Taracnor Dragon

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Common name: Taracnor
Scientific name: Hircosus draco
Life Expectancy: Can live up to 100 years, some live longer.
Conservation status: Apparently Secure, uncommon but not rare

Habitat: Can live from the Taiga all the way up to the alpine tundra. They typically inhabit mountainous regions, but do depend on flatter land.

Height and build: Height is as follows:
Males: 7-9feet (2.13m - 2.74m); Females: 5-7 feet (1.52m - 2.13m); Average Newborn: 1-2 feet (0.305m - 0.61m)
Weight is as follows:
Males: 1800-2000lbs (816.47kg - 907.17kg); Females: 1500-1900lbs (680.39kg - 861.83kg); Average Newborn: 15-30lbs (6.8kg - 13.61kg)

In general Taracnors are big, but not really bulky for their size.

Appearance: These fur dragons are very odd in appearance. They have great amounts of fur on their bodies, fur specialized in keeping them warm in cool climates. With two sets of eyes, their eyesight is keen and lets them see for roughly 5 miles (sort of like bald eagle eyesight). Another oddity about them is their extra set of forelegs set near the middle of the body. When running, they are usually just behind the first set in stride, giving them an extra bit of speed. The extra set also gives them increased footing, so they are highly unlikely to fall or lose their footing. To help balance the body as they move about, they have large and long fluffy tails that also double as flags to let others know their status. All young dragons have a brown baby down that they begin to shed at about the age of one.

Behavior: They are highly intelligent creatures, capable of understanding many complex puzzles. They tend to bore easily thanks to this intelligence and go out of their way to entertain themselves often. These dragons are highly territorial as well, females only letting males of the same species have their territories overlap with their own and vice-versa. Females care for the young alone normally, and their young learn everything from their mothers. To warn dragons of the same sex away, they usually mark the edges of their territories with claw marks from both forepaws and scent marks. And to attract mates, they let out a special mist (the scent and color depends on the gender) that spreads about for miles that only this species can understand. Although solitary, the dragons typically mate for life.

Ability: ALL taracnors are able to emit up to six different types of mist, each one used primarily for defense. What these abilities are varies, but they take a long time to develop and are never quite perfected.

Courtship Rituals: The taracnor go through a highly complex courtship ritual that involves much on the males part as the female is the ultimate decider in whether or not she will mate with a male. The ritual begins first with the male bringing the female a gift, normally treasure of some sort, although females are picky so the gift he brings must be of high quality. This is to test the male's ability to provide for her and his young when she needs him most. If the female rejects the gift and he really wants to court, he simply goes off to find a higher quality treasure.

If the female accepts his gift, they go into the next part of the ritual, often called "The Mock Stage" in which the female suddenly decides to play a long and irritating game of hard to get. It may last for a little over a week, and if the male is persistent, the courtship will move to the final stage.

In the final stage, the male and the female perform a dance of sorts in which they move around each other in a continuous circle. This dance lasts only an hour and the male is the main one put to the test. He must show his strength and power in all of his movements in order to impress the female. Once the dance is over, the two blow a special mist at each other that acts as an aphrodisiac. If the male has proven himself, the female will accept him and the two will stay with one another till death.



Reproduction: As stated earlier, these dragons mate for life, but the mother cares for the young alone for the first part of their lives in a lair that she has picked out (mothers have a deep distrust of their mates when their young are less than 8 weeks old). Normally, these lairs are located at the lower parts of the female's territory near areas where she can collect items to build a comfortable nest. Gestation lasts for about two months in which the soon to be laid eggs develop inside the mother's body. She can have a clutch of up to four eggs, and once laid, they will continue to develop for another four months.

Fetal Development Chart

The egg laying process is when the female is most vulnerable, because as with crocodiles, they go into a somewhat dazed state in which they stay perfectly still, staring out of the lair as they lay their egg(s). Throughout the incubation period, the mother eats little as she stays close to her nest to protect her young and is normally laying on them to keep them warm, turning each egg every 30 minutes so the young fetus inside can develop properly. While a female is a mother, she gains a special dust ability that acts much like a normal fire attack, but this one is dust that causes searing pain at a temperature of 300 degrees F. Once her young leave the nest at around the age of 3 or 4, this power fades away.

Puberty A taracnor is not considered physically mature until the about the age of 5 years old. The age of 3 is when they reach puberty at which they go through many changes. At the age of 2, most have begun to grow their horns and are about their adult size. When they reach the age of puberty, they begin to fill out and finish growing, their horns become the shape and size they will be when fully-grown, and they become capable of sexual reproduction. Young females at this age tend to go through frequent mood swings and often become more aggressive, primarily toward other females of their species but this can include females of other species as well. They also experience strong sexual urges and may be seen sending out countless sprays of the aphrodisiac mist into the air. Males on the other hand can become the most dangerous during this period. They often become so overwhelmed with testosterone that they are prone to going on a rampage and destroying everything in their path in a fit of rage, this is the main reason why young taracnors are forced away from the territory of their parents. In these fits of aggression, all they are really trying to do is show off how strong they are, this period can last up to a year at its worst. Males and females alike also become much more territorial, sometimes even chasing away creatures of a different species whether they are a threat or not. Puberty only lasts for about a year, but it can seem to last a decade for those unfortunate enough to have to constantly deal with a young taracnor.

Diet: These dragons are omnivores, they have both teeth for eating meat and plants. In front, they have eight teeth, four on each jaw for pulling on plants much like ours. Then on each side (like ours) they have long canines for holding and biting. Then behind the canines is a mix of molars and incisors for chewing both meat and plants alike.

Taracnors eat their body weight in food every week. They have a moderate metabolisim and because of the scarcity of food in their natural habitat they can go without eating for up to 9 days and can go without water for about 5 days. They need a balanced diet consisting of both meats and vegetation to be at their best, so sometimes a taranor may be seen hunting and the next grazing calmly on grass or browsing leaves

Terminology:

Ram: Male
Ewe: Female
Calf: Taracnors below the age of 3

Reference:
https://2img.net/h/i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/Kekira/TaracnorSkeletalStudy.png
https://2img.net/h/i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/Kekira/TaracnorGenderStudy.png
https://2img.net/h/i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/Kekira/TaracnorMuscleAnatomy.png
https://2img.net/h/i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/Kekira/Denumoref.png
https://2img.net/h/i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/Kekira/Aphrodishiac.png

Notes:
A taracnor's most powerful abilities may ONLY be used for defensive situations. They can not forcibly control those abilities at all. The only ones they can control are the weaker and more temporary mists.

Also, Taracnor CAN NOT SWIM. If one gets caught in a large enough body of water it will likely drown unless rescued.

Edited Info:
Appearance
Puberty
Reproduction

Added a Fetal Development chart and picture that highlights the differences of the two genders.

Big overhaul done to update current changes to the species. Core facts are the same, but some details such as height and weight have been changed.