Drakes

Basic Information

Anatomy

Drakes are large four limbed reptilian creatures, having the ability to briefly stand on its hind legs to reach and wrestle. They have long thick bodies, having long tails at one end that are strong enough to break bone, and a thick round neck with a round head on the front.

Genetics and Reproduction

Every four years, during the warming months, male drakes begin traveling from their old territories to go hunt for females. Once a male finds a female, he then must wrestle her to the ground and restrain her as he fertilizes her eggs, as the female will try to resist and will attack the larger male.
Once this is done, the male then brings the female with it to his territory, where the female will lay its eggs. Then, once its done so, the female leaves, leaving the male to take care of the children as they grow up. Females usually lay 15 eggs in total, which the male then takes care of until they hatch in the cooling months. Then, the male takes care of the children, until the age of 4, where it then forces it out.

Growth Rate & Stages

All drakes begin as eggs, birther from their mother and left in the cave of the father, which is a state they remain in for 8 months, which is where they are most vulnerable to scavengers or other small drakes looking for a free meal. After 8 months, they are born, which is where the father then begins to feed them by vomiting up food it has stored in its body, as the babies do not yet have the teeth for consuming flesh properly.
This continues until they are four years old, where they are then forced out by the father to make space for more children. The drake then takes six more years to fully mature to their true size, with only 20% of the original eggs making it to this point. By this point, they are large enough to either have children or to hunt and get children. Drakens may have about seven "families" in their life time, birthing or rearing in total 105 drakes.

Ecology and Habitats

Drakes primarily live in the deciduous forests of the north and south of the continent, prefering the open areas of these forests, which they either find or create by themselves by clearing out trees. Both the male and female then vomit in certain areas to mark their own territory, which may end up being competed with by another drake. Drakes, as they get older, build underground areas in the center of their territory, which becomes its home during the night and frozen months.
In the case of another drake intruding into a drake's territory, the two creatures quickly face each other off, maintaining a few meter distance away from each other. At which point, the two charge at each other, using their momentum to crash into each other, and begin wrestling each other on their hind legs, pushing each other until one lands on its back, with the victor either forcing the loser away or even eating them in their vulnerable state.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Drakes are primarily carnivorous, requiring meat to sustain their large bodies. They have sharp teeth shaped for tearing into flesh and pulling it out of carcasses, then continuing to swallow them whole.
Usually, it finds fresh carrion and then uses its massive bulk to simply shove away any predators who had hunted it. Otherwise, younger drakes can climb onto thick trees that can support its weight, and then simply jump and land onto its prey, while older drakes dig underground and wait for prey to arrive so they can sprint forward and grab them with its mouth and claws.

Biological Cycle

Drakes are primarily day predators, as they choose to rest in the underground during the night, then coming out during the day to heat in the sunlight. To protect themselves from winter, they use these tunnels to hide deep underground, where they then enter a hibernation like state, suspending their bodies until it notices a change in temperature

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Drakes have very thick and tough skin, thick enough to wear sharp weapons are barely able to scratch them, which in rare cases have been used to make powerful armor, with their teeth being popular exotic items that are sold for a lot of gold. Much like wyverns, it is possible to tame drakes by jumping onto its back and choking it until it submits to you, and much like wyverns as well, this usually doesn't end well due to their incredible size. It is however possible, as there are recorded cases of it, that draken have been able to tame drakes and use them as mounts, and there are rumors to the east that the Beast Haven of Neralik is trying to make them into shock units. Golden Dragon help us all if such a creature becomes a usable military unit.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

It has a strong sense of smell which it uses to find carcasses of animals, along with a sense of taste that allows it to find the freshness of tracks and see how close it is to prey. While it has a long range for eyesight, due to their position, they are very cone like and thus it has difficulty seeing things coming from anywhere other than its very front.

Lifespan

40 years

Average Weight

800 kilograms

Average Length

6 meters