Manticore
Manticores are magical beasts that were created by Azahl the Foolish long ago. It is said that Azahl was creating a creature she could train as powerful guard animals, and sell them to the highest bidders. Unfortunately for the rest of the world, her experiments escaped and have become something of an invasive species across the continent.
Manticores are aggressive and considered extremely dangerous. It is recommended that they should be killed as soon as possible before they spread and overhunt whatever regions they are in and begin attacking humanoids.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Manticores are large beasts with the body of a lion, a spiked tail with a stinger at its end, and a maned, almost human-like face. They also have large batlike wings that allow them to fly short distances. Spikes are hidden among the fur of their mane, and grow along their tail. These brittle spikes are able to be jettisoned at prey, and regrow incredibly quickly.
They can grow up to 10 feet long, and over 1000 pounds.
Genetics and Reproduction
Azahl intended to keep all female manticores for herself so she controlled the supply so female manticores are rare - only one in ten born are female. Though they are rare, once they reach adulthood, a female can produce more than three dozen offspring in a year.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Manticore are predators and scavengers both. Though technically omnivores, they primarily seek out meat - either fresh, or already dead. They primarily hunt in groups of two to four while others remain in a lair with their young or females.
Manticores will often chase and herd their prey into wooded or mountainous areas, to be ambushed by another packmember who lays in wait. As highly territorial creatures, they will roam farther and farther in search of prey, and often hunt an area to completion. Unwilling to abandon their nest, packs will sometimes simply starve to death.
A pack's territory can be as large as 100 square miles, and is mostly restricted by their ability to bring kills back to their nest.
Additional Information
Domestication
Manticores bred in captivity can be trained, and babies bond extremely closely with whoever they see in their first week. Though training is still required, it is exceedingly rare to be attacked by a manticore who has bonded with you. They are quite intelligent and can learn fairly advanced tricks and routines, as well as understanding the most basic of speech.
Once a manticore has reached adulthood, they are near impossible to train and do not learn new things well.
Conquering Manticore by Chris Rahn
