Kaikon (/kai̯'kon/)

Known by a variety of names due to their large range, kaikons are warm-blooded reptilians found in the savannas of Mum. Despite their size (comparable to wolves), they are typically no threat to dragons, bar perhaps small ones or children, as kaikons favor small prey. Even though they rarely hunt people, the howling of kaikons is often seen as an omen of death.
Though a social species, kaikons hunt alone or in mated pairs. This, combined with the large open territories each packs holds, means that they are rarely seen in larger numbers. Instead, kaikons stay in contact by vocal calls. Enhanced by their chambered horn, similar to that of the Parasaurolophus from Earth, these haunting noises carry enormous distances over the open plains where they live. Their names are typically derived from this trait, including the common name kaikon, which is derived from the Praulti word "kai", meaning "call, cry out".

Basic Information

Anatomy

Kaikons are quadrupedal animals, warm-blooded and reptile-like, and thought to be distantly related to dragons. Obligate carnivores, they possess little gut, making their big chests look even deeper in comparison. Their tails are long as flexible, used to steer while running, and to emote in social gatherings.

Long-limbed and muscular, they are excellent sprinters and decent leapers, and rely on pouncing their prey at full speed to take it down. Both front and hind legs count four toes with non-retractable claws, though only the middle two toes touch the ground. The other two are kept lifted up and bent backwards, keeping the claw sharp and pristine, and is used to take down prey.
Most characteristic is their head, or more so their horn. More accurately described as a cranial crest, it connects to their nasal cavities and runs over the top of their head, forming a horn projecting backwards from near the back of the head. Filled with long, continuous hollow chambers, kaikons can direct air through it to create long haunting howls.
The presence of this horn, and the connected air chambers, means that there is less space for jaw muscles. As such, kaikons have (relatively) weak jaws, and lack much in the way of fangs. Instead, they rely on their claws for both offense and defense.

Ecology and Habitats

Hailing from the savanna, kaikons are found in the near-equatorial savanna of Mum. Here, they maintain large territories with the rest of their pack, ensuring they have access to sheltered spots to rest, as well to fresh water. And, of course, prey. Kaikons maintain their territory by sound and smell, their calls warning other kaikons that they are near, and their pheromone trails marking the edges of their territory.
In their territory, kaikons select at least one place to gather, or more if good places for it can be found. These locations need to be sheltered from heat, as well as hidden from predators, so more vulnerable pack members can stay there safely. Some work may be done to perfect a den-site, digging out better hiding spots, but it's uncommon, and rarely involves much work.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Obligate carnivores, kaikons survive on a diet of meat and only meat. They hunt alone or in mated pairs, tracking down small prey using their excellent sense of smell. Once found, prey is captured by outrunning them and pouncing, using their hooked claws to kill it in one go. Failure to hit often costs them enough speed that the prey manages to escape. Pairs which hunt together typically target larger prey, but thus also need to give up if the first misses their strike, as they need to work together to successfully capture their prey.
Food is eaten where it is captured, allowing the kaikon to continue hunting, as one prey item is rarely enough. If the pack counts members unable to hunt for themselves, be it due to injury, age, or pregnancy, other members will capture prey and bring it back whole to feed the rest. Typically every member will only bring back one piece, but they may go out to capture more if their pack doesn't count enough (hunting-capable) members to feed everyone.

Behaviour

A social species, kaikons maintain a large territory shared by the entire pack. Though they spend significant amounts of time away from the rest of the pack to hunt, they communicate with their howling, and an alarm call will quickly summon the rest of the pack, which come running to help. As such, they have little in the way of predators, though some exist. If a predator or threat is seen, the kaikon will maintain eye contact to tell the threat it has been seen. If it does not leave, the kaikon will begin drawing deep breaths, warning the threat that the kaikon will howl if an attack is made.
It is this trait which some dragons make use of. With blowing horns made out of kaikon crests, and some practice, it's possible to copy the distress call of a kaikon exactly. Doing so will bring the pack running, viciously attacking anything present where the call went out in an attempt to save the kaikon who called. Surprisingly, they do this even if all pack members are accounted for, and will even save kaikons not belonging to their packs if they call for help.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Despite being characterized for their calls, kaikons have a rather limited sense of hearing, and their range is much lower than that of humans, focusing around the pitches of their own howling. Conversely, they have a good sense for spatial hearing, being able to tell where sounds originate from. This allows them to tell more accurately where others are howling from, and to converge on their location if an alarm call sounds.
Instead of relying on their hearing, kaikons mostly hunt by smell. The base of their horn-like crest, connected to their nose, is filled with sensory tissues linked to their olfactory nerves, with countless olfactory receptors. While sound is used for pack communication, it is smell which finds them prey and which alerts them to predators.
Kaikons also possess eyes, but their sight is relatively poor. As they have little to no reason for color perception, they are color-blind, and their eyesight is okay but not great. Their sense of taste is even more poor, and they have little ability to taste what they eat outside of being able to tell if it is rotten.

Conservation Status

Least Concern (LC): kaikons are not known to be threatened in any way, though it can be hard to determine numbers due to their spread-out nature and the rarity of sightings, compared to their calls.

Average Height

80 - 85 cm at shoulder height

Average Weight

25 - 35 kg

Geographic Distribution

• Mum