Freethinker Wildlife
Contents
Introduction
The vast continent that forms the Freethinker Mainland have remained isolated from the rest of the planet for hundreds of millions of years, inspiring new courses of evolution in a land that gives up little without a fight. Huge carnivores roam across the wild, their prey often just as fierce in defence, and every species that thrives today in the harsh outback has won its place through countless battles for survival.
Not included in this article are the sentient Freestian Vampires, despite being members of the Draconi family of reptiles.
See also: The Draconi Genus
Reptiles
Bitefoot Lizard
Freestian Greyfoot Dragon
Freestian Sand Dragon
The Freestian Sand Dragon is the apex predator of the vast myriad of life in the great Freethinker deserts. One of, if not the greatest predator to have ever existed, these massive animals roam a habitat across the various desert plains and the foothills of the mountain ranges that border them. It's sleek form and its powerful image have made it a distinctive icon of the great deserts it occupies and the Commonwealth itself.
The most magnificent members of the Draconi family, these huge animals (both male and female) can grow up to a length of 120 feet (38 metres, including a long tail which can account for up to half of its length) and reach a wingspan approaching 150 feet (47 metres) or more. They stand up to twenty feet (6 metres) tall at the shoulder and weigh in at up to forty five metric tons (100,000 pounds).
All Sand Dragons live an almost solitary existence after nursing, with females taking up a fixed range with the size depending upon the local avaliability of food and water. These ranges can incorporate thousands of square miles of territory but given the vast open ranges of the Freethinker Mainland there is little direct conflict with human encroachment. More major concerns for adult Sand Dragons are other predator species competing for avaliable food sources in the harsh desert, although often the result is that Sand Dragons will simply turn these opponents into new food sources for themselves.
Unlike most other members of the genus they are solely predatory carnivores, hunting alone and feeding mostly on the larger prey species in the deserts and shrubland. The most popular prey seems to be the slightly smaller herbivores of the Draconi family, Greyfoot Dragons, with wild Mustangs and Taur making up the bulk of the rest of their natural diet. Trolls are occasionally hunted but doing so involves risks of injury, with most encounters being territorial confrontations rather than an actual hunt.
Sand Dragons have no natural predators, but their young are vulnurable to other desert predators whilst in the early stages of development. Human poaching is non-existant, and Sand Dragons have proven themselves more then capable of defending themselves even against well-equipped hunters.
Hunting of the Sand Dragon is technically illegal unless the Department of Natural Affairs issues a special license for a particularly troublesome or violent individual. Despite the relatively low headcount (around twenty thousand adult specimens currently in the wild), the actual population has remained relatively steady throughout the periods records have been kept.
Freestian Wyvern
See Main Article: Freestian Wyverns
Sandwyrm
The smallest member of the Draconi family, Sandwyrms are short, omnivorous reptiles that inhabit almost all of the Mainland aside from the higher mountain peaks, even encroaching into domestic settlements in a similar manner to urban foxes in other cities around the world. They are easily dwarfed by their larger brethren standing barely a foot (30 cm) at the shoulder and reach lengths of around four to five feet (120-150 cm) and may weigh in at around thirty to forty pounds (14-18 kg).
Whitestone Crocodile
A huge breed of freshwater crocodile, generally considered to be the largest breed of this genus outside the Klatch.
Birds
Carrassian Vulture
Mammals
Fallow Monkey
The only native species of Monkey, this relatively small breed of Howler Monkey is commonly found in the large forests of the Northeest and Southwest of the country. Much smaller than the great apes of
Freestian Mustang
A breed of short, tough, naturalised (feral) horses that inhabit the desert and shrubland plains across most of the South and West of the Mainland.
Freestian Mountain Troll
One of the two greater species of trolls within the slightly shorter but bulkier, found in the higher parts of many mountain ranges and even occasionally in one of the larger forests in the North East of the country.
