Deinonychus Stacking

Harris hawks are famous not only for being the only modern bird of prey that hunts in packs, but also for exhibiting a curious behavior called "stacking." One hawk will occasionally land upon the back of another, and sometimes even a third hawk will alight on top of that one - and the more dominant hawk is usually the one at the bottom. No one is really sure why they do this, but I thought it would be amusing to depict a pair of Deinonychus doing the same!

This mated pair are both pretty intelligent, and they often devise clever methods of hunting and stalking. One such method they've devised is to employ "stacking" in surveying prey; this allows them to get twice the amount of height in surveying prey, with minimal chance of being spotted. Though taller and lankier, the male is the more lightweight of the two and so makes an excellent "top hawk" in surveying distant prey, bracing himself on the female's broad and solid hips.

Here he's gazing intently into the distance at a roving herd of Tenontosaurs over a shallow ledge, his keen eyes searching among them for the weak and young. The female waits patiently below him, anticipating the chase and the feast that will follow. Stacking is a very self-supporting hunting tactic - the more prey it helps to acquire, the broader and more solid the female's hips will be to support her mate!

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This is an experiment in combining watercolor and prismacolor pencils. I think it turned out pretty well for my first attempt.