Pygmy Tiger Drake

An illustration of the Pygmy Tiger Drake; found in the journal of Otreran explorer Keru.

### Common name(s)

Pygmy Tiger Drake/Tiger Drake, Tiger Dragon Banded moth-eater

### Subspecies

C. consumentura viridiiC. consumentera roseaurum

The Pygmy Tiger Drake is a species of Microdrake native to the tropical and sub-tropical rainforests of Otrera.

### Habitat & Physiology

Tiger Drakes inhabit the large rainforests of southern Otrera, living mainly living in the canopies. They have six wings, each bearing a single, hooked claw, as well as a large frill around their heads. They have a prehensile, exceptionally long tail in relation their body size. Their tongues are adapted to look like the tongue of a tiger lily flower, which they use to fool their prey. Like all drakes, they possess 8 eyes (4 on each side), and no legs. They range in colouration from dark gold to orange, with darker, tiger-like stripes running down their whole body. The colours of subspecies can greatly vary.

### Diet & Feeding Habits

The Tiger Drake feeds on a variety of different insects, preferring moths, although their extremely powerful stomach acids mean that they can ingest almost anything, including rotted flesh and fruit, without getting sick. They are opportunistic feeders, and if they come across certain fruits or an animal carcass, they are quick to scavenge.

### Behaviour

The Tiger Drake spends most of its time in the tree canopies, staying completely still to avoid being seen by predator and prey alike. It is a great flier due to its lightweight body, in comparison to larger, more robust drakes, and due to this will spend much more time in the air than its more 'traditional' looking dragon relatives.

###### Species-Unique Habits

Tiger Drakes will preen themselves and clean their eyes with special tongue secretions from glands next to their saliva glands. These secretions are clear and harden over time to form a protective shell over the eye. This shell will eventually go cloudy, and the Drake will shed it annually in response, but they can trigger an early shed if needed. This trait is unique to Tiger Drakes and their very close cousins.

###### Hunting Methods

Tiger drakes will loop their long tails around tree branches or bushes (especially tiger lilies, with which they bear striking resemblance), tenting their wings around themselves to blend in with the surrounding flora. This camouflage method can be utilized to hide from predators, but its main use is tricking prey into believing the Drake is a flower. Tiger Drakes can lie in wait for hours at a time like this, waiting for the right moment. When a pollinating insect such as a moth or bee flies past or attempts to land on the 'flower,' they become insnared by the drake's specialized, sticky tongue, which looks almost exactly like the 'tongue' of a flower. These specialized tongues produce an incredibly sticky saliva from the glands at the tip of the tongue's forked crown.

##### Natural Defenses

If the predator is not fooled by its camouflage, the Tiger Drake will shoot an acrid-smelling acidic liquid into the eyes of its attacker. This liquid is created from special glands in its throat. It is flammable and often used for fire-breathing in larger drake species. It can also use its six wings to effectively fly from treetop to treetop if it needs to make a quick getaway.

##### Breeding & reproduction

When nesting, Tiger Drakes will lay their eggs on the underside of large leaves, as do their relatives, the Orchid Drakes. The eggs are glued together with a natural adhesive. The drake will return to check on these eggs until they hatch, at which point the hatchlings are left to fend for themselves. A single clutch may consist of up to 20 eggs. The Tiger Drakes lay these annually, within the same month as their breeding season.

### Subspecies

* *Cristopatalium consumentura viridii -* a subspecies of *Cristopatalium consumentur.* Can be identified by its yellowish to emerald-green colouration, differing from the classic gold-orange of the main species.
* *Cristopatalium* *consumentura* *roseaurum* - a subspecies of *Cristopatalium* *consumentur* which is dark gold/orange and pink in colour.

### Etymology

*Cristopatalium consumentura*

* *Crista* is Latin for crest.
* *Patalium* comes from the Latin word 'patelum', referring to the Tiger Drake's flower-reminiscent crest.
* *Consumentura* comes from 'Consumentur velut a tinea,' meaning 'moth' in Latin, referring to the Drake's preferred diet.

*Cristopatalium consumentura viridii*

* *viridii* is Latin for 'green,' referring to the subspecies colouration.

*Cristopatalium* *consumentera* *roseaurum*

* *rosea* is referring to *roseus,* which translates to 'pink' in Latin.
* *aurum* translates to 'gold' in Latin.