Rainbow Dusker

The Rainbow Dusker is known for and named for it's colorful hide and it's ability to disapear into the dust clouds of the Canyons it calls home. They are small rambunctious creatures that are often kept as pets in the areas surrounding their home as well as highly sought after for their hides in other parts of the world.

Basic Information

Anatomy

They are most known for their think hardy leather hides as well as the large crests on their heads that have spiked horns on the edges. These crests are mostly made of hard bone that matches the color of their hides. The purpose of them is as both weapon and defense, they use them to ram their predetors and scare them off as well as like shields to protect the rest of their bodies should they be able to burrow into the dirt.
They grow to be roughly 12 inches long head-and-body length and about 9 inches tall . Their tails are an additional 6 inches in length, with tiny spurs off the end that they use as clubs when threatened. Their feet are made for digging and climbing the ground and walls of the canyons they call home and they are surprisingly fast on their feet.  Their eyes are large and and inset on their weasel snout like faces, and they have whiskers that resemble a beard below their chins that are thought to help them detect movement in the ground while they are digging.

Genetics and Reproduction

The rainbow dusker is an egg laying creature, these eggs take somewhere around 60 days to hatch and at least a year to reach adolescence.

Growth Rate & Stages

The rainbow Dusker has 3 life stages: Egg, Juvenile, and Adult.
Egg: The egg stage takes roughly 60 days to hatch

Juvenile:

Upon hatching the rainbow dusker, unlike other lizard-like creatures, is not ready to survive on it's own. It remains to small to viably hunt for it's own food and as such with stay with it's mother long enough to reach adulthood and to at least double in size.

Adult:

An adult is finally able to leave it's mother and survive on it's own, they are capable of cohabitating with other duskers however.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They subsist on a diet of local insects and snakes, which makes them popular to keep around farms and homes.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The rainbow dusker has many uses in many parts of the world, serving as pets, pest control and even as a food source in their local areas. Their hides are also used for various things including armor and luxury goods, and their crests are used as ornaments, tools, and even for paints.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

They are found all over the continent of Reakea and there is a huge trade of them across Glenerene. However their natural habitat is that of the Akos Canyons. Where their wild population is largely untouched due to the prevelance of farms and other methods of obtaining them.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They have incredibly good close-range eyesight due to their large eyes, though their long-distance sight is somewhat lacking and possess and surprisingly good hearing as well able to detect the smallest change in the world around them.

by MykolaVoid (EtherianWorkshop) on NightCafe

Conservation Status

There are numerous farms and breeding programs for the rainbow dusker so their numbers are not at risk despite the popularity and varied uses of them in the various areas of the world.

Average Height

9 inches

Average Length

Nose to tail tip is 18 inches

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Dusker hides and crests appear to be rainbow in color and shift according to diet, the most common coloration being bright green, orange, red, yellow, and purple with large splotches of each color in various unique patterns to the creature.

Geographic Distribution

• Akos Canyons