HORRiD - Thorny Dragon
“Hot wind whips her face as she stands motionless in a shallow puddle. Pulling the water up her legs, she keeps an eye on her surroundings, ever watchful as she slowly hydrates in the morning light. Deep in the central deserts lives one of the most unusual CARN species; tiny, moving awkwardly and shakily, HORRiD does not appear like a fearsome carnivore. Yet, to SUCHi she is deadly and will consume thousands of individuals in one sitting! Her secret power is CAPILLARATION where she sucks water up small channels in her body to drink without bending down, or even opening her mouth! She must keep a look out whilst drinking, as she is vulnerable to GANTEUS as a lack of SPEED means she cannot get away from the speedy predator.”
ANiMOZ #104
Code: HORRiD
Common name: Thorny Dragon/Thorny Devil
Taxonomy: Moloch horridus
Level: CARN | Form: DEFEND
Status: INFREQUENT | BiOME: DESERT
Overcomes: Drought
SUPERPOWERS:
CAPILLARATION:
HORRiD can stand still in a puddle of water and, using his rippled skin, draw the water up his legs, along his body and into his mouth - all without moving! This uses something known to science as ‘the capillary principle’, and allows HORRiD to hydrate in his Desert home without bending his head down and risking predation from GANTEUS!
SUCHi:
One of HORRiD’s main sources of food is SUCHi. If these two meet in a clash, HORRiD automatically wins!
WEAKNESSES:
SPEED:
Whilst having fantastic camouflage for her desert home, and thorny spikes to ward off attack from above, HORRiD is relatively slow, with her short, spiny legs not built for speed. Up against a faster opponent, she will find herself in trouble and must rely on her armoured hide!
GANTEUS:
If HORRiD comes up against GANTEUS in a Clash, look out! It’s an automatic loss, as the larger reptile can flip her over to avoid those nasty spikes, and with a burst of speed won’t have trouble catching up to her.
Species Report: HORRiD the Thorny Dragon
HORRiD is the thorny dragon (Moloch horridus)! Species report on the thorny devil A real-life dragon with fantastic superpowers lives in the Australian desert! Horridus – their scientific name – means “bristly”, named for their spikey appearance The thorny dragon only eats ants, and can only feed when the temperature is above 24 degrees! …