Wyvern

Wyverns are drakes known for having large wings as their forelimbs and two legs. They are often known in many cultures as the quintessential flying dragon or dragonkin.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Wyverns have a typical drake body structure like that of a large reptile but are notable for having more gracile, slender bodies compared to greater drakes like dragons. They have four limbs total without forelegs, leaving their wings and legs as their only limbs. They also have a longer tail with a small 'tail vane' flap at the end. When making contact with land, wyverns are observed to rest on their hind legs. Their forelimbs are large leathery wings and their back legs giving them the capacity for a bipedal gait, though some use their wings as makeshift legs making for a quadrupedal gait.

Biological Traits

Wings: Wyverns have large, impressive wings in place of forearms which wyverns use for flight. 
Mesothermic: Like greater drakes, mesotherms generate enough heat to keep their blood warmer than their environment, but like most reptiles, they do not maintain a constant body temperature. Due to their active lifestyle which involved energy intensive flying, they had to have faster metabolic rates then related ectothermic brethren.

Genetics and Reproduction

Wyvern species are all egg layers The nomadic wyvern sometimes makes nests on crags. The wyvern egg is very large with a thick, bumpy shell which changes color to match its surroundings. The chicks are brown and lose their spines as they get older.

Ecology and Habitats

Wyverns can live in the harshest environments, but most are found in high mountain regions and sometimes near volcanoes.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Wyverns are carnivorous drakes, consuming prey as varied as insects, crustaceans, arachnids, myriapods, mollusks, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. They feed on invertebrates as juveniles and shift to feeding on vertebrates as adults.

Additional Information

Social Structure

They are particularly protective of their home and have been known to go on rampages that can raze villages if disturbed.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Wyverns originate from the mountains of the Ecumene region but have their range increased throughout Dinahalli.

Average Intelligence

Like other lesser drakes, wyverns are more feral and animalistic, being incapable of higher rational thought or language capacity. Some tamed wyverns, exhibit relatively high intelligence and are capable of comprehending human speech to some degree. However, this ability seems to be as much a result of the skill of the rider in communicating thoughts and emotions without using words as anything else and is compared to the ability of some people to communicate with their pets.

Lifespan

150 years in the wild up to 300 years captivity

Conservation Status

Near Threatened

Average Height

4.5 m

Average Weight

230 to 250 kg

Average Length

10 to 11 m wingspan

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Wyverns primarily come in two morphs: green which resembles

Geographic Distribution

• Ecumene