by Riverotterr » Mon May 27, 2013 6:46 pm
Physical Traits:
Length: 50 Feet for males, 40 Feet for females. Weight: Usually about 10 tons, some weighing as much as 30!
Their average lifespan is between 150 to 300 years, but males tend to live longer.
Females are able to reproduce at the age of 20, males at the age of 25.
Males have large crests that are just for display. Females have no crest and have longer whiskers than males. Both genders have assorted patches of scales on their heads/tails. These are as unique as fingerprints.
They can swim at fast speeds with their snake-like bodies and in extremely rare cases have been seen flying. No one knows why or how they are able to fly, but seeing one brings extremely good luck on the viewer.
Eye Colors: Brown, Yellow, Red, Green, Blue and Black are common. Ice Blue, White and Purple are rarer.
Base Colors: Shades of Brown (includes tan), Green, Blue, Red and Black are common. White and Gold are rare. Their colorings are usually more pale or really dark; they are never vivid green,blue,etc.
Markings/Scales: Gold and Silver Whiskers/Crests are the norm. Markings are either darker/lighter shades of the base color, but can be a variety of complementary colors to the base. (whites, reds, oranges, golds and blacks are typical) Design wise, they are stripes, spots, lines, and mixes of the three. Eye markings and tail markings occur occasionally.
Habitat:
Sea Emperors live in the deep waters of the pacific, but are sometimes seen near the coast of Asian countries during their breeding migrations. They spend most of their time underwater and have both gills and nostrils to breathe. During the breeding migration, they live on secluded islands for many months.
Diet:
Sea Emperors are omnivores and have very adaptable diets depending on where in the ocean they live. Some will dive to great depths to take on giant squid and sharks, but most tend to eat smaller prey like fish and seals. They are also known to eat sea birds, eggs, kelp and sea grasses. Sea Emperors have never hunted or eaten humans. They almost always hunt together in clans and use their telepathy to organize guided attacks on bigger prey. In order to stay healthy, they must consume at least 200 pounds of food a day.
Behavior:
Like humans, their behavior varies greatly from individual to individual. Males, however, tend to be more serious while females tend to be more affectionate. They are very loyal to their species and to humans, who they respect for their intellect. Once you have the trust of a Sea Emperor, they will die protecting you if they have to.
Social Structure/Population:
Sea Emperors are social creatures and have a very strict hierarchy that exists between not just clans, but the whole species. They usually live in clans of 5-20 individuals. They communicate through telepathy and can talk to humans in the same manner. These clan members consist of relatives and their mates/offspring. Occasionally, a lone sea emperor/empress will exist when they search for a mate from another clan. Among the whole species, there is one "great wyrm" leader who is respected and honored. He/She is usually the oldest and wisest of all the sea emperors, and their clan is considered royalty. The only known super gatherings of occur when a great wyrm has passed on and a new one must be chosen.
The last known population measurement was about 1200 total members.
Reproduction:
Sea Emperors have a very low reproduction rate. Even the most fertile females may have at most 15 offspring reach adulthood in their lifetime. Every ten years, the populations gather to breed. This is the only time females are able to become pregnant, no one knows why. Sea Emperors mate for life and form strong bonds with their mates/family. After a one year gestation period, both parents will form a den on secluded islands to raise their young. Offspring from the previous litters will either stay to help their clans or go off to find mates, depending on age. Like some species of snakes, Sea Emperors give birth to live babies which stay above water until they are able to swim. Parents take turns hunting and must regurgitate food for their babies for the first few months. After a year passes, the offspring set off with their clan. For some reason, a combination of a high infant mortality rate and low litter sizes (1-3 young) make their population low.
Last edited by
Riverotterr on Mon May 27, 2013 6:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
