Jade Terrapin

The Jade Terrapin is a species of large Testudoform reptile resembling a snapping turtle that derives its name not from the colour of its hide or carapace, which is a blue-grey, but from the Jade Delta where they reside. The Jade Terrapin's preferred habitat is among the reeds of the tidal mudflats and shallow brackish lagoons that line the majority of the broad river delta.   Like the other native reptiles of the Morning Shores, the Jade Terrapin bears no common ancestry with reptiles from the Old Lands, and the resemblance is the product of convergent evolution. The Jade Terrapin has the four eyes common to Morning Shores reptiles, and there is evidence of vestigal feather fronds on the tips of their stubby tails.   Jade Terrapins are omnivorous. Most of their diet is plant based, consisting mainly of hard, floating nuts and tuberous roots growing in the mudflats. Some have taken a liking to the sugarcane being cultivated in parts the Jade Delta. Jade Terrapins are also ambush predators who snap at and catch various smaller animals in their powerful jaws. Their prey includes fish, amphibians, and small native feathered reptiles. Large males have occasionally been observed eating male hatchlings in their territory.   The Jade Terrapin is generally a docile animal. They are occasionally inquisitive towards people who intrude into their territory, but they typically prefer to quietly slip away under the water. Male Jade Terrapins are territorial, however, and can become aggressive when females are nearby, and will generally hiss at an intruder as a warning before it bites.  

Notable Individuals

 

Little Tommy

  Little Tommy is an exceptionally large and venerable Jade Terrapin that was brought back to the Old Lands aboard the Indigo on its third expedition to The Dawn Coast. After spending over a hundred years as a guest at the Imperial Palace in Lindan, Little Tommy was given to the Imperial Naval College to commemorate the development of the first ironclad "turtle ships".   It is unknown exactly how old Little Tommy is. It is estimated that he is well over two hundred years old, and he has outlived seven separate monarchs of House Harcaester during his stay at the Palace.    

Heronetta

  Heronetta is a blind Jade Terrapin who lives in a pond on the private estate of Violette Morvan of the Honourable Dawn Coast Company. She likes to nuzzle the ankles of visitors to the estate, and the only person she is known to have bitten was a suspected burglar, who had his lower leg neatly severed by her powerful bite.