Vipertalon

Basic Information

Anatomy

A long and wrinkled reptilian neck extends from the large muscular body of the Dreadwood Vipertalon. It's a monstrous beast that sits perched on four talon-quipped legs accompanied by a large scaled tail. The largest of their kind ever recorded was near 18ft in length, and stood a towering 8ft high. Each leg is armed with five black and deadly-sharp talons that extend to a maximum of a foot each, with the tails end similarly sharing with large talon extrusions starting at 1 foot and reducing down to a few centimetres. From its head down to the tip of its tail is a long, mangy hair-like growth that gives it a silhouette reminiscent of a large-tailed woolly mammoth. Its face has two, yellow iris cat eyes filled with pure black pupils and a nose-like protrusion, with no ears or facial hair. The mouth is filled with two rows of razor sharp, jagged teeth that will infect a victim of its bite with countless illnesses. When the creature blinks, it has two separate eye lids not dissimilar from a dragons.

Genetics and Reproduction

Vipertalon's reproduce in pairs, one male and one female, and will stay a couple until their young are born and developed with the ability to hunt for themselves. The birthing period starts with the production of a dozen large black eggs, which is incubated for the cold months of winter during hibernation. Upon springs arrival, the eggs hatch and undergo survival training with their parents until the following autumn, upon which the parents set out solo to begin eating for the winter hibernation once more.

Growth Rate & Stages

A Vipertalon reaches maturity after six years of hunting, and can live for up to 60 years in their fully developed form. At the age of 45, they begin to deteriorate from the inside out, and eventually the poisonous venom within their bodies attacks even their own body.

Ecology and Habitats

The species thrives in the murky, misted growth of the Waranthean Dreadwood, where the heavy fogs and moist atmosphere are the optimal conditions for both their hunting and their reproduction. The tall and branched trunks of the trees enables leeway for the lightning fast instincts of the Vipertalon to take over, where its talons can dig into the barks and woods for a fast change in both direction and pace.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The Vipertalon predominately eats meet, with its gorging on fruits and vegetables rare and few in-between large hunts. Once prey is acquired, the Vipertalon takes it back to its cave or den underground where it proceeds to pry the meat from the bones of its now helpless victims. Vipertalon's can eat their prey whole, for their stomach allows for vast stretching to accommodate for the months proceeding winter, where the hunt never stops and the stomach of the Vipertalon only proceeds to grow and grow only to shrink down during the long digestive process of winter.

Biological Cycle

During winter the Vipertalon hibernates and should one be a parent, incubates their eggs. During the seasons of spring and summer the Vipertalon eats and survives as usual, but in the month of autumn the species hunts vigorously to stock up on ingested food for the long hibernation ahead.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Vipertalon hunts predominately using scent, although its hearing is also superior to most other creatures within the Dreadwood. Its talons can sit deep into the earth to feel oncoming vibrations, making an approach from underneath as pointless an endeavor as from the front.

Geographic Distribution

• Dreadwood