Lundrage (Luhnd-rayj)

The Lundrage (Arc. Lantela Monstrum, "The Lantela Monster") is the largest marine reptile in Elarium. It is the only remaining extant member of its genus, recently theorized by evolutionary biologists to be closely related to the mosasaurs and monitor lizards.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The lundrage has an eel-like skull with a mandible that is held by strong muscles, making it capable of biting with a ferocious force of 19000 psi. A mature lundrage has 76 teeth, of which 28 are maxillary, 6 premaxillary, and 18 mandibular. It has a pair of long fangs sticking out of it’s mandibular for piercing it’s prey. The skull has a big, sturdy plate on top of it in order to potentially mistake an enemy and damage their jaws.
The lundrage’s general body structure is similar to one of a lizard, with a long neck and four muscular limbs with webbed feet, giving it the ability to easily steer underwater. It has a long, hefty tail that can knock over a tree.
One of the lundrage’s unique traits are the venomous spikes below it’s neck (most often seen with 8 spikes). When the venom is injected via mouth, it immediately finds it way into the nervous system and results in appetite loss, loss of taste and potentially loss of smell. If an excessive amount is injected, it may heavily damage the nervous system, or even the brain.

Genetics and Reproduction

Lundrages are sexually dimorphic - males are bigger than females, and females have darker scale coloration. Copulation occurs in water, close to the shore.
Lundrages are oviparous, laying between 5 to 12 eggs, which are covered in sand to protect from potential predators. After hatching, which takes 4-5 months, the mother takes care of her young for 3 years.
Mating season occurs in early Autumn until late November. This period on time reflects on the tourism of the Lantela sea; traveling there is highly restricted during Autumn due to the lundrages’ heightened aggression.

Growth Rate & Stages

Hatchling. A lundrage hatchling measures around 40cm / 15inch in length and are highly vulnerable to predators. The mother will scoop up all her hatchlings into her mouth and take them for a swim to have them get to know their surroundings. The mother will feed her young with scraps of meat.




1. Juvenile. When a lundrage grows into this stage, it’s able to sustain itself and survive on it’s own. The spikes start growing out at around 5-6 years of age. It mostly preys on birds, small fish and other baby animals.
   
2. Adult. This stage occurs at full maturity, at the age of 20-24. Young adults measure around 63ft / 19m in length, so they still prey on smaller animals before growing into bigger sizes.

Ecology and Habitats

map of the lundrage habitat range.
Most of the time, lundrages swim in the Lantela sea, occasionally sliding onto the shore to rest, bask in the sun, copulate, socialize, etc. however they cannot stay out for too long as their skin dries incredibly quickly. They prefer swimming in higher water levels, their diving limit being ~500m. It is commonly viewed as a gentle predator, as it ignores smaller creatures.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Lundrages form small herds on beach shores, but nearly always hunt alone. Their diet consisted of large prey such as sharks and plesiosaurs, occasionally whales as the opportunity arose. Lundrages simply ignore small creatures as they won’t fulfill their hunger, one of such being humans and other folk. This allows them to be the main tourist attraction of the Lantela sea, as they don’t mind folk being close to them. 

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Lundrages are occasionally poached for their skulls, eyes and claws, used as wall mounts or necklaces. Such acts however are illegal and the penalty for killing a lundrage can be as serious as up to 2 years in prison and a $50000 fine.
Harvesting lundrage venom is safe and harmless, even with a wild lundrage. A common method of gathering the venom is by catching the animal’s attention with food and, as it’s head is close to the ground, quickly stabbing a spike through a collecting receptacle. A similar method is seen in snake venom extraction, but without holding the lundrage itself. The venom is used for traditional medicine and alchemy. It is commonly used as an ingredient for an anesthetic.

Average Intelligence

Lundrages are precisely one of the most intelligent reptiles of Elarium. In captivity, they are observed to be trained to count to 10, bring an object to another place, wave, even roll onto it’s back. They can remember the scent of their herd members and are shown to be affectionate towards their mate, such as touching eachothers snouts.

Scientific Name

Lantela monstrum

Lifespan

160-180 years

Conservation Status

Critically endangered on CUEN’s red list with 50 estimated in the wild, more bred in captivity in the LS-12 facility

Average Weight

170000lbs / 80t

Average Length

85ft / 26m

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Dark blue coloration with a bright blue underbelly and grey spots on top, females are darker and less saturated

Geographic Distribution

• Lantela sea

Discovered by

Emil Lundberg