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Description
Abelisaurids are the last ceratosaurs of the known world. Although once diverse, eventually they were reduced to a clade of small fossorial specialists, hunting parksosaurs and burrowing mammals. They lost their arms entirely (aside from spurs used by males in mating), had elongated necks, and were heavily armored. Their jaws were short yet exceptionally powerful, and the hunting strategy was simple: bite and hold, enduring the retaliatory strikes with a neck that could roll with the struggle and armored hide to withstand their prey's assault. Short but powerful legs helped with excavation and stocky, flexible tails helped stabilize them and aid in pulling prey from the burrows. Their teeth were conical pegs in the front to hold prey, while the side teeth were serrated to cut flesh while the front teeth maintained a hold.

Following a mass extinction that saw the collapse of the tyrannosaur/hadrosaur/ceratopsid dynasty, parksosaurs experienced an adaptive radiation. The abelisaurids that hunted them weren't far behind. Their build and hunting strategy translated well to the shallow seas that dominated the warmer world, and semiaquatic clades were quite successful. The giants of this group were outcompeted by the megaraptorans like the kurajaku, although they still dominate island habitats. The arrival of ground sloths some 6 million years ago, many of them multi-ton burrowers, proved excellent prey for the larger abelisaurids. By far the most successful is the weochetu'ka, which is comfortable on land and sea and has an exceptionally adaptable diet and hunting strategy. There are other surviving large predators, and their original bauplan and fossorial hunting remains strong in many smaller taxa.

1. Altuun, largest of the Kaimeran abelisaurids. These tanks are rare near civilization, but quite common in the forests to the north and west. They are omnivorous, content to eat almost anything, from carrion and hunted prey to fruit and bark. Their armored backs and loose-skinned bellies make them challenging for megaraptorans to combat.

2. Uliki, a small island-hopper. They are also common throughout the Kaimeran wetlands. These predators hunt burrowing crustaceans, reptiles, fish, and mammals.

3. Weochetu'ka, apex predator of many wetland environments and islands. The most aquatic of their kind alongside their closest relative, the uliki, and the snakelike shi.

4. Shi, like the uliki, are small-game burrowing specialists. They seem especially drawn to lungfish. Although the two have some overlap, the ship is more common in warmer climates while the more robust uliki prefers colder waters. Despite a semiaquatic build, they are closer to the chuzao than the uliki, and their similarities are convergent.

5. Chuzao are the most basal of the Kaimeran abelisaurids. They are fundamentally the same as the ancestors to all surviving members of the clade.

6. Tsawo are the larger cousin of the chuzao. With reinforced armor and greater size, they show a preference for powerful burrowing prey like sloths and zaydi.

7. Khenu are perhaps the most derived member of the clade. Their teeth are long and blade-like, and their heads are not as wide. They are more predatory than the other two large abelisaurids. Although these flashier predators are hardly picky eaters, they seem to have a strong inclination towards hunting other theropods. They have similar anti-megaraptoran protections to the altuun, which they use to endure parent attacks while killing their young.

Description
Abelisaurids are the last ceratosaurs of the known world. Although once diverse, eventually they were reduced to a clade of small fossorial specialists, hunting parksosaurs and burrowing mammals. They lost their arms entirely (aside from spurs used by males in mating), had elongated necks, and were heavily armored. Their jaws were short yet exceptionally powerful, and the hunting strategy was simple: bite and hold, enduring the retaliatory strikes with a neck that could roll with the struggle and armored hide to withstand their prey's assault. Short but powerful legs helped with excavation and stocky, flexible tails helped stabilize them and aid in pulling prey from the burrows. Their teeth were conical pegs in the front to hold prey, while the side teeth were serrated to cut flesh while the front teeth maintained a hold.

Following a mass extinction that saw the collapse of the tyrannosaur/hadrosaur/ceratopsid dynasty, parksosaurs experienced an adaptive radiation. The abelisaurids that hunted them weren't far behind. Their build and hunting strategy translated well to the shallow seas that dominated the warmer world, and semiaquatic clades were quite successful. The giants of this group were outcompeted by the megaraptorans like the kurajaku, although they still dominate island habitats. The arrival of ground sloths some 6 million years ago, many of them multi-ton burrowers, proved excellent prey for the larger abelisaurids. By far the most successful is the weochetu'ka, which is comfortable on land and sea and has an exceptionally adaptable diet and hunting strategy. There are other surviving large predators, and their original bauplan and fossorial hunting remains strong in many smaller taxa.

1. Altuun, largest of the Kaimeran abelisaurids. These tanks are rare near civilization, but quite common in the forests to the north and west. They are omnivorous, content to eat almost anything, from carrion and hunted prey to fruit and bark. Their armored backs and loose-skinned bellies make them challenging for megaraptorans to combat.

2. Uliki, a small island-hopper. They are also common throughout the Kaimeran wetlands. These predators hunt burrowing crustaceans, reptiles, fish, and mammals.

3. Weochetu'ka, apex predator of many wetland environments and islands. The most aquatic of their kind alongside their closest relative, the uliki, and the snakelike shi.

4. Shi, like the uliki, are small-game burrowing specialists. They seem especially drawn to lungfish. Although the two have some overlap, the ship is more common in warmer climates while the more robust uliki prefers colder waters. Despite a semiaquatic build, they are closer to the chuzao than the uliki, and their similarities are convergent.

5. Chuzao are the most basal of the Kaimeran abelisaurids. They are fundamentally the same as the ancestors to all surviving members of the clade.

6. Tsawo are the larger cousin of the chuzao. With reinforced armor and greater size, they show a preference for powerful burrowing prey like sloths and zaydi.

7. Khenu are perhaps the most derived member of the clade. Their teeth are long and blade-like, and their heads are not as wide. They are more predatory than the other two large abelisaurids. Although these flashier predators are hardly picky eaters, they seem to have a strong inclination towards hunting other theropods. They have similar anti-megaraptoran protections to the altuun, which they use to endure parent attacks while killing their young.