Snow Dragon

Snow Dragons, Minor Drakes or Snow Varans are medium-sized lizard-like creatures that are native to OGL-25.

Behaviour

Snow Dragons are predators and hunt in packs. Because of their reptilian origins, Snow Dragons prefer to conserve the energy by patiently waiting for their prey to appear. When a viable victim is in sight though, the Snow Dragons perform a coordinated attach by chasing their prey with insane speed. Still, such bursts of energy are pretty short lived and if the pack of Snow Dragons fail to catch the prey in first twenty seconds of attack, they get exhausted and slowly retreat back to their hunting positions.

Snow Dragons hunt in packs, they are active even during the nighttime.

Snow Dragons thrive on the small prey like rodents and meaty insect larvae, that can be found under the snow. Even the smallest food source though gets torn apart and shared among the whole pack, so nobody stays entirely hungry. Snow dragons do also hunt prey that is much larger then themselves – in those cases their strategy goes out on overwhelming the target during the initial rush, and bleeding it out through multiple scratches and bites. In these cases, a cadaver can provide the pack of Snow Dragons with a reliable food source for weeks, as it remains preserved by the cold climate of OGL-25.

Biology

Snow Dragons are semi-warm blooded reptilians with a peculiar trait that allows them to conserve energy by matching their body temperature to the environment. When Snow Dragons choose to flee from the danger, or chase the prey, their bodies become instantly heated with all energy that gets released in an instant.

Snow Dragons hibernate while latching on the trees – this way they insulate their bellies from the cold and save energy while waiting for a prey to appear.

Snow Dragons tend to eat when they can and prefer to be static and spare the energy instead of roaming the forests. If no prey is in sight, the Snow Dragons can stay static and remain in a sleep-like state for weeks before a new opportunity for feeding arrives.

The only truly active period for Snow Dragons is the short summer month on OGL-25. During that period, Snow Dragons become extremely mobile and aggressive as eating themselves fat is crucial for a successful mating season that takes place by the end of that summer.

Sources

Imperial Informatorium

Incident Report #00021 by pilot Elza Gadar