Tunnel Tyrant
The tunnel tyrant was first encountered in 457 by the Circle of Exploration in the Deep Tunnels. It was at the time suspected to be a unique specimen however later encounters proved this suspicion wrong. The tunnel tyrant belongs to the basilisk(simulacrum) genus and is considered to be one of "true basilisks" by the layman.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Tunnel Tyrant has a classic basilisk body plan with no limbs. The average tunnel tyrant is 6-10 metres long with an average body circumference of 160 millimetres. The head is much longer and thinner in proportion to the rest of the body than the classic basilisk with the average head length being around 3 metres long.
Genetics and Reproduction
Tunnel tyrants are egg layers, on average laying 9-10 eggs in each clutch. They reproduce around about once every 10 years.
Growth Rate & Stages
It takes about 5 years for a tunnel tyrant to grow to maturity.
Ecology and Habitats
As an adult a tunnel tyrant will spend its life in the Deep Tunnels beneath Morthan in nests of around 10-20 unrelated individuals.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Tunnel tyrants are obligate carnivores with their primary prey being small mammals. They hunt using their gaze which turns flesh to stone. Once the prey has been petrified, the tunnel tyrant will then swallow up the prey and carry it back to the nest in its mouth. The tunnel tyrant's saliva contains an agent that reverse the petrifaction enabling the tunnel tyrant to eat the prey. Not all prey will be eaten upon depetrifcation, some will be repetrified and stored up for the nest to eat in lean times.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Like many primarily underground animals the tunnel tyrant's eyes are vestigial with little to no functionality in them. The primary sense that the tunnel tyrant uses is hearing that is sensitive to vibrations in the stone tunnels in which it lives. Unusually the tunnel tyrant has been observed responding to magical stimuli e.g. seeking out magical sites and forming nests around them. At this time it is unknown how the tunnel tyrant is doing this and why it would deliberately seek to nest around these sites.
Written by Izil Xund
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Simulacrum ciniculum
Geographic Distribution
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