Leviathan Turtle

Leviathan turtles, also known as Naga'honu'akua, are especially massive dragon turtles native to the Asamaline Expanse. Leviathan turtles are the size of entire islands, and many of the creatures have civilizations living on their shells, which often have layers of earth - even mountains - and vegetation across them. Like their smaller kin, leviathan turtles are actually a type of aquatic dragon, and are intelligent and capable of speech.
The island that a leviathan turtle "carries" is generally ovid, but its exact topography can vary. Some leviathan turtles have spiked shells, which can appear as mountains and peninsulas on the island, and others have more heavily domed shells that make the whole island appear as one massive hill. Regardless of shape, the earth and plants of a leviathan turtle are tightly bound to the creature, and somehow avoid being washed away by Ivorah's storms or tumultuous currents when the turtle submerges itself.

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

Leviathan turtles are solitary and territorial creatures - so territorial, in fact, that they often attack other turtles on sight. Because of this, leviathan turtles do not require a mate to reproduce, and so do not have genders either (though they are generally referred to as female regardless.) Instead, whenever a leviathan turtle reaches maturity and once every hundred years thereafter so long as they are healthy and in a favorable location, they will lay an egg. The egg is left alone until it hatches a few years later. Fortunately, leviathan turtle eggs are as large as many ships and very durable, so few things are capable of damaging them, especially in the shallow waters where they are laid. When the egg hatches, the juvenile leviathan turtle emerges fully formed and capable of caring for itself.

Growth Rate & Stages

Leviathan turtles are psuedo-immortals, meaning that they are powerful creatures who do not die from old age. This, along with their massive size, translates into a long growth period. In fact, it isn't known if leviathan turtles ever stop growing. However, their shape changes very little throughout this growth process; how they look when they emerge from their egg is more or less how they will look once they have grown to the size of an island. However, even at their most juvenile, leviathan turtles are already the size of their smaller relative the dragon turtle.

Ecology and Habitats

Leviathan turtles are salt water creatures, perhaps simply because they would not fit in any bodies of fresh water. Interestingly, they rarely stray more than a few hundred miles from Reimyth's shores, where they tend to follow some kind of migration circuit. Leviathan turtles are almost constantly in motion, swimming tirelessly through the waves in search of food to eat or people to climb onto its shell.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Leviathan turtles are constantly eating, and they'll eat just about anything. If a ship threatens them or the people on their back, they might swallow it. Generally, leviathan turtles eat primarily large fish and seaweed, but they have been known to take bites out of islands if they go too long without finding something to eat.

Behaviour

Leviathan turtles are generally friendly creatures - at least to people who are capable of speaking to them. This is because they have a natural instinct to collect people: they want to have a civilization on their back, and they actively work to help their people flourish. It is unknown if this is some kind of display of dominance, a vanity project, or if they are simply lonely and seek the companionship of hundreds on their shells.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Leviathan turtles generally have bodies of blues and greens, but many are brown, gold, white, or even red.