Dragon Turtles

### Average size

The average size of spotted Dragon turtles tend to be quite large. Most views and reports tend to see them as large as a killer whale. But there are many who have seen even larger specimen.

> *"By the Gods, woman, it was huge. It could have split the ship into two if it wanted. But it merely kept pushing and pulling. As if it was playing with it!" - A scared fisherman's first encounter with a dragon turtle.*
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Many disturbing and seemingly unnatural things stalk the dark corners of the world. One of such terrors that men fear swim around in many known seas - undisturbed by whatever vessels people have been able to bring to the waves. These giants aren't well understood and tend to go their own way. While far from hostile, they are best avoided at all costs.

## Lifestyle

Not an awful lot is known about these giants, dragon turtles, or their lifestyle. The few sources of information are from observations, but many experts agree that there is still a lot more to learn about dragon turtles. What is known is that they are pretty lonely individuals.  When it is mating season is the only time that dragon turtles seek each other out. This mating ritual happens in the dark of the ocean, far from the reach and observance of any ship. However, a curious occurrence had happened in the year 412 ADS when a vessel from Kirigakure noticed the mating ritual in clear waters. The male attempts to impress the female specimen by a sort of song - the vibrations are powerful enough to cause waves to grow bigger. Once the female accepts the song, the two start to circle each other before they proceed to mate.

Their diet is a confusing topic. There have been reported attacks in which dragon turtles attempt to devour every living being in their grasp. But other creatures such as whales are rarely ever attacked - if not, avoided by the strange beasts. Killed and observed dragon turtles have revealed from autopsies that they also seem to eat many sea foilages, such as seaweed.

Experts assume that young dragon turtles tend to stick to one of the parents for a while until they have grown to a size that allows them to seek out a territory of their own. However, there have been some reports of matured dragon turtles crossing in the land - either going upstream or simply moving on land to seek out large water bodies. Luckily, these attempts are pretty rare for most people and tend to fail miserably, causing the respective giant to return to the dark ocean blue.

When provoked to fight, the gentle giants turn into raging beasts. They seem to have a good memory, knowing even the difference of ships - a specific specimen once swimming in the southern waters, targetting only Kirigakure war vessels.

## Region of Appearance

Dragon turtles seem to appear in many seas but avoid the colder and frigid waters of the north. They are a particular problem in the southern oceans - where enormous specimens have been viewed. In addition, some infrequent occurrences of dragon turtles have been observed in large lakes. The reason why some of these dragon turtles seek out lakes is unknown as it prohibits them from procreating and limiting their size - due to the resources around them.

It is speculated that the appearances of dragon turtles have to do with the seasons as well. But much evidence for this theory hasn't been found and is disapproved by experts.

## Strong Points

* **Strength**
	+ These giants tend to be apathetic towards most, just focusing on going their own way. However, they are beings of great strength. With a slam of their tail and claws, they can easily damage a structure as if it is nothing. Their beaks can damage even the sturdiest warships - several reports being that they have managed to split a small ship into two with claws and beak.
* **Endurance**
	+ Their endurance is something that is near impossible to understand. Their shell is tough and highly valuable - even able to withstand steel. Experts claim that this is because it grows the entire life of a dragon turtle. If that wasn't daunting enough, their whole body is covered in scales that are hard to puncture. Only a few weak points at the body, where the limbs start, is where the plates are noticeably softer - likely to offer more flexibility.
* **Great Singers**
	+ Every dragon turtle is capable of producing a loud song. These are loud enough to deafen those who are around them. In addition, eyewitnesses have stated that the vibrations are enough to give the sensation that the earth is ending - giving the idea that actual tremors are being caused. While dragon turtles usually sing during mating season, they have been observed to sing as a form of communication. But on most creatures, it tends to drive them away as some psychological deterrent.

## Weak Points

* **Gentle**
	+ Dragon turtles aren't creatures that prey on others, naturally. They tend to avoid violence, which is relatively easy because most animals are not eager to fight with these giants. Even when attacked, most people can't do much to wound a fully matured specimen mortally. This makes it difficult for those who have grand aspirations to utilize dragon turtles as combat creatures.
* **Slow**
	+ As one can imagine, these creatures aren't fast on land. Their shell slows them down. While they can be fast in the water, those who remain on land have to fear little of these giants.
* **Clumsy**
	+ These giants enjoy a lot of freedom of movement in the seas. However, on land, they are clumsy and tend to bump against many obstacles - much to their frustration. A unique occurrence in 334 ADS had reported that a dragon turtle went on land, only to ravage many trees before it went back to the sea.