Post by Shy on Dec 28, 2020 12:14:23 GMT
Single: Winged Serpent
Plural: Winged Serpents
Group: Den of winged serpents
Young: Snakelet(s) or hatchling(s)
General Information
Winged Serpents are just as varied in their behavior as they are their coloration - you would be hard pressed to find two that are the same. However, using their coloration as a measure of how venomous they are has proved to be at least somewhat useful with the brighter-colored members of the winged serpents having more potent venom with some exceptions. Winged Serpents do not typically fare well in extremely cold weather, leading them to seek out warmer areas even if that warmer area happens to be someone's house. This also goes for extremely warm weather, which will result in them hiding underground to cool off or slipping into the water if there are no burrows that they can hide in. Winged Serpents can range in size from as small as one foot in length to as large as 42 feet in length, though those over nine feet are unable to use their wings to get off the ground due to their weight.
While capable of mindspeech, winged serpents do not communicate with anyone other than their bonded or their bonded's creature companions. They are typically quite eloquent, though it's not uncommon for snakelets to use far more informal and sometimes even impolite speech, being far more blunt than their adult counterparts. Like normal snakes, they smell by using their forked tongues to taste the air as well as keep a close eye out for potential predators. Winged serpents belonging to a diurnal species have round pupils while those belonging to a nocturnal species will have slitted pupils. They are prone to molting their feathers at the same time they shed their skin, leaving them flightless until their feathers grow back.
Mating Information
Winged Serpents tend to reach sexual maturity anywhere between two to four years, with the smaller winged serpents reaching it within the first two years of life while larger winged serpents take three to four years to sexually mature. Chases vary as well, with winged serpents having been observed to fight over females or a female choosing based on what she prefers in a male (be it size, patterning, intelligence, and so on). After mating, the female winged serpent will lay eggs which are commonly abandoned shortly after being laid, though there are some instances where a winged serpent will build a nest for their eggs or even coil around their clutch and remain with them until they hatch. It is also possible, if there are no males for a female winged serpent to breed with, to reproduce through parthenogenesis though this is rare.
Naming Information
The names of winged serpents tend to vary, though they prefer names from the romance languages: Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Romanian. They will not accept a name from any language other than these.
Ranks
Boa
*****
Though all boas are non-venomous, they are capable of growing quite large in the right conditions and as a result are usually incapable of flight despite the large wings they tend to sport. Coming in either gender, they also have enormous appetites and are much stronger than others of their kind and are more than capable of wrapping around something as large as an antelope or alligator and squeezing it until the lack of blood flow to the heart and brain causes their prey to fall unconscious. Usually ambush predators, constrictors will wait for their prey and then lunge at it when it gets close, using their large wings to gain extra momentum. They are also the most likely to wrap themselves around their bonded to snuggle, even if they are just leeching off of their body heat. They are the only type of winged serpent to give birth to live young, ranging in number from ten to 65 with the average amount being about 25.
Examples - green anaconda, titanoboa, emerald tree boa, rainbow boa
Viper
****
All vipers are venomous, though they are a good deal smaller in size than their constrictor kin as they only reach twelve feet maximumin length, though even at their smallest they can be at least a foot long. Vipers prefer small warm-blooded prey such as squirrels, rats, and small birds. Though many prefer to ambush their prey, some enjoy the thrill of the hunt and will invade burrows in the hopes of finding a meal. Similar to constrictors, vipers also give birth to live young which can range from two to as many as eighty, depending on the type of snake the winged serpent resembles. It could be said that vipers are even less social than others of their kind as they prefer to keep to themselves, but they are also the most likely to seek out other members of their rank to huddle with during colder months. Though a few of them are diurnal, a great many more of them are nocturnal and prefer to hunt at nightfall due to the cooler temperatures.
Examples - rattlesnake, moccasin, bushmaster, Mexican pit viper
Python
***
While pythons on average are larger than boas, they never exceed twenty feet in length with the smallest clocking in at around four feet long. They will lay three to twelve eggs after a chase and will stay with the eggs until they hatch, leaving the offspring to fend for themselves afterwards. Many pythons are decent swimmers and some are capable of staying in the water for at least half an hour. Despite this, they do not take very kindly to getting their wings wet. After a particularly large meal, a python may go up to weeks without hunting as they take the time to digest their meal. This rank has been noted to consist mostly of timid or placid-natured winged serpents. However, they are also known for biting off much more than they can chew in going after bigger prey which often results in harm to the python that may have attempted to swallow something like an adult deer or alligator though they have a much tougher time with consuming said prey than a boa might.
Examples - ball python, Burmese python, Indian python, African rock python
Krait
**
Despite being highly venomous, this rank is also the least likely to strike at a potential threat in favor of warning them away. During the day they are quite docile, even sluggish, and prefer to hide whether it be under blankets or in rodent holes. They become much more active at night and enjoy hunting other snakes, though they are known to eat mice and frogs on occasion. Their maximum length is about seven feet and five inches in length with the average being three to six feet in length depending on the type of snake they have taken after. As a result, all members of this rank are fully capable of flight. Kraits are also the most likely to establish themselves near human settlements, especially those that may be dealing with infestations of snakes or rodents as their venom is more than potent enough to deal with anything larger than themselves should they not be able to eat it. They are the most secretive rank about their nests, so the number of snakelets a female krait gives birth to is unknown.
Examples - banded krait, common krait, red-headed krait, lesser black krait
Garter
*
Initially thought to be nonvenomous, garters are in fact capable of producing a type of neurotoxic venom - however, this rank is unable to seriously injure or kill anything as they are incapable of injecting more than a small amount due to lacking any effective means of delivering it. They can be anywhere from fifteen inches minimum length to four feet five inches at maximum length. Like the krait, their relatively small size makes every member of this rank fully capable of flight. A garter's diet will consist of basically whatever is small enough for them to eat, from earthworms, minnows, and mice to frogs and lizards with frogs and tadpoles being a particular favorite of this rank. Rather than make any attempts to bite if threatened, a garter will hide its head and flail its tail around or attempt to fly away before the perceived threat can get too close. After a Chase, a female garter can have as many as fifty live young, though the average is between three to fourteen.
Examples - blackneck garter, checkered garter, ribbon snake, yellow-throated garter
Plural: Winged Serpents
Group: Den of winged serpents
Young: Snakelet(s) or hatchling(s)
General Information
Winged Serpents are just as varied in their behavior as they are their coloration - you would be hard pressed to find two that are the same. However, using their coloration as a measure of how venomous they are has proved to be at least somewhat useful with the brighter-colored members of the winged serpents having more potent venom with some exceptions. Winged Serpents do not typically fare well in extremely cold weather, leading them to seek out warmer areas even if that warmer area happens to be someone's house. This also goes for extremely warm weather, which will result in them hiding underground to cool off or slipping into the water if there are no burrows that they can hide in. Winged Serpents can range in size from as small as one foot in length to as large as 42 feet in length, though those over nine feet are unable to use their wings to get off the ground due to their weight.
While capable of mindspeech, winged serpents do not communicate with anyone other than their bonded or their bonded's creature companions. They are typically quite eloquent, though it's not uncommon for snakelets to use far more informal and sometimes even impolite speech, being far more blunt than their adult counterparts. Like normal snakes, they smell by using their forked tongues to taste the air as well as keep a close eye out for potential predators. Winged serpents belonging to a diurnal species have round pupils while those belonging to a nocturnal species will have slitted pupils. They are prone to molting their feathers at the same time they shed their skin, leaving them flightless until their feathers grow back.
Mating Information
Winged Serpents tend to reach sexual maturity anywhere between two to four years, with the smaller winged serpents reaching it within the first two years of life while larger winged serpents take three to four years to sexually mature. Chases vary as well, with winged serpents having been observed to fight over females or a female choosing based on what she prefers in a male (be it size, patterning, intelligence, and so on). After mating, the female winged serpent will lay eggs which are commonly abandoned shortly after being laid, though there are some instances where a winged serpent will build a nest for their eggs or even coil around their clutch and remain with them until they hatch. It is also possible, if there are no males for a female winged serpent to breed with, to reproduce through parthenogenesis though this is rare.
Naming Information
The names of winged serpents tend to vary, though they prefer names from the romance languages: Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Romanian. They will not accept a name from any language other than these.
Ranks
Boa
*****
Though all boas are non-venomous, they are capable of growing quite large in the right conditions and as a result are usually incapable of flight despite the large wings they tend to sport. Coming in either gender, they also have enormous appetites and are much stronger than others of their kind and are more than capable of wrapping around something as large as an antelope or alligator and squeezing it until the lack of blood flow to the heart and brain causes their prey to fall unconscious. Usually ambush predators, constrictors will wait for their prey and then lunge at it when it gets close, using their large wings to gain extra momentum. They are also the most likely to wrap themselves around their bonded to snuggle, even if they are just leeching off of their body heat. They are the only type of winged serpent to give birth to live young, ranging in number from ten to 65 with the average amount being about 25.
Examples - green anaconda, titanoboa, emerald tree boa, rainbow boa
Viper
****
All vipers are venomous, though they are a good deal smaller in size than their constrictor kin as they only reach twelve feet maximumin length, though even at their smallest they can be at least a foot long. Vipers prefer small warm-blooded prey such as squirrels, rats, and small birds. Though many prefer to ambush their prey, some enjoy the thrill of the hunt and will invade burrows in the hopes of finding a meal. Similar to constrictors, vipers also give birth to live young which can range from two to as many as eighty, depending on the type of snake the winged serpent resembles. It could be said that vipers are even less social than others of their kind as they prefer to keep to themselves, but they are also the most likely to seek out other members of their rank to huddle with during colder months. Though a few of them are diurnal, a great many more of them are nocturnal and prefer to hunt at nightfall due to the cooler temperatures.
Examples - rattlesnake, moccasin, bushmaster, Mexican pit viper
Python
***
While pythons on average are larger than boas, they never exceed twenty feet in length with the smallest clocking in at around four feet long. They will lay three to twelve eggs after a chase and will stay with the eggs until they hatch, leaving the offspring to fend for themselves afterwards. Many pythons are decent swimmers and some are capable of staying in the water for at least half an hour. Despite this, they do not take very kindly to getting their wings wet. After a particularly large meal, a python may go up to weeks without hunting as they take the time to digest their meal. This rank has been noted to consist mostly of timid or placid-natured winged serpents. However, they are also known for biting off much more than they can chew in going after bigger prey which often results in harm to the python that may have attempted to swallow something like an adult deer or alligator though they have a much tougher time with consuming said prey than a boa might.
Examples - ball python, Burmese python, Indian python, African rock python
Krait
**
Despite being highly venomous, this rank is also the least likely to strike at a potential threat in favor of warning them away. During the day they are quite docile, even sluggish, and prefer to hide whether it be under blankets or in rodent holes. They become much more active at night and enjoy hunting other snakes, though they are known to eat mice and frogs on occasion. Their maximum length is about seven feet and five inches in length with the average being three to six feet in length depending on the type of snake they have taken after. As a result, all members of this rank are fully capable of flight. Kraits are also the most likely to establish themselves near human settlements, especially those that may be dealing with infestations of snakes or rodents as their venom is more than potent enough to deal with anything larger than themselves should they not be able to eat it. They are the most secretive rank about their nests, so the number of snakelets a female krait gives birth to is unknown.
Examples - banded krait, common krait, red-headed krait, lesser black krait
Garter
*
Initially thought to be nonvenomous, garters are in fact capable of producing a type of neurotoxic venom - however, this rank is unable to seriously injure or kill anything as they are incapable of injecting more than a small amount due to lacking any effective means of delivering it. They can be anywhere from fifteen inches minimum length to four feet five inches at maximum length. Like the krait, their relatively small size makes every member of this rank fully capable of flight. A garter's diet will consist of basically whatever is small enough for them to eat, from earthworms, minnows, and mice to frogs and lizards with frogs and tadpoles being a particular favorite of this rank. Rather than make any attempts to bite if threatened, a garter will hide its head and flail its tail around or attempt to fly away before the perceived threat can get too close. After a Chase, a female garter can have as many as fifty live young, though the average is between three to fourteen.
Examples - blackneck garter, checkered garter, ribbon snake, yellow-throated garter