Senteran Eagle
This large bird of prey is an apex predator in more ways than one, for it lives only on the peaks of the mountains of The Isle of Senteru, where it is a threat to small human children, or adult Monkin and Drakiss as well as their livestock. For all their terror inspiring reputation however, they prefer to scavenge as carion does not fight back.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
Senteran Eagles pair for life, though if one of the pair dies they will generally form a new bond two to five years later. The courtship runs over the course of around a year
A pair typically produces a single egg at intervals of around four years, though if a chick or youngster dies before it leaves the nest the next egg is usually laid around 6 months later. The eggs are incubated by both parents on inaccessible pinacles of the islands mountains and hatch around 50 days after being laid.
Growth Rate & Stages
A Senteran Eagle can live for as much as a century though 70 years is a reasonable average. They are dependent on their parent for the first three years of their life, reach adult size at around five and breeding condition, which sees their plumage darken from rock grey to black, at around seven. These eagles make parents with around 80% of eggs laid result in a juvenile leaving the nest as an independent bird - most of the deaths occur in the second year as the youngster learns to fly, hunt and navigate.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
The Senteran Eagle was once widespread in the uplands of Tarusia, but its range has been gradually reduced to the Isle of Senteru, though small numbers are found in the Barrier Mountains, especially in the western parts where numbers of humans are lower and the Mor settled later. Taru legends suggest that their range once extended north to the northern forests, though their preferred home ranges were always in the hillier and mountainous regions.
Plumage Dark brown body, white wing tips.
Lifespan Upto 100 years (average 70).
Diet Carrion and fresh meat{br]
Undor Razzenkath
Undor was a Monkin-ban herder who came across "found" a young Senteran eagle and raised it by hand - a foolish deed and one which his community would have put a prompt end to had they known of it; but Undor spent his time with his herds on the Starthick Hills and his foolishness went unnoticed for some years. It could no longer be overlooked when Undor was seen riding on the back of his eagle, which he named Nazzith.The eagle stayed with him over the next two decades, carrying him and watching over his flocks of Gethu, which prospered despite the need to feed Nazzith. After Undor died of old age, Nazzith brought his body back to his clan and over the following years few gethu were lost in the Starthick hills suggesting that Nazzith had continued to watch over the flocks it hade been brought up to look after.
Though some have tried to repeat Undor's taming of this bird, none have succeeded.
Comments
Author's Notes
This article was written for SummerCamp 2020 the the prompt "Write about an apex predator in your world. How does it hunt and survive?". For more on what I'm trying to do with SummerCamp this year, check out Summer Camp 2020.