False-Headed Hydras come in six different colors and patterns depending on their habitat of origin. Bred False-Headed Hydras may inherit their color from their False-Headed Hydra parent, but will occasionally take on the color corresponding to the habitat of the other parent. Breeding two market-bought or bred False-Headed Hydras together can yield eggs of any color.
Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It has two bulbous tails.
Mature hatchling[]
Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It has two bulbous tails.
And look! Its tails have grown...teeth?
Adult[]
False-Headed Hydra Dragons actually only have two heads. Despite their appearance, their tails are pure muscle and lack any internal organs. In combat, their false heads are used to bait their enemies into attacking their tails instead of their more vulnerable heads, creating openings to strike back. These dragons have been known to frighten and intimidate other species by holding their tails close to their necks, making it look like they are a larger, more threatening four headed beast. They also use their tails to help them hunt their prey, confusing their targets in various ways. Their scale coloration and hunting habits vary depending on their environment. False-Headed Hydras can regrow their tails if they are cut off or badly damaged.
Coloration and patterning shown to vary wildly depending on environment.
Fresh hatched hydras lack the patterning of their adult forms. The patterns develop as they age.
Colors and patterns of the child appear to be dependant on what their parents’ biome is rather than just strictly what their parents’ colors are.
Their teeth are serrated on the inner edge.
Patterns observed include spots, diamonds, side stripes, back banding, speckling, and gradient. The Alpine variant’s pattern is the most subtle, occuring only near its belly scales.
Hydras not born in the wild are more likely to lay off colored eggs, suggesting the environment where the parents grew up directly impacts the eggs they lay.
Though extremely rare, sometimes a hydra that is a hybrid of two variants will be born with the colors of one environment, but the pattern of the other. These variants often struggle with learning how to hunt and do not normally survive in the wild.
Hatchling Behavior
Hunting behavior seems more instinctual than learned, as hatchlings will not hunt in the same way as their parents if their parents are a different variant.
When hatchlings first develop the teeth in their tails, they often get into fights with them.
It is unclear if this behavior is due to them not understanding that their tails are not actual rivals, or if they are simply practicing with moving their newly fanged apendages in a more believable way.
The older the hatchling gets, the more dexterous and independent their tail movements become.
Hatchlings try to burrow into blankets, using their noses like little shovels.
Adult Behavior
Each color variant differs in hunting style, some more drastically than others.
The coastal variant can hold its breath longer than the other types and hunts in the sea as easily as it hunts on land.
The desert variant burrows tunnels underneath the sand, opening up holes below their prey to drag them underground.
The forest variant hunts in the trees, coiling around itself on any branch that can support it and striking out at prey from the center of its coil.
The jungle variant is the sneakiest and has the fastest strike. It will slip in and strike just enough to cause injury, then follow injured prey relentlessly, striking at every sign of weakness until its prey collapses from exhaustion.
The alpine variant will laze about and only strike at whatever comes in biting range when it’s too warm out. Once the snow is thick on the ground, it will actively chase down its meals, swimming through the snow like a fish in water.
The volcanic variant prefers to ambush its prey, digging just beneath the ash and dirt to circle around its target before springing out all of its heads both real and false to strike from all sides.
Habitat
False-Headed Hydras have adapted to life in many environments, though do seem to have preferences even in those environments.
Alpine hydras love the snow and are more likely to be seen where it snows enough that they can bury themselves in it.
Volcanic hydras love the heat and ash, and are often seen near more active volcanos.
Jungle hydras prefer areas with dense canopies where the trees block out the majority of the sunlight and render them nearly invisible in the shadows.
Forest hydras like anywhere that has trees with strong sturdy branches that can hold their weight.
Desert hydras prefer areas where the sand is soft and easy to dig through.
Coastal hydras like living where there are large smooth rocks for basking after a long swim.
False-Headed Hydras are fairly solitary, only getting together to breed before going their separate ways.
Diet
False-Headed Hydras are strictly carnivores. They cannot stomach vegitation.
They have been known to eat eggs and insects, though their preference is fresh meat.
Though all variants will eat fish, the coastal variant shows a particular fondness for it.
Similarly, the forest variant shows a preference for birds.
The other variants do not seem to have any notable preferences, though the volcanic variant is the only variant that will not be deterred by any defensive odors or tastes the prey might secrete.
Trivia[]
The patterns on False-Headed Hydras are based on real-world snakes.[1]
Additional information[]
“
These guys were originally inspired by the shingleback skink with a dash more biting power in their butt. Their patterning are snake inspired, as many of you have guessed already.
Their hunting styles depend on their native biome, and can include burrowing, swimming, or climbing depending on the environment.
The forest variant is the only one known to sit in the distinctive tree boa/tree python pose.
The coastal variant can hold its breath longer than any other variant.
The jungle variant strikes faster than any other variant and will follow injured prey for miles.
The desert and volcano variants both like to dig, but the desert version will pull prey down into the ground while the volcanic version will spring up in surprise and surround its target.
The alpine variant will switch between ambush hunting and pursuit hunting depending on how much snow is on the ground. More snow, more active hydra.
