Sand Drakes
Have you ever seen a whale, breaching the surface of the water, spraying foam as it twists majestically in the air? Beautiful, isn't it? Inspiring, even. ...This is nothing like that.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The appearance and anatomy of a sand drake lies somewhere between the Occidean four-legged harbingers of death from above, and the Oresian snake-like spirits of creation and fortune. In truth, their relationship to either draconic species is a point of debate in some zoological circles. Sand drakes lie flat on their stomachs, with their four legs spread out to the side, resting on flat palms, and their heads looking straight ahead. In many ways they are anatomically similar to a gecko or monitor lizard, or even the crocodiles of the Khemetine riverbanks. A sand drake's toes end in a claw, just like their cousins abroad, but the claws of a sand drake more resemble the claws of a mole or other subterranean rodent. They use the large, spade-like claws on their forelegs to push sand out of their way in a swimming motion, writhing their bodies behind like a snake or a fish to achieve motion through the sand.
Where the wing of an Occidean dragon would be, there is a row of spines with a membrane stretched between each one, running from the crown of the dragon's head to the tip of its tail. The length of these spines increases in the midsection of the sand drake, shortening towards either tip in a parabolic pattern. These spines can also fold flat against the sand drake's back, to protect the membrane while burrowing through the sand. These creatures do not flap these "wings" the way an Occidean dragon does: after breaching the surface of the sand and launching themselves upward to gain height, sand drakes unfold their spines, exposing the membrane to the open air. By articulating the spines, and undulating these membranes, the sand drakes "flutter" through the air, in a display reminiscent of sea slugs. They can also use these membranes to kick up clouds of sand to conceal its movement.
Sand drakes have long, square jaws, with a row of razor-sharp teeth on the top and bottom jaw. Their nostrils are long slits which begin at the tip of their nose, reaching to just under their eyes.
Given their habitat, sand drakes have a rather ingenious mechanism to protect their insides from sand: they have a baleen-like substance over their nostrils as well as between their lips and teeth, which traps sand but allows air to pass, meaning that a sand drake can remain under the sand for hours at a time before needing to come up to the surface for fresh air.
Genetics and Reproduction
Sand drakes reproduce sexually, and lay eggs similar to lizards and crodillian species. The baleen-like system for protecting a sand drake's soft tissues is not present in the female's sex organ and so they rise to the surface to mate. Oftentimes, a mating pair will find an oasis, river, or other body of water if possible to wash the sand away from more sensitive areas of their anatomy before copulation.
After intercourse, the female will gestate her eggs for a period of one to two months, to allow the hard shell to form. She will then dig a burrow and lay them in a safe place under the sands, where they will finish out the remainder of their 14-month developmental period. After a year and some change, baby sand drakes will emerge from their eggs full-formed, if small, and be able to dig their way out of the sand towards their mother.
Growth Rate & Stages
Sand drakes share the growth rate and stages of their other draconic cousins, with several named creatures in Khemetine history living for the length of entire dynasties, several hundreds of years. People are unsure if sand drakes possess the one-thousand-plus-year lifespans of their draconic cousins, but this is mostly because there has not been a recorded sighting of a sandwyrm. If one were to exist, it would be large and powerful enough to shift tectonic plates and cause massive earthquakes, and there are some Qanuni legends which point to this being the case. However, there has yet to be any concrete proof of their existence.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Sand drakes are fond of cattle- goats, sheep and the occasional camel or horse- and often threaten farming communities with their eating habits.
Behaviour
While sand drakes are not the evil, destructive creatures which haunt the skies of Occides, neither are they the benevolent protectors of Oresis. They lie somewhere between: neither good nor evil, but universally self-centered. They don't cause mayhem and destruction because they enjoy the act itself, they are merely hungry and territorial animals.
Not quite as intelligent as their other draconic cousins, sand drakes are still perfectly capable of speech, strategy and forethought. They often fly around trade cities, watching to see when a large caravan leaves, and then lies in wait for them several weeks down the trail.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Sand drakes have tremorsense, and they use this to alert them to unwanted guests as well as prey. The spines which run along their backs are very sensitive to the disturbances of the sands in which they make thier home, and they can begin to sense movement from up to three-hundred feet away, with pinpoint accuracy within sixty feet of them.
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