Herald Griffon
Basic Information
Anatomy
A medium sized griffon, known for its rather slender body, incredibly sharp talons and beak, and tendency to hunt in pairs or trios. The Herald Griffon is most well known for its depiction on the flags, icons, and crests of European countries, being the national animal and apex predator of many. Their slender bodies allow them to have a surprising amount of agility on the ground and in the air, along with a great deal of stamina. Females are larger than the males in most cases.
Genetics and Reproduction
Herald Griffons are polygamous, as most typically they found to reproduce in small groups of one female and two males. Generally, the female will pick two males with opposing personalities- one that is highly territorial and will guard their nest fiercely from predators and rivals alike, frequently marking their territory, and chasing off competitors, and a second male that is generally more calm, reserved, and will spend more of his time tending to the other male and female's needs and keeping watch while they rest. It is unknown when this behavior arose, but the Herald Griffon greatly benefits from this social structure as the species typically sees a significantly higher proportion of their nestlings reaching adulthood than other similarly sized griffons.
Females will freely mate with both males, laying mixed clutches in the early summer of around 4-9 eggs on average in a nest built on the ground. The nests are typically hidden in tall grasses that obscure it from view on the ground and will be covered with leaf litter, branches, and soil when one or more of the parenting trio are away to disguise it from above. Typically, it takes anywhere from 35 to 48 days for the eggs to hatch, generally one each day. The eggs are incubated by the body heat of their parents. Once hatched, the nest will change in structure, as the parents will begin to build a dome shame out of branches and twigs over it to protect their young from predators and the elements alike.
Nestlings grow quickly, and due to the species having a higher success rate in keeping their offspring alive through infancy, require a great deal of food, and such are fed almost constantly on a diet of small game, fish, and ungulate meat. Nestlings typically cannot digest bone of creatures larger than the average rat, and so will regurgitate it into pellets that are discarded by the mother, who will often eat the pellets to regain much of the calcium she lost during egg production.
Ecology and Habitats
These griffons are most well known for inhabiting coastal forests, bogs, marshes, and other wetland biomes. Populations of the Herald Griffon have had massive success in the European Archipelago due to its natural high proportion of coastline compared to other regions.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
griffus fatalus
Origin/Ancestry
natural / divine
Conservation Status
Threatened
Geographic Distribution
Comments