Humidraco acidicorium (Acid-skin earthdragon)

Other names: Midas dragon, gilded dragon, golden egg dragon, sulphur dragon, hell beast

Description:

by Peculiaris

Humidraco acidicorium are small earthdragons with a long sinuous body in blue-black coloration. They have four legs, but the front legs can be considered hands because they have longer, dexterous fingers that can grab hold of objects. Both palms and feet are adorned with long, curved claws that are used both for climbing and for defense. The tail is long, almost the same length as the body, making the Humidraco acidicorium look longer and bigger than they actually are. At the top of the head, right behind the eyes, grow two long feathery looking antennae, reminiscent of moths plumose antennae, and another at the end of the tail. The Humidraco acidicorium antennae has a segmented structure, allowing each segment to move on its own. They are used for sensing temperature, humidity and shifts in the air and for long distance communication.
The body is covered with scales. The back is covered with large scales that fit well together to create a smooth surface, which is integral for movement underground. The underside has small, rounded scales that allow more

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flexibility for movement. At the top of the neck there are two layers of uniquely pointed scales that can be raised to create a sort of spiked mane. The back scales can also be raised, and are used together with the mane scales for both intimidating enemies, by making the body look bigger, and for the famous Humidraco acidicorium mating dance.
Humidraco acidicorium got their name from the constant acidic secretion that covers their body. The acid is emitted from specialized glands between the

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scales and nestles into microscopic indentations in the scales, making any attempt to grab these small earth dragons hazardous. Even a slight touch to their skin will create irritation, and longer exposure can prove fatal. Mature Humidraco acidicorium are immune to their acid and are known to collect acid in their mouth and project it as a form of defense. This technique is also used for nest building, to soften the ground and melt roots to enlarge the space. Because of this, the nests of Humidraco acidicorium are highly acidic environments, which seemingly poses a problem since Humidraco acidicorium eggs and newborn are not resistant to the acid.

by Peculiaris

In order to protect their eggs, female Humidraco acidicorium consume gold, which is naturally resistant to most acids. The gold is absorbed through the digestive system and covers the exterior of the egg during the first stage of gestation, in which the eggs remain in utero. After about 45 days, the dragoness lays 2 to 3 gold covered eggs. The second stage of incubation is external and takes about 90 days. The eggs need warmth, therefore the parents alternate curling around them. Albeit their reptile-like appearance, draconidae are warm-blooded, and often use their body heat to keep the temperature of their eggs before hatching. For Humidraco acidicorium the underground location of their nests helps keeping up the moisture and warmth.
Because of the high gold content of the egg-yolk, Humidraco acidicorium hatchlings have gold scales. The gold continues to protect them from the acidic environment until their immunity is fully developed. For the first six months of their lives, Humidraco acidicorium young remain in the nest, well hidden from any predators. The parents bring them food and will protect the nest with their lives. During this time, the hachlings will molt 8-10 times, losing the gold content of their scales as they develop immunity to acid and adult blue-black coloration.

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Habitat:

Humidraco acidicorium are subterranean creatures, with preference to warm moist locations where it is easier to dig and move through the soil. They distance themselves from humans and generally choose bogs, swamps and jungles that are considered unsuitable by humans.

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Diet:

Humidarco acidicorium have a mainly carnivorous diet, feeding on insects and small mammals or birds, but also eat roots and fruits. They are rather fond of sweet foods, which makes fruits a special indulgence. From rare Humidraco acidicorium encounters, it is known that they enjoy sweets and are particularly amused by sour gummies.
Females in gestation consume gold that becomes a protective layer on their eggs and hatchlings. The gold has no nutritional value for the mother, and is only used to protect the young from the acidic secretion of the adults.

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Habits & Culture

Like most Draconidae, Humidraco acidicorium are highly intelligent beings with a complicated history when it comes to humans. There is a long history of animosity between humans and draconidae, and while legends and stories focus on larger dragonidae, the smaller kinds suffered the same prejudice and were hunted down. Humidraco acidicorium are of the few remaining draconidae species in our world, mainly because they know how to hide from humans and can easily protect themselves thanks to their acidic exterior.
We have little verified information about Humidraco acidicorium culture because they have learned to stay away from humans early on. Greedy monster hunters searched for Humidraco acidicorium eagerly, seeing an opportunity to gain both a hunters' bounty and the gold that could be found in Humidraco acidicorium nests. It has been theorized that the Humidraco acidicorium eggs are one of the main sources for the widespread belief that dragons have hoards of gold. It is hard to verify such theories, both for lack of information and because the legends generally exaggerated both the dragons' size and ferocity and the amounts of gold they had. Many early descriptions of Humidraco acidicorium depict it as a gigantic fearsome monster. Often the only truth found in these description is the peril of their acid.
Humidraco acidicorium marked humans as dangerous and greedy depraved creatures, a true threat to their young. In general, they did their very best to stay away from humans, especially after The Departure, when most draconidae left our world together with the fae. Some Humidraco acidicorium left as well, and are known to exist in other worlds, but many felt no need or desire to leave their home. Because of their small size and acid protection they felt confident that they can continue and exist peacefully, away from human eyes. Very few encounters have been recorded since then, and most were written down as dreams and fancies. These rare encounters usually surrounded gold mining, and have been the sources of several interesting stories about haunted or cursed mines.
From the little information gathered over the centuries, we know that Humidraco acidicorium are generally solitary beings, but it is quite common to find pairs that live together long after their offspring have reached maturity and left to live on their own. Siblings that grew together will often leave the nest together, and continue to explore as a pair or trio until they find a good place to settle. Humidraco acidicorium are very aware of the presence of others of their kind in their area, but are territorial only about their home-cave. They do not mind sharing hunting grounds with other Humidraco acidicorium, and neighbors will sometimes even hunt together.
Humidraco acidicorium are considered mature at about 30 years old. They often leave their nest earlier, usually between 20 and 25 years of age. Young siblings will often travel together and settle not far from each other. Mature Humidraco acidicorium will often be on the lookout for a mate. It seems that they rarely set out purposefully to find a partner, but when they encounter other Humidraco acidicorium they may spend some time together to see how they get along. It is known that pairs of Humidraco acidicorium that choose to stay together perform a so-called mating dance. So-called because it is closer to a wedding in its purpose as the pair already chose each other. There is no record of the dance, Humidraco acidicorium do not like sharing it with other species, particularly humans. But it is known that it is one of the rare occasions in which Humidraco acidicorium take to the sky, and that it involves meticulous movements of the scales and antennae.
Humidraco acidicorium will not stay in one place for more than a decade, and will often move after 7-8 years. Even parents with young will leave the nest to find a new location. It was long believed that this practice was developed to reduce the chances of their home being discovered. However, it seems that the true reason is concern of the effects their acid could have on the environment. Humidraco acidicorium constantly secrete small doses of acid, which naturally reaches the soil in which they live. A small amount of their acid can actually fertilize the ground, but a long term stay can cause high concentration of acid that could damage vegetation and the animals that feed on it. Humidraco acidicorium are well aware of this danger and know how to identify early signs of acid poisoning of the soil. Once such marks are identified, they will relocate to prevent further damage.

Humidraco acidicorium

by Peculiaris

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Taxonomy Chart

Magion - Squamidae - Draconidae - humidraco - acidicorium

Basic Information

Lifespan

200-250 years

Average Weight

600-850g

Average Length

Can reach about 50cm in length (snout to tail), but average on 35. The tail is almost as long as the body, so the average total length of an adult is approx. 60cm.