Dragon
Dragons are intelligent, long-lived, shapeshifting reptiles. Standing about 10 feet (~3.05m) tall, and 20 feet (~6.1m) long, they are the largest known sapient species. There are two main varieties of dragon, the wingless serpent and the winged drake. Despite only one of them having wings naturally, both are capable of flight. Crossbreeds like the Aerix are also known to sport wings even if the parent dragon is of the wingless serpent variety, which would imply that the wingless serpents still have some sort of genetic coding for them.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dragons have, at a minimum, four legs and a long tail. Some varieties also sport wings, and some varieties sport horns. They possess scales, claws, and very sharp teeth that are good for tearing apart prey. Being a primarily nocturnal species, they are adapted to seeing in the dark and as such their eyes possess a tapetum lucidum. They also possess a nictitating membrane, or a "third eyelid,"a translucent membrane that allows them to keep their eyes moisturized without actually closing them.
Biological Traits
Male and female dragons tend to be close in size, with females being slightly smaller—but not by much. Prehistorical records seem to indicate that there was once more pronounced differences between the sexes, primarily with respect to size, but it's believed that their shapeshifting abilities rendered the need for these differences moot and so were eventually evolved out.
Genetics and Reproduction
Dragons reproduce by laying eggs. Like Gerabura, the sex of a given dragon is determined by the temperature at which the egg was laid. Cooler temperatures lead to female dragons, while warmer temperatures lead to male dragons. Intersex dragons can result from incubation periods that happen to fall somewhere in the middle between the ranges that produce specific sexes. Most dragons don't tend to care overmuch about biological sexes, however, seeing as how they are capable of changing their forms on a whim.
Modern dragons typically lay 3-5 eggs at a time, but prehistorical records seem to indicate that they once laid much larger clutches that had equally lower survival rates. It takes about 80-90 days for eggs to hatch, and parents are known to guard their eggs ferociously. A brooding dragon is often a very, very dangerous dragon.
Growth Rate & Stages
Newborn dragon young are known as "hatchlings." A group a hatchlings is typically called either a pod or a creche (not to be confused with the Solian creche system). Young will start calling just before they begin to hatch, generally resulting in their parents coming to their aid. Some parents will attempt to help the hatching process by rolling the egg around, sometimes with their mouths, sometimes with their claws or tails. Dragons that live in and near the water will often bring their newly hatched young to the water and feed them. Other dragons are more inclined to just bring their young to the nearest restaurant if it happens to be open.
Hatchilngs are typically 7-10 inches long at birth and grow fairly rapidly for the first 4-5 years of life, at a rate of about 1 foot per year. After this growth spurt, their growth typically slows down significantly. They typically reach sexual maturity somewhere between the ages of 10 and 15 years old, and reach their full adult size by the age of 20. Some dragons claim they don't reach emotional maturity until they've lived a century or more, but this is a highly debatable position.
Hatchlings often disguise themselves as things considered nonthreatening, like small rodents, kittens, or puppies, when living in highly populated areas. It's unclear if this is a natural defense mechanism or simply the natural inclination of young shapeshifters to experiment with their physical forms.
Dragons between the age of 5 and whatever is considered adulthood are typically called wyrmlings. Some adolescent dragons insist on being called something other than wyrmlings, whether that's teenager, adolescent, junior, or something else entirely, much like adolescents of other species.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Dragons are primarily carnivorous, but have evolved to eat certain types of plant matter, particularly starches and the occasional fruit. Rumor has it that humans domesticated them alongside dogs, but this assertion is highly controversial. Dragons would claim that, much like cats, they domesticated themselves and this might not be an entirely inaccurate statement.
As cold-blooded reptiles, dragons are capable of surviving for long periods of time without eating. The amount of time they can go without food depends largely on how old they are, with young dragons needing food far more often than fully grown adults. As adults, however, they can often go for up to a full year without consuming anything. Most dragons, however, prefer to eat at least once a week.
Behaviour
Dragons are ambush predators by nature, swooping down on prey from the air or bursting out of the water to drag prey to a watery grave as appropriate. They're primarily active at night, making them the bane of any diurnal species that happens to be outside at just the wrong time. They sleep for about 17 hours a day, intermittently napping with one eye open. This means that, unlike many other species, they don't experience REM sleep and subsequently don't dream. They do still perform all the cognitive processes thought to be handled by REM sleep, but they simply do them while basking in the sun instead. Some dragons claim they do it while eating as well, but this is less readily verified.
Dragons, being long-lived species, often have a more relaxed perception of time the older they get. After reaching a full century of existence, they often become more inclined to wait and see rather than immediately act. Even then, they are still inclined to act swiftly and decisively whenever they do decide to act. They often spend extended periods of time preparing extensively before they take action. Some species describe them as cautious, but that is not entirely accurate. Perfectionstic is a more accurate term; they prefer to do things right the first time, and are willing to take as many steps as possible to ensure the best outcome.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Dragons are somewhat loosely social. Parents raise broods together, and often allow other related adults to help in the child-rearing. They're less keen on letting non-related adults raise their young, which can sometimes lead to situations such as clashing with their children's school teachers, but most dragons learn to put up with it.
Despite other species' impressions, dragons are not overly territorial. You're more likely to see conflicts over prime basking sites and who should get priority in them, but otherwise they don't mind sharing space or even food with unrelated individuals. Some dragons do occasionally hoard food, which has lead to them gaining a reputation for hoarding things in general, but this tendency is often overblown. Dragon grandmothers are just as inclined to make sure everyone leaves their lair fed and happy as human grandmothers are inclined to.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
While not as magical as some other species, dragons do occasionally have to contend with other species trying to utilize parts of their bodies for their own ends. Dragon hide is very tough and resistant to damage, and there are unfortunately many tales of other species murdering a dragon just to harvest their skin for armor. An adult dragon might be perfectly inclined to donate their shed scales for others to use, but harvesting their hide is a great way to ensure you and your descendants have a family of dragons out for your hide.
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