Dragonflies

Called True Yoradkira by the Regalti, Dragonflies are a genus of several hundred related species of four winged lizards. Compared to other Flying Lizards, Dragonflies have completely lost any limbs other than their wings. If they aren't flying, they are crawling on the ground in a fashion similar to snakes. They are found all over the world, whether it is in humid or desert environments, or miles in the air buzzing between Skyshells.

Etymology and Classification

(See Flying Lizards for more details)

Yoradkira is a Vevari word from the words "Yor" or Sky, and "Hadkira" or Lizard. Combined togather, it forms a compound word that literally means "Sky Lizards.

It should be pretty obvious why these creatures are called dragonflies. To visiting humans, they look like literal dragonflies in a way due to their large eyes, two pairs of transparent wings, and their elongated body. Yoradkira on Collena are also prone to have striking color patterns depending on the species and they are found closer to water sources.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Sub-Order: Iguania
Family: Volatilis
Genera: Dracovolare
Common Name(s):

Kiurnal(common)

Yoradkira (Vevari)

Dragonflies (Human)

Geographic distribution

Evolution

Yoradkira show up in the fossil record around 25 million years ago. Before this, they didn't exist, though smaller varieties of a closely related genera of lizards known as Marfa Lentsai did exist. This group of lizards evolved a membrane on their rear legs with elongated bones that wouldn't look that much different from a bird or bat wing. It's other set of wings were from the dorsal tails on their backs, an extra set of limbs that all Tetrapods on Collena share. These two sets of wings looked entirely different from each other.

A random genetic mutation in one of these animals resulted in creatures that were born with two sets of the same wings. Life kind of just ran with it, and through even more evolution, Yoradkira have mostly shrunk to small sizes, between 2 and 50cm in length, with wingspans about as wide as the body is long, but sometimes longer. The wings became more specialized and in most cases partially transparent. The ecological role this creature filled became similar to dragonflies on Earth, one of a fast flying predator, darting in random flight patterns, confusing and outflying its prey. Other species in this genera instead evolved specialized mouths to eat nectar off of flowers, and filled the ecological role of hummingbirds instead.

Characteristics

The main body of a Yoradkira resembles that of a short snake. Its organs are elongated through its body and the actual tail area is rather short in most species, though other species have a very long whip-like tail for defensive purposes. The built up part of the body can be considered the upper torso and is due to the large flight muscles necessary for two sets of wings. Its head looks like that of a normal reptile, except for species more adapted to eating nectar. All species rather large eyes in comparison to other genera of reptiles

Yoradkira are endothermic animals (warm-blooded), but only in flight. This is due to the large amount of heat generated by the flapping of its wings. When not in flight, it slowly cools down to the same temperature as the surrounding environment. Smaller species can rapidly flap their wings on the ground to increase its body temperature to move quicker or escape predators. Larger species maintain a small level of internal temperature regulation, but not at the level of birds or mammals.

Missing from nearly all species are its front legs, lost through evolution. They got in the way of the flight muscles from the wings on its back and didn't serve much of a purpose. There is one extant species of Yoradkira that is also missing its legs, leaving the only limbs it has as the wings on its back.

The Wings of a Yoradkira are adapted from two entirely different sets of limbs, the rear legs and the dorsal tails. The flapping speed of Yoradkira varies wildly by species, from just over a beat every two second, to as many as 100 beats per second. On smaller animals the wings get shorter, more rounded, and are able to flap at incredibly fast speeds. On larger species, the wings get longer, more pointed, and might even take on the appearance of the wings of other genera of lizards. Their wings flap much slower.

Ecology

Distribution

Yoradkira can be found all over the world. They are much more common in warm and tropical environments, but can be found at high altitudes and sub-arctic locations as well. They are generally a migratory animal, flying to warmer locations for the winter, though some species hibernate instead.

Hunting and Diet

Yoradkira can be divided into two subgroups, predators and nectar eaters. For the nectar eating varieties, they hover in place on the outside of the flower and eat with their long tongues. They have elongated jaws. In some species, this might start to resemble that of a bird's beak. Most nectar eaters are still predators and still eat insects when they can. Others will slurp the slime of Hanging Jellies, and are immune to its stingers and poison.

For the predators (select nectar eaters included), the creature hunts by darting through the sky, seemingly randomly (but this is actually a form of motion camouflage), searching for prey with its large eyes. Among the many adaptations that some Yoradkira have, some can hear other flying animals based on how the sounds of their own wingbeats travel and are reflected through the air. Some Yoradkira will instead perch on a raises area, whether it is a rock, tree, or the top of a large animal.

When a Yoradkira spots its prey, usually smaller yoradkira, or a small ground animal. It will start to fly erratically to confuse its prey. Just before striking, it flies in a straight line at high speeds. The force that it hits smaller prey is enough to kill it instantly or break through its shell if it has one. The yoradkira then picks up the creature in its mouth and flies away.

Among the creatures a Yoradkira eats, smaller lizards are the most common. It will also eat mollusks, smaller varieties of hanging jelly, birds and mammals if they are small enough, and the last known varieties of terrestrial arthropods, which greatly resemble Silverfish on Earth.

Interactions with other predators

Being among the smallest predatory animals, Yoradkira try to avoid creatures larger than itself if it can. It can see pretty much everything around it with its large eyes. If it sees a predator going after it, it will dart away to a safe location, whether that's in the safety of a tree canopy, or between the tentacles of a Balloon Jelly.

The creature has to be careful when fleeing into the tentacles of a jellyfish because there are species of hanging jelly specialized for capturing it. There are larger varieties of hanging jelly that aren't interested in it at all though. In this case, the hanging jelly will let the Yoradkira pass, hoping to catch whatever is chasing it instead.

As a a last resort, a Yoradkira can detach its wings when fleeing, then it will slither away and burrow underground. It will take several weeks for to grow the wing(s) it lost. Until then, it will live in a similar way to snakes, though its enlarged upper torso area gets in the way of its movements.

Some species of yoradkira are quite territorial and will vigorously defend their food sources against equally sized threats. Some are known to attack larger animals if it is beneficial to them. They will first try diving at the animal, if this doesn't work, they will try biting and whipping the creature with its tail.

Relationship with Regalti

Yoradkira are normally quite harmless around Regalti. Some species will land on the a Regalti as a perch to examine its surroundings, which will freak out some Regalti, but otherwise no harm is done. Some Yoradkira however, will treat Regalti the same way as they do larger threats, either attacking them or fleeing.

There are quite a few Regalti cultures that have Yoradkira in their mythologies in some way. There was a belief for a time that there were gigantic versions of this creature flying above the clouds, so large they could pick off Regalti and carry them away to another land (or be eaten). To date, the largest Yoradkira ever found has a wingspan of around a meter so it isn't known where this myth came from.