Quilled lizard

Masters of perfumery despite not having much of a brain. How these creatures operate is beyond my imagination.

Description

Physical

These thylacine-sized lizards are incredibly well adapted to life in the Plane of Air, and as much most people who do get to see them will see them flying. Quilled lizards do not have wings, instead, they spot three flaps of skin:

• between the limbs
• below the tail
• between the dorsal quills

When flying, quilled lizards always have the limb skin fully extended, but the other two only are extended in certain circumstances. The tail folds are deployed for fine manoeuvring, while the dorsal quill folds are displayed either for flying in difficult conditions or to "capture and release" scents. When all three folds are fully extended, the quilled lizard appears much larger in size than it is.
When not in flight, the flaps of skin are folded and wrapped around the different body parts.

Quills

The quills the lizard spots in the dorsal area are thought to be the body part that allows the lizard to capture those scents it flies through, and possibly, release them afterwards, mixed with other scents. Many alchemists argue on this regard, and no one has as of yet obtained definite proof as to how the lizards can capture or release scents.

Behavioural

Males

Male quilled lizards are, above-all, insatiably curious creatures. They will fly for days just to find the source of a new scent they picked up while flying. The amount and diversity of scents are critical for attracting females, and as such, the creatures will go to great lengths to acquire new scents.
Besides attracting a female, their ability to release scents is incredibly useful both as a predator deterrence as well as to attract prey.

Females

Female quilled lizards nestle in a piece of land traversing the Plane of Air once they are of mating age. Once they do, they never set flight again unless their chosen home is blown to pieces (which happens relatively often in the plane of air). As these creatures flying maneuverability is rather poor, if a female quilled lizard takes flight, the chances that it can return to its chosen piece of land are very, very small.

Habitat

These animals are only known in the Plane of Air.
The males' requirement for constant flying to obtain scents to attract females, but their inability to fly without strong air currents limits their spreading potential.
The females' requirement for stable land means quilled lizards are rare, even in the Plane of Air, but can be found with some abundance in settled pieces of land in the Plane of Air (as these are under surveillance and protection against clashes with flying objects and other land masses).
Some hunters of the plane train quilled lizards for helping them track people throughout the plane, while thieves do likewise, but to thwart their scent after a crime.

Lifespan

3 to 6 years

Harvestables

The quills are sought after by perfumiers and alchemists

Diet

Quilled lizards subsist mostly on insects and seeds.

Male quilled lizard diets are mostly insect-based, although nothing makes a male quilled lizard happier than catching a bird mid-flight (unfortunately, most birds are better flyers, and this event is very infrequent). Males supplement their diet with the odd plant matter carried by the wind.
Female quilled lizard diets are mostly plant-based, especially heavy in seeds, supplemented with small rodents and insects it hunts in warm weather.