Raptor

I have to admit seeing people ride on the back of raptors is quite a bit more fear inducing than the charge of horse cavalry.

— Yamaderis

Raptors are a quite common species of dinosaurs which are found both in the Mizarin Jungle and northern Avak'am. They are fast hunters and often live in packs when encountered in the wild. However, they are most commonly known as the main riding animals of the Nekorians and other beastfolk.
Although they are often hostile to other species the beastfolk have found a way to domesticate them. This feat was never repeated by others but eventually the Draconids managed to get their own supply of riding raptors after buying them from other beastfolk.

Extra Information

Scientific Name

raptar (Raptar)

Name

Raptor

Origin

Can be found in the Mizarin region, northern Avak'am and the Draconid Realms.

Lifespan

24- 28 years

Size

2,8 -3m length, 1.8-2 m height

Biology

Physiology

One of the first remarks that many people make is that for a such a dangerous animal it looks quite beautiful. This is of course thanks to its many colourful feathers along its body. On the top of their head and neck the feathers form a sort of mane which is especially remarkable as many of these feathers emit light. Scientist belief that the more colourful and bright this mane is, the more healthy the raptor is.
Despite being so colourful the raptor is quite a skilled hunter. When they hide the often prefer to use bushes with lots of colourful flowers. But most of the time however, they just run after their prey as there is nothing that can really outpace them in their environment.

Food

The raptor is quite a versatile killer and not to picky about their prey. They just take whatever they can which often the smaller animals in the jungle regions where they live. From time to time they take down bigger prey even several times their size. This is of course possible thanks to their pack hunting tactics.
They are quite social creatures and are really seen alone. Thanks to their communication with pack members they can easily coordinate well thought out attacks. Encirclement is a very common tactic of wild raptors.

by kefkejaco with midjourney

by Kefkejaco with midjourney

Climate

The raptors are most commonly found in the jungle regions of both the Mizarin region and northern Avak'am. However they are a very adaptive species and can just as easily hunt in less forested regions. They are therefore often seen in the savannahs or plains outside their usual habitat.

Reproduction

The raptor packs tend to stay together for most of their lives and even children rarely leave their parents. When mating season for the raptors start the packs tend to search for other packs. It is not uncommon that during this period a few hundred raptors can be found in one place.
Here they breed which eventually results in an 2-3 eggs after a gestation period of a 2 weeks. The eggs hatch after about 1 week and only a few weeks later the packs each go their own way again. Most of the time the parents go to their original pack again but sometimes the male raptor joins the female pack if their pack is small. If a pack exceeds 10 raptors it is often split into two new packs.

History

Domestication

Despite being quite a dangerous predator several Beastfolk have succeeded in domesticating the raptor. They are trained from a young age to be social towards people and to obey commands. They are often trained together with peers that will be used by riders in the same division. By doing this the raptors see the other peers and their riders as a sort of pack.
In the jungle regions they are a great form of transportation as they can reach great speeds and easily navigate through the lush vegetation. But besides being fast animals they are also quite a good scare tactic. In case where raptor riders battled against horse riders the horses are often unable to get over their primal fear.

by kefkejaco with midjourney