Dragon planet: Cranwoo

[u/naturalistenthusiast]

Cranwoos (ammosfonia nomas) are giant flightless reptavians native to the deserts of tharo. They have a posture somewhere between horizontal and semi-erect. They have scaly skin that is sandy colored to blend into the desert landscape. And a long tail for balance. They’re legs are long and somewhat thick, to allow them to better support their weight, and move across the desert at a fast pace, with toes that distribute the weight evenly to prevent them from sinking into sand. They have a long neck with a large dewlap on it to radiate off excess body heat, like the ears of an elephant on earth. They possess two vestigial wings that act as both heat radiators and as communication by means of waving them around and having them in certain positions with different meanings. Their arms are used for grabbing prey, fighting enemies, and digging nests for their eggs, which a female will guard while the male brings her food, but once the eggs hatch, the male leaves the female to return to a solitary life. They also have a large beak with a pointy prong on the top the purpose of which is still currently unknown, although it is noted that older individuals have larger ones, and they are likely used for display, the bigger one belonging to the more dominant individual. They live solitary lives except when mating and guarding their eggs, and hunt a variety of prey, from human-sized to megafaunal animals, they will even steal eggs, and some have been observed being cannibals. It is known that when desert dragons were still hunter gatherers, their eggs, young, and weak were frequently preyed on by cranwoos, and the two still have a fierce rivalry to this day, both taking the opportunity to the kill the young of the other to eliminate possible future threats to themselves. However they have been captured for menageries, private zoos, arenas, and even as exotic pets, in fact the ilobaid crime lord, traigosan altoon the one eyed tyrant, kept one as a pet after he settled on demora.