The extinction of the Slide-Rock Bolter was a tragic loss, and some say there is now a hole in Colorado where this beast used to be. Gone is the sight of these great creatures hanging off the slopes, the sun shining off the snow and blubbery hides. These pictures so popular on postcards are now all that remain, save for the few skeletons kept in museums. While we can remember them by their pictures, souvenirs and the occasional themed sledding event, we must always remember what caused this horrible day. Hunting of the Slide-Rock Bolters was the first blow to the population, as their blubber and mouth grease was a vital resource back in the old days. Harbors and coastal towns had their whale oil, but mountain folk used bolter grease. The biggest specimens were hunted and harvested back then, and the population took a decline for decades. When their grease fell out of popularity, it seemed that these beasts would at last have a chance. Sadly, mountain mining and mountainside resorts came into fashion, and no one wanted one of these leviathans around to ruin things. Since it was impossible to relocate them, companies just hired hunters to put them down so that they could use their territory. Now facing habitat loss, the population hit a downward spiral from which there was no return. Their numbers fell to the point where the breeding pool was too small, while their size and lifestyle made it impossible for zoos and other conservation groups to do anything about it. They were marked critically endangered, but we sadly knew it was only a matter of time. The last one fell to sickness, and that was the end for them. Now, we can only yearn for these old days, when the Bolters haunted the mountain side. When we turn on the news and feel that emptiness when the anchorman makes no mention of a group of hikers getting devoured. No more Bolters sliding into town and taking out three blocks and a post office. No more Bolter corpses bloating in the summer and blowing the top off a mountain. Now when hikers vanish in the wilderness or a rockslide takes out a tourist bus, we all just imagine the spirits of these extinct beasts and think "must have been a Bolter..." Sure, outsiders may think it cruel or bizarre to think fondly of the times Bolters ate a ski class, but those times had character gosh darn it! -----------------------------------------------------------------------
“Slide-Rock Bolter”
Some more Fearsome Critters, because I just got some lying around! Slide-Rock Bolters are often given a whale-like look, but then have huge maws filled with teeth. Since there isn't any big whales that have such a feature, I decided to go with a baleen whale whose baleen has turned into hardened spines for keeping prey in! Just did that so I could at least have mine looking a little different.
