Often called the Lorath dragon, the Meruu is a hot-blooded giant reptile of the Krua family, resembling a cross between an alligator and a giant python, depending on the extension of their body. They earn their nickname due to their intimidating appearance with large golden human-like eyes, swept back horns and a mixture of scales and fur depending on the environment they've chosen to settle in. Their wings are repurposed into a second pair of front legs: both with simple grasping hands similar to those of a rat though obviously much larger. They are known for living in a vast array of environments: Sweeping across sand like a snake, swimming through water, climbing trees and hiding beneath the ground.
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Often called the [[:lorath_matriarchy|Lorath]] dragon, the Meruu is a hot-blooded giant reptile of the Krua family, resembling a cross between an alligator and a giant python, depending on the extension of their body. They earn their nickname due to their intimidating appearance with large golden human-like eyes, swept back horns and a mixture of scales and fur depending on the environment they've chosen to settle in. Their wings are repurposed into a second pair of front legs: both with simple grasping hands similar to those of a rat though obviously much larger. They are known for living in a vast array of environments: Sweeping across sand like a snake, swimming through water, climbing trees and hiding beneath the ground.
Largely solitary, they were hunted close to extinction due to their venom (an ethanol/decoagulant mixture) often irradiating due to the Meruu's habit of digging up radioactive ores and magnetites which become deposits in their horns as advanced sensing organs
Largely solitary, they were hunted close to extinction due to their venom (an ethanol/decoagulant mixture) often irradiating due to the Meruu's habit of digging up radioactive ores and magnetites which become deposits in their horns as advanced sensing organs
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Meruu are described as "hot blooded" animals: This shouldn't be misunderstood as a descriptor of temperament: The body temperature of Meruu can vary massively from what is described as cold blooded to what is known as warm blooded: Either letting the environment heat them (surviving on a single meal for weeks), expediting their own metabolisms (forcing them to eat more frequently) or by combustion their poison as a vaporized form of ethanol, lit by their teeth which contain deposits of flint and iron: To this end, they are known as Lor's natural arsonists.
Meruu are described as "hot blooded" animals: This shouldn't be misunderstood as a descriptor of temperament: The body temperature of Meruu can vary massively from what is described as cold blooded to what is known as warm blooded: Either letting the environment heat them (surviving on a single meal for weeks), expediting their own metabolisms (forcing them to eat more frequently) or by combustion their poison as a vaporized form of ethanol, lit by their teeth which contain deposits of flint and iron: To this end, they are known as Lor's natural arsonists.
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In terms of build, their spines are able to extend or compress enormously like an accordian: lending them the shortness and denseness of an alligator one moment, then the length of a large python: To this end, they use their compacted forms when moving on land and only extend when moving through tree branches, water or when constricting prey.
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In terms of build, their spines are able to extend or compress enormously like an accordion: lending them the shortness and denseness of an alligator one moment, then the length of a large python: To this end, they use their compacted forms when moving on land and only extend when moving through tree branches, water or when constricting prey.
Possessing six limbs, all ending in clawed hands with opposable thumbs they are known to rear up onto their back four legs when angered.
Possessing six limbs, all ending in clawed hands with opposable thumbs they are known to rear up onto their back four legs when angered.
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They are particularly known for their ears which resemble those of a desert fox: typically swept back against the skull and their large branching horns: relying primarily on their horns as their sight during daylight is particularly poor. Their long tails end in telson and uropods, very similar to those of a shrimp which are normally tucked away and extended when swimming, as well as gills located beneath their front legs.
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Hunting, their sense of smell, taste (in water), hearing and their electrostatic sensing are dominant though at night they prefer to rely on their eyes.
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Depending on climate, some develop furry exteriors, others scaley exteriors and other hard segmented bodies, usually a mixture of all three. Their under-bellies are like those of a snake: ribbed and able to undulate to move across the ground.
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=== Exterior ===
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Depending on climate, some develop furry exteriors, others scaley exteriors and other hard segmented bodies, usually a mixture of all three. Their under-bellies are like those of a snake: ribbed and able to undulate to move across the ground. Many develop a taste for depleted uranium and heavy metals, which are sewn into their scales in patterns of color thought to be for territorial reasons originally - greatly improving the defensive ability of a Meruu - often rendering them bulletproof. Mature subjects often hunt others to extract their vacuum sacks, repurposing the nanofibers to act as armor.
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Hunting, their sense of smell, taste (in water), hearing and their electrostatic sensing are dominant though at night they prefer to rely on their eyes.
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=== Tail ===
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The tail of a Meruu is very large, ending in telson and uropods similar to those of a shrimp which are typically tucked away. Gills are also located beneath their front-legs, neck and the underside of their tails, near the genitals.
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=== Horns ===
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Large branching horns act as electrostatic sensing organs, similar to the sensing palettes of a shark. Unlike a shark, these horns are armored beneath segmented bone and chitirin, making them movable to a limited degree. They rely greatly on their horns as their sight during daylight is particularly poor; commonly preferring to strike at night.
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=== Vacuum Cavity ===
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Meruu posess behind their shoulder-blades, spine and tail a number of marble-sized chambers in large numbers lined with a natural source of nanofibres. These cavities, when expelled of air become vacuum chambers, expressing displacement lift. They are anchored carefully and held above bone, in order to ensure this lift is able to pull the entire animal. In full use, they can be expanded to great lengths, and the torso of the Meruu extruded into a long snake-like form ideal for swimming through air or water. Vacuum cavities also double as water storage, allowing a Meruu to live without a water-source for extended periods of time.
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=== Ballast Cavity ===
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Meruu are unusual in that the anal cavity of the animal extends into the tail somewhat; this is used with the collection of smooth rocks and pebbles which act as ballast, either in flight or when swimming, to travel to great depths.
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They are known to produce entirely sterile fecal matter which is sterilized inside the body with no smell, usually in a thick syrupy slippery clear form resembling egg whites and yellows or as solid white highly compact eggs. Smelling strongly of pheremones, it is often used to mark their territory. In the wild, this waste product is often radiologically active.
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=== Facial Assembly ===
Quite exotic, they have what can be called a 'second mouth', a wrapping of armored scales and teeth able to fit over their face in six segments to conceal and protect themselves. It is often used for biting and grabbing and is usually retracted only for social purposes - the mask having a snout like assembly complete with working nostrils and the face beneath sometimes describes as primate or cat-like.
Quite exotic, they have what can be called a 'second mouth', a wrapping of armored scales and teeth able to fit over their face in six segments to conceal and protect themselves. It is often used for biting and grabbing and is usually retracted only for social purposes - the mask having a snout like assembly complete with working nostrils and the face beneath sometimes describes as primate or cat-like.
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===== Living habits =====
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=== Venom Sack ===
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Ordinarily, Meruu remain still for hours, even days at a time waiting until they are hungry. They are known for amassing large fish and animals and digging out burrows larger than some homes resembling open graves; almost always beneath a large tree.
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Located under a highly mobile tongue is a thick venom sack, containing 40% ethanol, a number of other environmentally sourced chemicals and in smaller subjects, a number of anticoagulants designed to prevent successful clotting in victims. Adult Meruu typically learn to source flint and steel into their teeth or tongue and by age 22 have learned to spray their venom, igniting it as flame. While the temperature is often very low, this can be dangerous due to the acidic nature of the venom and their tenancy to consume depleted uranium rendering the fire so sufficiently radioactive that it can interfere with communications and radar.
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=== Radiation Resistence ===
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For reasons unknown, Meruu seem almost completely resistant to most forms of radiation and have an excellent recovery-rate against ionizing radiation. If the animal is able to escape a source of radiation, radiation sickness typically lasts only a few days and is not fatal.
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===== Living habits =====
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Ordinarily, Meruu remain still for hours, even days at a time waiting until they are hungry. They are known for amassing large fish and animals and digging out burrows larger than some homes resembling open graves; almost always beneath a large tree.
==== Habitat ====
==== Habitat ====
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Like most Lorath animals, they're capable of passive psionics, able to detect and exploit the sentiments and behavioral characteristics of other organisms to better hunt them: Testing with psionic blocking devices has proven this to be the case.
Like most Lorath animals, they're capable of passive psionics, able to detect and exploit the sentiments and behavioral characteristics of other organisms to better hunt them: Testing with psionic blocking devices has proven this to be the case.
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They often spend a lot of their time seeming very docile and can be gentle giants - though the smell of meat or blood is known to trigger hunting behavior - not unlike a shark. Cornered or outnumbered, this behavior vanishes, meaning anyone approaching a Meruu has to do so individually. This docile behavior does not exist in captive settings.
==== Mating habits ====
==== Mating habits ====
Meruu are largely solitary with dominant females, known for fighting for "ownership" of males and are known famously for reproducing with their own young: culling females and keeping males which very rarely leave the den. Their eggs can take months or even years to successfully gestate and take months to form inside the female's body meaning they are slow to reproduce even if a brood is formed. Common practice is to pin or constrict the male, with the female dominant at all times.
Meruu are largely solitary with dominant females, known for fighting for "ownership" of males and are known famously for reproducing with their own young: culling females and keeping males which very rarely leave the den. Their eggs can take months or even years to successfully gestate and take months to form inside the female's body meaning they are slow to reproduce even if a brood is formed. Common practice is to pin or constrict the male, with the female dominant at all times.
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===== History =====
===== History =====
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Going back hundreds of thousands of years, Ey'tis have been one of the first species domesticated by Lorath. Their flexible genome, intelligence, strength and temprement lend them well to breeding into Ouns -- a sub-species (Ey'tis specifically being the wild form as wolves are to dogs). In spite of this, Ey'tis themselves remain especially popular -- being some of the first animals early L'manel would aspect with to deepen their bond with the animals in ways which today would often be considered social taboo such as taking the animal for a mate and then integrating to a pack and then either rising to the top and returning to society with them or as early on was all too often the case, submitting to the pack and eventually becoming all but indistinguishable as the aspectation entered dangerous levels.