Errreembuhr
CEO of EODD
[SIZE=11pt]OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Intent: To provide a native species of small lizard to New Plympto and its system planets[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Image Credit: [/SIZE]Leiocephalus carinatus
- [SIZE=11pt]Canon: N/A[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Links: [X[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]] [/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Name: Rocktail Lizard[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Designation: Non-sentient[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Homeworld: New Plympto, Bilagen[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Language: N/A[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Average Lifespan: 10-15 Standard Years[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Estimated Population: Planetary[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Description: Immediate observations show a small creature with four limbs and a long tail often kept curled upwards.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Breathes: Oxygen [/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Average height of adults: 12cm[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Average length of adults: 44cm[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Skin color: Grey, Green, Black, Dark Brown[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Hair color: N/A[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Distinctions: The Rocktail Lizard can be immediately denoted by their elongated prehensile tail that is constantly kept curled upwards. Their tail muscles are extremely well developed, allowing for them to grasp small stones and fling them at prey or threats with deadly accuracy and power. Females have tails that are 8-10cm longer than average, providing them with more power in their throws. Cave-dwelling variants have been noted to universally contain up to 8 yellow spots along their spinal ridge. All variants however contain setae on their toes which allow for excellent climbing abilities.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Races: N/A[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Rock Throwing:[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt] The Rocktail Lizard’s prehensile tail has developed over time specifically to be utilized as a weapon, wrapping around small stones in order to fling them with excellent accuracy and deadly power. A youngling’s throw is enough to temporarily stun or daze a fully grown human with a strike to the head, while a mature adult’s throw is capable of causing traumatic brain injury. Females, however, are much more dangerous than males, and a head strike from a female’s throw has been noted to cause severe trauma up to and including death. While the Rocktail Lizard typically flees from creatures much larger than itself rather than fight, they can and will respond to a perceived threat with this ability. Explorers and travelers to the system are informed to keep their distance from Rocktail Lizards encountered in the wild.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Stealthy[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]: Thanks to their small size and nondescript coloring patterns the Rocktail Lizard is naturally stealthy, and when faced with foes much larger than themselves, prefer to fling a single stone at them to cover a hasty escape. Oftentimes they’ll avoid contact altogether if possible.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Small[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]: Despite their natural defensive and escape abilities, the Rocktail Lizard is still a very small creature, easily dispatched by anything from a knife to a boot if caught by a prepared outdoorsman.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Cold-Blooded[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]: Lacking internal methods of warming themselves, the Rocktail Lizard is an ectothermic species, meaning it requires outside heat in order to provide itself with energy. Surface-dwelling variants do this like others by basking in the sun, while the Crystal Caverns variants are warmed by the natural heat of the caves. That said, they’re at their most vulnerable in the very early morning at at night, as their bodies are cold and not yet provided with enough energy to attack or flee.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Diet: Small mammals, insects, Stone Mites(Crystal Caves variants only)[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Communication: Rocktail lizards communicate via a combination of body language and rough vocalizations.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Technology level: N/A[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=11pt]Religion/Beliefs: N/A[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Hunters by nature, the Rocktail Lizard doesn’t utilize its natural stealth for hunting, preferring to strike quickly and accurately at range to disable or kill its prey. They are solitary creatures, but after mating, will remain with the litter of young until they’re approximately 1 year old before leaving them to fend for themselves. During this time the male often hunts for the female and their young, using its tail to drag back the spoils of its hunts for them to share while the female remains near to the nest and watches over the young. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Mating procedures are simple and effective, with males occasionally being forced to compete for a mate with other males due to a 3:1 male to female ratio in the wild. Males compete like many other species by fighting, using their tails to fling stones at each other. The one that survives gets the benefit of mating and ensuring less competition for later mating seasons. Only 3-4 young Rocktails are birthed per mating cycle, with their mating season happening every 3 years for approximately 2 months. Young Rocktails reach sexual maturity at approximately 2.5 years of age, though are capable of hunting and fending for themselves by 1 year.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Cave variants share many of the same behaviors as their surface-dwelling siblings, with the primary difference being how they gather heat for energy. Due to living in the Crystal Caverns, which are naturally hot, they utilize this natural heat rather than basking in sunlight to collect it via their scales. They are also much more aggressive than their surface counterparts, ensuring that a threat is dead before fleeing rather than delivering a parting shot as they escape.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]HISTORICAL INFORMATION[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]One of the older species known to the New Plympto system, the Rocktail Lizard present on the planet now is not the same that inhabited it for the majority of its history. These are instead the descendents of specimens relocated from Bilagen after New Plympto itself was wiped clean by a Vong bioweapon. They took to the planet as if it were their natural home, populating the Hajial Chase and the Crystal Caverns well. Cave specimens are harder to come by due to the difficulty in exploring the caverns, but the surface variants are very well observed and documented, and are closely watched for population numbers by the local government. [/SIZE]
