[Queen Hydra]

Bellydrums

Welcome to the Bellydrum species page. Information is still being gathered about this newly discovered animal, which was previously thought only to be a myth. In recent weeks a population of them has been found in the central plains of North America. It's unclear how they managed to remain undetected in such an open environment, but research is in progress. Soon we'll know more about this strange creature, nicknamed the 'Bellydrum'.

NEW! Basic Description

Bellydrums are a newly-discovered, still-being-researched species that lives in a colony that may consist of dozens of individuals. They generally live for about 25-30 years and have four life stages: Child, young adult, adult, and elder. They are capable of moving very fast thanks to their light bones, feathers that act like rudders, and powerful legs. They also tend to enjoy swimming and climbing. They appear to have a decent sense of smell, little to no sense of taste, excellent hearing, decent sense of touch. It's unclear how well they see. When humans are near yet off of their territory, they seem more curious than anything. Contrary, they are very defensive of their land and once a human steps within the boundary, the animals become angered.
In general, the bellydrums are finicky and chatty, capable of being both very gentile and very stern or brutal, and relatively happy little creatures when among their own kind.

The Name

Bellydrums are named for their round belly, which makes a hollow, drum-like sound when patted.

NEW! Customs

I'll be giving away three free customs[which can either be designed by those who receive the custom, or by me with their input] to kick off the species. They'll be going to the first three people who ask! Afterwards, customs will only go to friends, family, and staff.
So far a free custom has been given to:
LOCW_Bluestarwarrior
[and winter came...]

Rules

There will be more rules added as time progresses. Please check in occasionally to make sure you are up-to-date.
* Please do not spam the page. [This includes: Posting more than once without within a short period of time, saying things unrelated to the species, posting gibberish, ect]
* Please try and use proper grammar and spelling while posting here. At least, as best you can.
* Do not steal my species.
* NEW! You can own up to three bellydrums. This number may change in the future. If you desire to adopt a fourth, you'd have to adopt one of yours out.

[Queen Hydra]

Physical Evaluation

Adult bellydrums are about the size of a medium to large dog. As far as it has been discovered, their short trunks are used in much the same way as an elephants- for drinking, breathing, and maneuvering objects. There seems to be one other purpose, but it's yet to be proven. They have a strange crest on their head, which usually has at least two notches. Their ears could be compared to that of a floppy-eared dog's, only they always have some sort of notch and a long thread that, as far as scientists can tell, is similar to the feathers on their shoulder and tail. Reports show that, the older the bellydrum, the longer the thread.
The bellydrum's body is strangely shaped, so much so that it is incomparable to other animals. The neck is not long, but not short. Their back dips, then goes upwards until it reaches a peak until it finally slopes quickly downwards. The belly is round, and the tail is about the length of the body. Their shoulders are developed specially so that they can fold outwards, allowing the feathers that grow on them to act as rudders. They are especially high on the body, too. The legs are stout and strong, able to carry the bellydrum far and fast. Their front hands have four fingers and a thumb, all with claws at the tips. They walk much like an ape- on their knuckles. They can handle objects, but usually are clumsy about it. The back feet have three large claw-tipped toes. These toes give the animal great grip on anything they choose to climb, and also aid in running fast. Each leg, on the lower part, there is a hard area almost like bone. The purpose of this has yet to be discovered, though it is speculated that they are for sparing. The eyes of a bellydrum are perhaps one of the strangest qualities. They lack a pupil, and are always two colors- a solid base color, with streaks of another. It's unclear as of yet how they see, if they see at all. Bellydrums are covered in a very fine, short coat of fur. There has never been one found with long or even medium length fur.
One of the most distinct things about a bellydrum are its feathers. The feathers get larger as it grows and multiply. They are different from a bird's feathers, as the fonds that make them up are much closer together, forming something much more solid. This is to aid in their maneuverability. When running, a bellydrum can move its feathers in ways that help it turn, go faster, or slow.
The colors of this animal seem to vary, but there have been patterns noted. They are typically contrasting or dull colors, while the feathers are always something bright.

[Queen Hydra]

Social Habits

Bellydrums are social creatures. While not much has yet been discovered about how they communicate and their hierarchy, it is known that they survive much better in groups. They live in a colony that seems to include not just young, old, family or nonfamily, male or female, but all of the above.
There is only one colony discovered so far, and it may very well be the only one in existence.
Bellydrums tend to be somewhat finicky about most elements in life and can be playful around others of their kind, but to outsiders they are wary. They seem intelligent and good at problem-solving.
Two common pastimes have been observed: Wading in water and running. While it seems the bellydrums cannot swim, they seem to enjoy wading and splashing eachother. Running and chasing eachother also appears to be a favorite.
More research is being done on the topic of social habits, interactions, and behaviors.

Aging Process

Bellydrums have four stages of life: Child, young adult, adult, and elder. In each stage they change very little other than in size and their feathers. Feathers are the biggest indicator of age in a bellydrum[though a relative age may also be guessed by the length of the threads on their ears]. The longer and more abundant the feathers, the older the animal. In general, they seem to stop growing somewhere around the end of their young-adult stage, but they size varies in individuals. The largest seen was the size of a doberman, while the smallest adult recorded was as small as a pit bull.
There appear to be two obvious feather-types. They've been labeled 'A' and 'AA'. 'A'-type feathers are shorter and less heavy than the AA. While AAs reach the age of flight quicker than As, they also loose the ability after several years, for the feathers on their tails and occasionally even their wings begin to droop and become to heavy for flight.
It's unclear exactly how long bellydrums live, but the oldest found is estimated to be about twenty-five years old. It takes them roughly four years to fully mature. From birth-1 they are considered child, and from then until age four is a young adult. They are classified as elder upon reaching their seventeenth year.

[Queen Hydra]

Diet

The diet of the bellydrum species is very...unusual. They don't seem to have a particular limit. Seemingly, they will eat anything. They've been found eating small fish from lakes, mice off of the plains, eggs out of bird nests, berries, bark, and even grass. Studies are still going on to discover if there's any end to their menu, but it so far appears there isn't. It wouldn't be surprising if they were caught eating dirt.

Differing Physical Aspects[Coloring, traits, ect]

Bellydrums can differ in many ways which are, for the most part, fairly subtle. The most obvious way is their coloring. While most bellydrums are contrasting colors- such as white and black- others are dull in coloration with a few brighter marking that stand out. Overall, they vary a lot when it comes to color. The only color that has yet to be seen is yellow. There's been no trace of it whatsoever in the species. The eyes are usually have a bright base hue, with the streaks being a somewhat darker variation of the color.
All of the animals are covered in a fine, short layer of fur. There hasn't been any differences in texture or length reported; they all appear to have the same type of coat. Similarly, the genders and ages seem no different one another other than in size and feather-length. Females tend to have slightly longer feathers, and older bellydrums are usually a bit bigger than younger ones[though after maturity their size increases very, very slowly, if at all].
The spikes on the backside of a bellydrum can differ somewhat. Scientists have loosely[and uncreatively] labeled the two most commonly observed spike-types 'Normal' and 'Abnormal' spikes. With 'Normal', the spikes are pointing straight and nicely aligned. With 'Abnormal', they're in a disarray, pointing different directions.
Feathers of the bellydrums are often more of a rich, solid color than the body. While they may have some markings, it's uncommon. The feathers usually take on somewhat of a gray look as the animal ages.
The notches in the ear and crest vary. Most often, there are two on the crest and one on the ear, but the location and shape are usually relatively unique, and there can be more or less. Scientists are baffled, because it doesn't seem to matter about parents- offspring have been found with completely different notches than both the parents and grandparents. While most often the notches are shallow and few in number, there have been bellydrums discovered with deeper and more abundant ones. For instance, one has four deep notches that go halfway through the crest, and two similar ones on its ears. Notches seem to be one of the most distinct ways that bellydrums tell eachother apart.
The creatures very often seem to have some sort of piercing, usually in their crest, though also occasionally found in their trunk, ears, or tails[or, in elder bellydrums who can no longer fly, the feathers]. It's unsure what the piercings mean, or how they get there. Usually, they're just small studs of what appear to be bone or some type of metal, and rarely do they have more than two in one place.

Trait Rarity Chart

Very Rare Rare Uncommon Common

* For feathers to grow anywhere other than the tail and shoulders[or elbows for an elder]
* Being a solid color[such as albino, or being completely green]
* No notches at all
* No notches in either the crest or ears[one or the other- not both]
* No leg-plates
* More than two notches in the crest and one in the ears
* Completely dark or light coloration [as they often are a combination, or dull in color]
* AA feather type
* Contrasting or dull color design
* A feather type

[Queen Hydra]

Flight

Bellydrums are not built for flight, though some can achieve it. They are made to run, with light bones and agile movement. They're strong animals all around, though not half as heavy as they seem. These two aspects aid in the ability to fly. As stated in a previous paragraph, the feathers of the bellydrum are not like birds. They're tougher and more solid. It's unsure if this aids or hinders the animals when it comes to flying.
The curious thing is that they don't really have wings. Or, at least, the scientists aren't calling them wings. They seem to believe that the feathers are an adaptation, which they gained over many many generations to help them run more easily across the plains. They simply call them 'feathers', though some others call them wings[at least, the ones on their shoulders. The feathers on their tail are not wings].
Only elders, and perhaps some older AA-trait adults, can fly. Only their feathers are long enough and their bodies strong enough['elder' does not necessarily equate to 'old' in the sense that we're used; a bellydrum lives many years after reaching the age of elder, and often they are as strong or stronger for a good while than adults]. Even so, they cannot fly for long. Only a few minutes, and then they become tired. As a bellydrum ages, its feathers grow and eventually droop. Elders only have a few years in which they can fly before their feathers do this, and then they can't run well, much less fly. AA-trait bellydrum usually reach this point faster, but they also gain the ability to fly sooner than As.

[Queen Hydra]

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Woragons

[Queen Hydra]

Reserved.

[LOCW_Bluestarwarrior]

I'd love a custom, they're so cute! :3

[Queen Hydra]

O: Hey Bluestar! Okay, I will add you to the drawing, and feel free to make your custom whenever you want. Thank you ^^

[LOCW_Bluestarwarrior]

Okay, yay!