As in every ecosystem that exists, or could exist, you need the three main sorts of animal; predators, prey, and the cleaners of the natural world, scavengers. This is one such opportunist. Teryxoraptor saevidicus a.k.a. the Sahel Raider...

This dinosaur, or bird (you decide on this one for yourself), is very much like our dimension's Secretary Birds or Vultures, wandering around the African plains, snapping up lizards, snakes and small mammals or descending on rotting carcasses of animals killed by the much larger carnivores like the Kasai Ravager or Deathjaw, sometimes even stealing pieces of meat from these giants' very noses.

However, at almost 6 feet tall, it is able to take down much larger prey, such as Savannah Runners and young Hornmeisters, taking to the air and swooping down and crushing the victim in its extremely modified feet.

The Raider's ancestor was most likely the primitive dromaeosaur, Rahonavis. As a dromaeosaur, it had the classic sickle claw which defined this group. It also had a pair of wings which may have helped it glide from tree to tree. These were highly modified and honed to near-perfection in the Raider. The raider has lost its clawed fingers, to allow a more efficient flight stroke. Without these grasping hands, its feet have changed in shape to imrove its gripping ability. The hallux has disappeared altogether, allowing the switchblade claw to move to the back of the foot, becoming the equivilent of the reversed toe found in our world's eagles.

The males of this species have long feathers on the back of their heads and tails, ranging from dark red, to firey orange, and even white, which they would show off to rivals or potential mates. The females also have bright feathers, however, they are sharter and more sparse than the males, creating a streaked pattern on their heads, while their tail feathers are dull brown like the rest of the animal. Unlike most maniraptoran theropods, the males are larger than the females, and more aggressive, in order to protect their families from rivals, and possible predators. Both male and female raiders share parenting duties, incubating eggs and raising young during the short wet season.