Detailed explanation: Dragons of Tolu

When Tolu-hebaemana is mentioned, the most recognizable aspect of its identity would be the role the native species of dragon have had in shaping it. Indeed, such is their majesty that Mado Yua took to infusing his very essence with his own dragon companion, becoming the Divine Serpent King of the continent and even enacted the same process with six leaders and heroes of each of the great nations, in order to solidify his reign.  

Physiology and Habitat

  Of course, excluding these seven magical dragons, whom all express chimeric qualities from other animals, the Serpent dragon is a specie that has come into being naturally. As the name suggests, Serpent dragons are reminiscent of snakes, with long winding bodies and tails, but have the distinction of retaining their legs, which oddly enough protrude directly down from their bodies instead of spreading out horizontally like most current reptiles, calling into question whether they actually derive from a common ancestor of snakes.   Serpent dragons are found solely on Tolu and nowhere else on Az, implying either they were unable to compete on the other landmasses or that they developed relatively recently. What gives credence to the latter theory is the fact that despite being relegated to a single continent they have established themselves as the premier predator of the entire region, no small feat as there are several other impressive apex predators to contend with.   The key to the Serpent dragons proliferation across Tolu comes down to two factors; Adaptability and wicked intelligence. The Serpent dragon shows a remarkable willingness to migrate to different hunting grounds and adapt their techniques to the climate they find themselves in, able to swim easily, traverse mountains quickly and even thrive in open plains with low camouflage, all with minimal derivations needed from the base species, the only noticeable difference being a change in scale color or most extreme, a moderate lining of feathers for colder climates such as the Claws region.  

Feeding Behaviour

  This links to the second key to their success as mentioned, the nigh-supernatural capability for learning and planning these dragons possess. Ambush is the preferred style of hunting, using their long bodies to coil around unsuspecting prey before throttling them with powerful bites, constriction and clawing attacks. Yet they are not stuck to this niche, setting elaborate traps with terrain in order to cut off escape, running down slower animals and even scavenging are all observed behaviors and in particular, they are described to often play around with prey before killing it, much like a cat, with there are many an old village tale concerning one of these dragons holding grudges against individual people, stalking them for weeks before brutally ending them, implying an intelligence that may exceed that of even canine species.  

Life-cycle

  With regards to their life-cycle, Serpent dragons are an egg-laying species which make nests in well protected areas such as underground burrows, laying around five eggs per batch, with it taking 200 days for them to hatch into drakelings which are dependent on the mother for a further three years before they start hunting their own food. After this time they still live close to the mother dragon for several years, highly unusual behavior in reptile species, eating smaller mammals and large insects. However after this period the mother will begin to aggressively force the adolescent dragons away, prompting them to set out on their own to find territory fit for them, avoiding predation from the various predators they share the continent with in addition to larger Serpent dragons, who don't shy away from cannibalism if they feel the younger dragon will pose a threat in future.   After finding a suitable hunting ground and making a burrow, serpent dragons will continue to grow, reaching adulthood at around 20 years of age, continuing on from there to grow for the rest of their life granted their is enough food. Serpent dragons are solitary unless it is breeding season, an auspicious event that occurs roughly every decade, often termed The Divine Congregation, where many individuals migrate to certain points on the continent in order to select a mate, a mysterious process which the government of Tolu is still uncertain of, despite their veneration and widespread utilization of the animals.  

Lifespan

  Naturally, serpent dragons can live for a very long time even without the use of life-prolonging magics, often reaching ages bordering two centuries, with a few claims that several individuals have lived for almost twice this estimate. The main cause of death in adult dragons is sickness or injury, as this species is rarely in danger from predation past a certain age, save from a particularly desperate Liúlàng xiàbā (Wandering maw), a gigantic predator found mainly in the Dragon's Neck region, which can migrate large distances as they require so much food.   Of what rumours that escape Tolu, the dragons which are tamed and used by the regime of Mado Yua are often augmented through magic so that they can live for many hundreds of years, some even exceeding a thousand years and swelling to sizes of over 40 meters in length and 8 meters in height. Such long-lived individuals are revered as true servants of Yua, known as Ancient Wardens, who guard the most important cities and locations of interest.