Basilisk

The basilisk is said to look like a cross between a chicken and a serpent, but it is actually more like a feathered raptor in appearance. Most of its body is covered in soft down feathers, save for its wings, legs, and face.

While their wings are too small to fly, their incredible legs allow them to run at speeds up to 120 mph. Each of their feet bears a "terrible claw" that they use to gore their prey when kicking.

Basilisks, being avians, are egg-layers. A female will lay eggs one egg per season.

When a basilisk lays an egg, her mate will incubate it for up to five months before it hatches. Basilisk hatchlings are precocial, walking as soon as they hatch from their eggs. They take about 10 months to fully mature.

Basilisks are obligate carnivores. They mostly feed on smaller animals that inhabit their desert habitats, which include many snakes. They are immune to most forms of snake venom, which may have earned them the reputation as the "kings of serpents."

Basilisks will also eat fruit from desert-dwelling plants for their water and mineral content. However, they do not glean any nutrients from them.

Basilisks are known for being particularly aggressive towards those who approach them. Rather than simply hissing and crouching in a defensive position, basilisks will actively chase down those who come into their territory. And since they can run far faster than most beings in Altairus, their chases usually end in kills.

Even without their speed, they are still deadly. They breathe fire and can petrify targets with their steely gaze. In any case, the best defense against a basilisk attack is to put something strong and favorably reflective between you and the animal.

They make a variety of vocalizations. Their hisses and screeches are the most well-known, but they also tend to make cassowary rumbling calls when communicating with others of their flock.

Basilisks hunt alone, but they live in groups, with the oldest female being the highest in the pecking order. They are monogamous, mating for life.

Despite their dangerous natures, basilisks can be domesticated for riding. The peoples of the deserts they inhabit utilize their incredible running speed to cover miles of desert in no time at all. Their fire breath and stony gaze are also attractive offensive abilities that these tribes use for combat advantages.

Basilisks are present all throughout Altairus's hot deserts. They are most commonly found in the vast landscapes of the Harmony Sands Desert in Pandora and the Eternal Desert of Tamora. In any case, they tend to thrive in areas with a high concentration of Fire magic.

A subspecies of basilisk adapted to the extreme temperatures of volcanic plains lives in the Typhonic Plains. Yet another, smaller variety lives in tropical rainforests, trading their running speed for climbing skills to capture tree-dwelling prey.