Weight: 1,300-2,000 lbs
Length: 40-50 ft
Tail: 20-23 ft
Social Unit: Pair
Status: Critically Endangered
Native to: Ryu 97
Habitat: Forests, Mountains
Known variants: n/a
The Ryuan dragon bears almost no resemblance to the other 3 species of dragon in the galaxy, other than its wings. Its body is elongated almost to the point of being serpentine and its head is somewhat larger in proportion to its body than the other 3 species. Also, this is the only dragon species to posess a mane. It also has two horns on its head, similar to those of a stag. In addition to this, two barbels, similar to those found in catfish, dangle from its chin. These enable it to detect even the faintest vibrations in the air. Even before they were nearly wiped out by hunters, Ryuan dragons lived mostly in remote mountain forests and on peaks, subsisting mostly on pandas, tigers, elephants, wild horses, yaks, tuojiangosaurus, mamenchisaurus, livestock, and carrion. Sentients are not viewed as prey by Ryuan dragons, mostly due to their small size and the fact that Ryuan dragons rarely encounter them. These are also by far the most intelligent species of dragon in the galaxy, and are even considered by some to be semi-sentient. They have even figured out how to use Astral Magic to redirect lightning, a power that sentients never even dreamed of before Nate learned it from two Ryuan dragons. Ryuan dragons, when they do have positive encounters with sentients (which almost never happens) will often challenge them (using body language, of course) to fights to test their strength. If the dragon won, it would kill and eat the sentient. If the sentient won, the dragon would perform a favor for them, sometimes presenting them with an animal corpse from their cache or sometimes even giving them an egg from their nest (though they would only do this if they laid 2 eggs). Ryuan dragons, unlike the other 3 species of dragon, mate for life and nest in these pairs on mountain peaks. After mating, a week will pass before the female Ryuan dragon lays 1-2 eggs in a nest prepared from the pelts of animals she has killed. Like all other dragons, the hatchlings will imprint on the first living thing they see when they hatch (though imprinting is not as strong as it is in other species). Like Arturian dragons, Ryuan dragons consume meat from the day they hatch and the females do not produce any milk. Unfortunately, these dragons were victims of intense trophy hunting over the years (some sentients eventually began to abuse the dragons' whole test of strength thing and started killing the dragons when they won so they could impress their friends with the taxidermied heads). The dragons were eventually overhunted to the point where they were driven deep into the mountains near Bhasa, where only two, a male and a female, now survive (they were presumed extinct until Nate found those two in 21 AR). Currently, Ryuan dragons are a protected species, and armed guards patrol the habitat of the last 2 remaining dragons 24/7 to prevent poaching. Aaron, the current emperor of Ryu 97, is currently considering relocating them to a zoo environment so they can breed in captivity and repopulate the species without the risk of poachers somehow getting past the armed guards. Unlike other dragons, Ryuan dragons can breathe both fire AND lightning. There used to be another variant that could breathe fire and water, but that variant was hunted to extinction.