the amount maturity each of its descendants were in. The lifespan of a domesticated Devil however, is an average between the Devil and the dog breed it is mixed with. Such as a Labradors average lifespan is 12 years, and the Devil's is 3, so the average lifespan for the domestic breed would be seven to eight years.

Environment

This creature can live in most environments, besides extreme cold and heat. As long as it had a constant food source, it can live. They currently live throughout the United States, mostly in forest and wooded areas. They also seem to migrate from Northern to Southern areas during winter, like birds. This includes domesticated Devils. Come Spring, domestics always return to their owners. The ones that remain wild are slowly traveling towards Mexico and Canada, and it won't be long until they travel overseas.

Behavior

As pups, they have three stages, and mature into adults in about a year. The first stage is tiredness, sleeping, and overall laziness. This stage occurs from 1 to 6 months of life. Stage two takes place during 6 to 9 months of life, and consists of nonstop running and energy. Scientists believe this occurs because of the muscle development that is required for essential life of the Devils. The third and final stage of their childhood is chewing. This may seem very common and easy to control in dogs, but the Devils genes cause it to gnaw nonstop for the final 9 to 12 months of development. As adults they have many traits, such as fiercely loyal, probably more than a trained German Shepard. Their traits also include aggressive, energetic, and tenacious.

Population

There is believed to be about 2.400 specimens alive right now. This is not counting the hundreds more that are out in the wilderness. There is also about 200 German Shepard Devil subspecies working with the US Military. The dogs unique abilities make it perfect for breaking through a defensive line.

Diet

These dogs eat meat. They will eat any other animal it has access to because it is a carnivore. The subspecies have however adapted to eating normal dry dog food, but there cannot be any grains or other byproducts. This animal must be kept as an only animal household, because they will eat other animals, given the chance.

Impact

This animal is already putting a large strain on modern warfare, as most major powers have already acquired the Devils and begun the breeding process. When the major powers manage to attain a large amount, it will be a blood bath of Devil blood, that will take a long time for either side to lose a competitor. For a Devil to be killed, they must hit a core spot within them, that way they cannot regenerate, but the core is different in each Devil. The ones kept as house pets remain to be loyal companions, but the world governments are worried what will happen when a world power has too many Devils. An all out war between these creatures would cause world crisis.