Isla Muerta[]
Illustration by Tomozaurus of JPLegacy
Length: 4 feet
Height: 1.6 feet
Weight: 45 pounds
Coloration:
- Adult and juvenile (both sexes): Orange/ caramel brown in colour, with black, tiger-like stripes on the flanks and a lighter underbelly.
Diet: Meat - Lycaenops is an active hunter. Prey is usually smaller than itself, although larger prey such as Scutosaurus and Moschops can be brought down using group force. Lycaenops will also use its clawed hands to forage for eggs of other reptiles. Some individuals may venture out onto the beach to dig out the eggs of Nothosaurus and turtles, or to scavenge the beached remains of whales and other ocean-going animals.
Preferred Habitat: Able to navigate through rocky terrain of the mountainous regions as well as lowland floodplains. Generally prefers woodlands and open grasslands.
Social Structure: Solitary or in small packs led by an alpha male and female.
A mammal-like reptile, Lycaenops is the jackal or coyote of Isla Muerta. It has a sleek, wolf-like body; long, upright legs positioned directly under the body, and powerful jaws filled with many sharp teeth. Lycaenops also has a pair of sabre teeth up to 5 inches long, used to kill prey quickly. Its skin is smooth, and covered with bristly hairs.
Lycaenops is a highly efficient predator. It has good eyesight and sense of smell, and it is also intelligent enough to hunt together as a pack, allowing it to bring down animals much larger than itself. Lycaenops’ longish legs and light build allows it to chase after prey for long distances without tiring. It hunts in a similar manner to a wild dog; chasing after its victim until the victim succumbs to exhaustion.
Within a pack, it is generally only the dominant male and female which breed. The dominant female lays her eggs in burrows within well-hidden locations and remains curled up beside them to keep them warm. When the young hatch she feeds them milk from mammary glands on her underside. She will not leave the den until the young are fully weaned. After this they remain by the den and are brought regurgitated meat by the other members of the pack. When they reach adulthood they sometimes stay with their natal pack but more often than not they leave in order to establish their own territories elsewhere.
Small in size, lone Lycaenops preys only on small animals and act similarly to jackals. Some large carnivores such as Inostrancevia and Dire Wolves will tolerate a lone Lycaenops' presence even at den sites; though they are still wary of them around their cubs.
Lycaenops calls sound like a mixture between dog-like barks and reptilian hisses.