Water Wyrm

Finally I can say I got third of planned dragons for our book that will be part of the Peter Fane's "Tales from the Canon of Tarn" series . I personally enjoy not just fishing but also looking at frogs, small fishes and all kind of flora in the water since I was kid. Always covered in mud all over hands and face searching for new tiny creature in nearby pond always with jar to get closer look at new newt or egg. Hope you like this one, bellow and on Facebook text you can find detailed description by the writer about the species. 

Gold-headed sea-hunter (“Water Wyrm;” also “Whales’s Bane,” “Salt Dragon.”) 


The gold-headed sea-hunter can be found in fresh, salt, and brackish water across equatorial Dávanor. Warm waters are preferred. While these little dragons are capable of limited flight, they are most often used for water-borne messenger service across the vast oceans of Dávanor’s southern islands where traditional messenger breeds have difficulty with distances. Hunters are difficult to train when captured in the wild. When raised from birth, they make reliable – if dangerous – messenger dragons. 

In nature, Sea Hunters live in medium-sized “schools.” These will consist of three to four males, eight to ten females, and associated young. Nesting always takes place in the late spring, right before waters warm. Schools are found in shallow, underwater lairs along the edges of coral reefs, sea marshes, or in other underwater structures that provide protection from larger predators. Unlike most of Dávanor’s small breeds, Hunters spawn from large egg clusters laid in these lairs. Hundreds of young will be born each spawning cycle; inter-school fighting will eliminate all but about two dozen offspring each year. Hunters are fiercely territorial and clannish. Hunter schools do not intermingle and often engage in murderous generational warfare over territory and hunting grounds. Schools can be identified and studied by the unique patterns of contrasting colors on head and body; coloration within schools is entirely consistent. 

Sea Hunters are carnivores. They eat all manner of sea and coastal life and do not discriminate between fish, amphibians, or sea mammals. Hunters’ venom is extremely toxic. It is delivered by bite through four to six fangs. The various depth of puncture and diversity of bite pattern make Hunter bites particularly hard to treat; venom is delivered to multiple levels of tissue across a relatively wide area simultaneously. If not properly and immediately treated, Hunter venom is fatal to humans. 

Typical colors: green, blue, and purple. Head is always a brighter warmer color, with orange, yellow, and red dominating. 

Typical wingspan: (f) 12-15 palms [ca. 90-115 cm]; (m) 14-16 palms [ca. 105-102 cm]
Typical length: (f) 10-12 palms [ca. 75-90 cm]; (m) 12-14 palms [ca. 90-105 cm]
Typical lifespan: (f) 125-135 years; (m) 125-135 years
Horned? No. 
Crested? Yes. 
Toothed? Yes. 
Venomous? Yes. 

This text was adapted from my field notes with some references made to Katherine II's "The Smaller Dragons of Davanor. A Preliminary Taxonomy" (F.Y. 190).

Artstation: www.artstation.com/milica
Instagram: www.instagram.com/milicraft.ps…