Skelerent

Anatomy

The most significant part of these giants bodies were the 3 pairs of legs that stuck up and out of their backs. Their bellies were completely exposed, ribs jutting out and a large slab of bone that protected their vital organs. Their actual bodies were tiny and shrivelled, resembling that of a dried fruit encased in bone. Skelerents had large heads sat on short necks, with long snouts ending in two fangs. Their long tails could be used to slash at their prey, making a large snapping sound, like a whip.

Exoskeleton

A significant part of their physical appearances were their exoskeleton. With a small body, their ribs and bone plates stuck out below them, acting like a protective cage for their delicate insides. However, because of the dragons size, people could fit through the gaps in their ribs, which made their bodies easy targets.

Organs

The composition of skelerent organs is incredibly fascinating. I have seen few, but heard lots about them. Apparently, certain parts of their organs can be used for medicines, cures for serious diseases. Before the dragons went extinct, their organs were sold to hospitals for humongous sums of money.

Size

Skelerents were one of the largest dragons to roam the continent of Maerkhor. Roughly 60 metres long, their footprints left marks deep enough for one to fall into. Old cave paintings describe these dragons towering over trees and forests, which made them incredibly easy targets.

EXTINCT

Element
Ice

Lifespan

140 years

Average Height

16 - 18 metres

Average Length

60 metres

Geographic Distribution

Maerkhor

Oh my Gods, finding notes on dead dragons is so hard, why can't there be some book that contains all the information on the planet?
Oh wait- that's what I'm doing.

Relationships & Reproduction

I gathered very little on the relationships and reproduction of this species. I found out that they migrated in herds, sometimes herds in their hundreds, trampling forests down as they trekked across the lands. They mated for life, finding their partner rather early on in their life and mating just a few times to lay eggs. Their eggs were almost pitch black, with an incredibly smooth shell. A clutch off eggs exists in a museum up in Tavertral.

Feeding Habits

Skelerents were grazing herbivores, using their long snouts to snatch at trees and eat as many leaves as possible. Several rows of teeth would grind the leaves into a paste to be digested. Skelerents had to consume almost their entire body weight in leaves every day, or else they couldn't survive. Luckily plants are incredibly fast growing in the Yonderverse.

Dragon Hunting & Extinction

Ever since people discovered this species, they have been hunted. In the early days, they were hunted for food, and scales, but as technology advanced other body parts became of use, like their bones and organs. Their organs were most valuable, being sold to hospitals to make cures for diseases. According to some information I could gather, the species plummeted from a population of over 30 thousand to zero in just a handful of centuries.

Dragonbone Tavern

Believed to be the very last of the skelerent species, a large corpse of a dragon lies in the tundras of Maerkhor. Killed by a gang led by Merrin Aladox, the dragon's corpse became the location of the Dragonbone Tavern, a front for a massive black market operation. All of the body parts of the dragon were sold for the highest prices imaginable, and the building was constructed soon after. It soon became a hub for black market buyers, and wanderers that stumbled across this location in the middle of nowhere.