Research Report - Deathclaws
In FO2, when you visit Vault 13, you can speak with Joseph who is working as a healer for the talking deathclaw community. He is an herbalist, not a doctor or a biologist. When asked about Deathclaws, he mentions his theory that DC's come from a species called Jackson's Chameleons:
"Well, let's see... Deathclaws appear to be mutated Jackson's Chameleons, the horned variety. There are a lot of similarities still present, but an even greater number of differences. The mutation factor is quite high."
While most people seem to accept that as fact, my research challenges that assumption. While Joseph was right about the many differences, there are few similarities. Joseph's opinion should be seen as an educated guess by a wasteland dweller who probably saw an image somewhere and thought the horns were significant. IMHO, his guess is wrong.
Yes, the JC does have horns, but usually only the males have them anyway. There are a host of other problems:
1. They are not desert dwellers. Native habitat is in cooler, humid regions of East Africa, especially high altitudes.
2. They are tree-dwellers prefering to stay off the ground.
3. They are SLOW-moving quadripeds.
4. They rarely eat anything other than insects.
5. Unusual tongue: 1.5 times body length with a sticky tip used to snare prey.
6. Unusual eyes: independently moving conical eye pods.
7. Unusual feet: toes are fused together to form pincer like feet for gripping branches.
8. JC's don't lay eggs! They give birth to live young.
If all that weren't enough, the JC is a shy and fragile creature. Captive ones tend to get sick and die from "stress".
The whole issue is made more convincing by a solid alternative: the collared lizard. The common collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) is native to the American southwest. They have *none* of the aforementioned problems. The thing is practically an infant DC, a semi-bipedal, fast, aggressive lizard with a taste for meat. Some of these have very long claws. Of course, with mutations, one can argue that anything is possible. It's just a matter of what is most *probable*. See for yourself and decide which looks more like a DC ancestor.
In addition to discounting the JC origin, I'd like to raise another issue. Some readers may know of a FO2 strategy guide that I'm told says the following: "Deathclaws were originally created to replace humans during close-combat search-and-destroy missions. They were derived from mixed animal stock and then refined by the Master, using genetic manipulation."
While there are those who may consider this canon, I consider it crap. (Matt Norton should be hauled before a Fallout Inquisition and made to recant
)
The concept of atomic radiation UNINTENTIONALLY creating dangerous creatures (or the blasts awaking pre-historic ones) is such a common mid-century theme for films, comics, etc. (and concept behind the game "I Was an Atomic Mutant"). Besides, we already have plenty of skullduggery by the government and creature engineering by the Master. Part of the theme of Fallout is the disaster we have wrought through atomic warfare. The emergence of a new top-of-the-foodchain creature from the irradiated wasteland fits very well with that. I believe that DC's evolved from irradiated creatures native to the US. However, even if you are prone to think that the original DC's were engineered, why would anyone start with a JC, and how likely is it they would end up with a DC if they did?
Note 1: There is no evidence that DC's have any chameleon-like abilities which would tie them to JC's (though that would be cool). Like other large predators, deathclaws seem to stalk their prey carefully using natural cover and then strike using incredible speed to close the distance to the target.
Note 2: In FO2, we learn that some deathclaws were captured by the Enclave and genetically engineered for greater intelligence. However, this is only the story of "intelligent" deathclaw origin.
Note 3: In the 1970's, JC's became popular in the international pet trade. At one point, they were released in Hawaii and established a wild population there.
Research Image
In FO2, when you visit Vault 13, you can speak with Joseph who is working as a healer for the talking deathclaw community. He is an herbalist, not a doctor or a biologist. When asked about Deathclaws, he mentions his theory that DC's come from a species called Jackson's Chameleons:
"Well, let's see... Deathclaws appear to be mutated Jackson's Chameleons, the horned variety. There are a lot of similarities still present, but an even greater number of differences. The mutation factor is quite high."
While most people seem to accept that as fact, my research challenges that assumption. While Joseph was right about the many differences, there are few similarities. Joseph's opinion should be seen as an educated guess by a wasteland dweller who probably saw an image somewhere and thought the horns were significant. IMHO, his guess is wrong.
Yes, the JC does have horns, but usually only the males have them anyway. There are a host of other problems:
1. They are not desert dwellers. Native habitat is in cooler, humid regions of East Africa, especially high altitudes.
2. They are tree-dwellers prefering to stay off the ground.
3. They are SLOW-moving quadripeds.
4. They rarely eat anything other than insects.
5. Unusual tongue: 1.5 times body length with a sticky tip used to snare prey.
6. Unusual eyes: independently moving conical eye pods.
7. Unusual feet: toes are fused together to form pincer like feet for gripping branches.
8. JC's don't lay eggs! They give birth to live young.
If all that weren't enough, the JC is a shy and fragile creature. Captive ones tend to get sick and die from "stress".
The whole issue is made more convincing by a solid alternative: the collared lizard. The common collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) is native to the American southwest. They have *none* of the aforementioned problems. The thing is practically an infant DC, a semi-bipedal, fast, aggressive lizard with a taste for meat. Some of these have very long claws. Of course, with mutations, one can argue that anything is possible. It's just a matter of what is most *probable*. See for yourself and decide which looks more like a DC ancestor.
In addition to discounting the JC origin, I'd like to raise another issue. Some readers may know of a FO2 strategy guide that I'm told says the following: "Deathclaws were originally created to replace humans during close-combat search-and-destroy missions. They were derived from mixed animal stock and then refined by the Master, using genetic manipulation."
While there are those who may consider this canon, I consider it crap. (Matt Norton should be hauled before a Fallout Inquisition and made to recant
)The concept of atomic radiation UNINTENTIONALLY creating dangerous creatures (or the blasts awaking pre-historic ones) is such a common mid-century theme for films, comics, etc. (and concept behind the game "I Was an Atomic Mutant"). Besides, we already have plenty of skullduggery by the government and creature engineering by the Master. Part of the theme of Fallout is the disaster we have wrought through atomic warfare. The emergence of a new top-of-the-foodchain creature from the irradiated wasteland fits very well with that. I believe that DC's evolved from irradiated creatures native to the US. However, even if you are prone to think that the original DC's were engineered, why would anyone start with a JC, and how likely is it they would end up with a DC if they did?
Note 1: There is no evidence that DC's have any chameleon-like abilities which would tie them to JC's (though that would be cool). Like other large predators, deathclaws seem to stalk their prey carefully using natural cover and then strike using incredible speed to close the distance to the target.
Note 2: In FO2, we learn that some deathclaws were captured by the Enclave and genetically engineered for greater intelligence. However, this is only the story of "intelligent" deathclaw origin.
Note 3: In the 1970's, JC's became popular in the international pet trade. At one point, they were released in Hawaii and established a wild population there.
Research Image
