Ice Dragons

ICE DRAGONS

SCIENTIFIC NAME- *Glaciespluma Emperitor*

DIET-CARNIVORES

HABITAT-Snowy mountains, ice wastelands

APPEARANCE

One of the largest dragons, they have a wyvern build and can grow to be about 30 feet long with a 40 foot wingspan. They have large, bulky heads with two horns sharply pointing backward on the back of the head. They have thick serrated teeth that have the ability to freeze over by freezing the saliva on them.

Ice dragons are one of the very few dragons that still have feathers. It’s theorized that dragons started completely feathered, and as they evolved began to lose them. They have a row of feathers going down the spine all the way to the tail, and another two rows of feathers on the ends of the wing membrane, and some going across the middle of the membrane.  They also have a small amount of feathers surrounding the face.

Ice dragon males have larger horns, and a large canine tooth that sticks out, similar to how smilodon is portrayed as, while the females lack this entirely. They also overall have more vibrant colors compared to the females. They can have colors like white, gray, blue, and a little bit of black. The eyes can be an icey blue or more rarely completely black. The scales themselves have a simple pattern, like a long stripe going from the eye of the dragon to the tail, the feathers have insanely complex patterns. No ice dragon has the same feather pattern.

In a pouch under the chest is where they create the ice, and in a similar system the fire dragons, spit out. The pouch will hold water to freeze. This pouch is also linked to the horns and claws of the creature. They have extremely small pores of water to flow out of, allowing them to freeze like they do to their teeth.

BEHAVIOR

Ice dragons have been considered to be one of if not the smartest dragons. They live alone for the majority of their lives, only getting together to mate. They are very territorial and protective, not only of territory but for young as well.

They are very vocal dragons, especially when in distress. They have many different noises they can make, like a purr or low growl, but by far the most well known is something called the “Death’s call.” When an ice dragon has hit its limit, whether in anger, sadness, or fear, they’ll raise their head to the sky, and let out a deep terrifying roar that can be heard for miles.

In order to breathe ice and freeze parts of their body, they must have a water source. Eating snow also works. It’ll then be stored in the pouch in their chest before it is usd.

When it comes to hunting, they are ambush predators. While most dragons rely on speed or just flight to win, they prefer to save energy and sneak up on prey. They’ll cover themselves in snow, leaving some kind of food on top of them. They’ll bury themselves so deep, it’s hard for things to tell they are even there. Ice dragons will wait for packs or herds of something to venture over, before bursting out of the snow, and quickly killing as many of the group as they can.

In snowy mountains, it's much harder for them to do this, so they instead fly to a peak, and watch the mountain below for any prey. They have amazing eyesight, better than any other dragon. Once spotted, they will simply swoop down and kill it.

When it comes to breeding season, males will fight other males if they ever come across each other. They'll ram and bite with their large canines. Because of their stubborn nature, it often ends in one male's death.

The fighting does not stop there, as once they find a female in heat, he'll have to fight her as well. A female ice dragon will not accept a submissive mate. The male has to be able to overpower the female enough to pin her and quickly do the deed before flying off to find another. The females will never actually submit to males, and will constantly fight back during this process.

The female is then left to nest and care for the young on her own. Luckily, broods are very small or a dragon, only being one or two eggs. Once hatched, Ice dragons are very caring and good parents. It takes quite a while for an ice dragon to grow to full size, about 3 years. During this time the mother will teach them how to hunt, fight, roar, fly, etc. They grow quite a close bond with each other, and when the mother sends them off, it’s been proven that both mother and offspring are reluctant to leave each other.

COMPETITION

As they are the apex predators of pretty much all of the places they live, they don't have to worry about much. Any competition they can easily kill themselves if they tried taking their food or territory. They even drove snow leopards to extinction in Draevalry because of this. The only real threat to them is of course, humans.

People still, to this day, attempt to hunt them down for just the feathers. They are seen as a trophy, and can be sold for a shocking amount of money. The eyes are like this as well, just not as much as the feathers are.

In order to trap and kill them without risk, they would go for mother’s with young, using their protective instincts against them. Once they find one, they’ll stalk the female until she leaves the nest. Once gone, they’ll steal the young hatchlings and tie the mouths shut. They'll make a trap. Once it's ready, they'll take the tie off and allow the hatchlings to cry for help, trapping the mother as soon as she gets there.

Once trapped, they'll reach in carefully to attempt and slit her neck. Because she's fighting to get out, it's hard to get a clean cut and often takes several tries. Once downed, they'll harvest what they need and leave the body to rot. They'll also kill the hatchlings, because they know they won't survive.

Nowadays, females will use ice or snow to cover the nests while they leave to prevent this, but people still try.

KNOWN ICE DRAGONS

-Lumi (deceased)