Cormorape

Partial muscle study of a Hox-defiant diving Chimerape with two separate digestive systems converging on a central shared "gut" located at midbody. The animal lives in trees overhanging riverbanks, where it spends most of its time foraging for fruit to feed its "upper" digestive tract. During the flood season, however, it makes a temporary transition to a more predatory lifestyle, plunging from its arboreal home into the river below to snatch unsuspecting prey with its terminal cormorant-like pseudo-head. Not surprisingly, this cyclical change in feeding style coincides with breeding, child-rearing, thermogenic maintenance of body heat, and other such high-calorie energy demands.

"X" indicates a raptorial leg/wing/flipper omitted for clarity. This drawing (well, the bird portion of it at least) is heavily based on a muscle study of a guillemot from Katrina van Grouw's beautiful The Unfeathered Bird.