Post by Kenaz on Feb 13, 2010 19:43:44 GMT -7
The elegant lovechild of an eagle and a lion, gryphons are among the most noble and proud Dreamers. The average male is seven feet and three inches tall, with a fourteen foot wingspan and a weight of one hundred and thirty pounds. The females are only slightly smaller, at heights of seven foot even. They are intelligent, reasoning creatures with large numbers in mountainous regions.
Body Structure:
Head - The same shape as the average raptor's. They're longer than they are tall, with hooked beaks. Face feathers sometimes spill out into the beak (especially in owl-crosses), but not always. The eyes rest right behind and slightly below the nostrils, and behind them lie the ears. Ears always point back - that makes them more aerodynamic. They're shaped something like a donkey's or rabbit's ears. It's very unusual to see a gryphon without at least one piercing in their ear, though there are some who don't share that legendary love of treasures. Behind the ears at the base of the skull is a crest of feathers. It's slightly larger in males than in females, and is primarily used to signal moods. The crest will rise when a gryphon is angry, surprised, embarrassed, or very excited. It's an involuntary reaction - gryphons cannot raise and lower their crests at will.
Neck and Chest - The most anatomically complicated area of a gryphon. They need to have a deeper chest in order to house their keel bone, the bone flight muscles must attach to. So a gryphon has a wider profile than a typical feline, and a chest that protrudes slightly in front of the scapula. This forces the neck to be held in a lofty position, and makes room for a crop and a pair of air sacs. The air sacs help to reduce the gryphon's apparent weight and warm the cold air in the higher altitudes. The lungs and heart occupy a majority of the rib cage, with the liver, gizzard, and other accessory organs tucked just under them. The kidneys sit just outside the rib cage along the dorsal surface.
Wings - A gryphon's not a gryphon if it can't fly, right? The anchor joint for the wing sits behind the tip of the scapula. The rest follows the standard bird anatomy. Gryphon wing shapes come in two categories: broadwing and gryfalcon. Broadwings have broad wings. They can sustain long periods of efficient flight, or produce quick bursts of power. Gryfalcons have narrower wings with more pointed tips that allow for more agility and maneuverability in the air, and greater speed.
Forelimbs - Two notable features. First, the stiff feathers protruding off the elbow. They slim the couture of the chest a little and help reduce drag. Second, the foredigits. A gryphon's foot looks like a mix between a paw and a hand. The weight is held by the fingers (all three joints touch the ground) and the last section of the thumb. Each digit can be moved individually, but grasping ability is limited to larger objects; I.E. a gryphon cannot hold pencil or pick up a pebble with it's toes.
Hindquarters - Another row of stiff feathers covers the rump. These create an air foil over the tail and increase the amount of lift generated. They mesh together when a gryphon sits on its haunches. The hind limbs end in typical feline paws. Unlike birds, gryphons do not share a common urogenital opening. There is an opening for solid wastes and an opening for reproductive organs. Gryphons don't have bladders, so the nitrogenous waste removed from their blood by the kidneys is excreted as uric acid into the intestines to mix with other wastes. Females have enlarged fallopian tubes that join with the uterus for housing litters. Males have typical mammalian genitalia. Tails are generally leonine in shape, ending with a fan of feathers. There is longitudinal muscle down the entire length, allowing the tail to be turned left and right to steer in flight. A male's tail cannot move up or down due to a stiff cartilage rod that gives the tail support. The female's, however, is held in place by ligaments, allowing it to be moved out of the way for copulation.
Coloration:
The plumage of gryphons is widely varied, usually depending on the area in which they live. Those in mountainous areas have dull gray or brown colors, with darker eye and beak colors. They also tend to be broadwings. Gryphons that live near bodies of water tend to have very dramatic color changes in their plumage. Often they have near white underbellies and dark backs. These gryphons have lost the fan of feathers on their tails, since they spend most of their time swimming. Desert-dwellers are lighter in color and shades of red, orange, yellow and rich browns. They tend to be gryfalcons and have yellow beaks. Forest gryphons are dark in color and usually stripped to reflect the beams of light that pass through the trees. Forest gryphons are the smallest species.
Diet and Feeding - Gryphons are obligate carnivores, meaning their diet consists almost solely of meat. They lack any ability to process plant material, and some consume it simply as an emetic. The typical diet of a gryphon is large game, which the pride females hunt down together. Most attacks are aerial, where the gryphon drops onto herd animal and severs the spine with its beak. By moral code, the eldest hunters get to eat first, then the carcass is flown home for the pregnant and gryphlets. The lowest in the pecking order are the fledgelings and young adults, who usually get scraps or un-nutritious tissue. Gryphons that live as loners can hunt smaller game well enough. With the exception of those that live near water, most gryphons avoid eating fish.
Communication - The adaptation of a hooked beak and tongue make speech easy for gryphons. They enjoy linguistics, and many are multilingual. Gryphons do have their own language, which would sound to humans like the love child of German and Spanish. Gryphons are a very musical species and often whistle or sing to themselves. The songs serve no purpose other than entertainment, or a chance to woo a mate. There are also a couple means of non-verbal communication. A gryphon's crest and tail are key places to watch when determining moods. A tail lashing from side to side represents agitation, while slow, smooth movement may be amusement or content. The crest raises during emotional stress. A gryphon's face is not as malleable as a humans, but they are capable of expressing basic emotions such as anger, happiness, grief, surprise, and fear.
Social Structure - Gryphons live in groups called prides of about ten to twelve individuals. At the head of the pride is a dominant male and his mate, known as the king and queen, respectively. A pride's social pecking order is determined by age, with older individuals receiving more respect than the younger. Prides are mixed genders and the members are usually not closely related. Gryphons are very opposed to harems. The government in a pride is something of a democratic monarchy. The king and queen are expected to produce heirs to inherit the alpha position, but if a leader turns out to be less than satisfactory, the members of the pride can overturn them. The society is patriarchal - the male offspring will succeed the title of king and seek out a queen. Lineage is also through mothers, however, and mated pairs refer to themselves by the female's last name.
Gryphons live by a very strict moral code that is upheld by all members of the species. Violent confrontations with neighboring prides is unheard of. They're very proud creatures, and often get into very harsh verbal arguments. Because of this pride, though, their moral code is only upheld with other gryphons - they won't hesitate to use talons against another species that insults them. Always use caution when approaching a gryphon and speak in the politest of terms.
Resting and Roosting - Because gryphons need lots of room to take off and land, they do not roost in trees. Instead, many find caves other sheltered spots to sleep in. Gryphons are diurnal (active during the day) and will return to the same spot to sleep every night. Often, the whole pride sleeps in one place, huddled together for warmth. Gryphons only sleep next to those they have absolute trust in. It is a sign of a close friendship when a gryphon curls up next to you to sleep.
Breeding
Mate Selection - Finding and courting a mate are very elaborate rituals in gryphon society. As a species, they're monogamous and most do not take another mate if their first dies. All pairs in a gryphon pride are allowed to breed, not just the king and queen. Males to a majority of the courting, usually in early spring months when the females go into estrus. Gryphon courting is similar to human courting - spending time together, exchanges of gifts, preening, etc. There's a little bit of biology that also goes in to mate selection. Females enjoy the scents of males with a very different genome from their own. As such, it's common for females to look outside their birth pride for mates. There is no formal marriage ceremony between two gryphons who wish to become mates. The pride begins to refer to them as a couple when it is implied they are together.
Mating - Gryphons tend to copulate in the months of late winter and early spring, to ensure the young are born during the summer. Females must gorge themselves for a couple days in order to induce ovulation. Mating flights are a spectacular event, in which the pair swoop and chase and cartwheel around each other. To culminate, the pair flies high, join together, and fall back to the earth. Some recreational, land-based sex occurs, but the only way for a female to become pregnant is if gravity is involved. They reproduce with relative ease, thanks to a healthy gene pool.
Nesting - The gestation period for gryphons is approximately four months. During the latter part of the pregnancy, a female weighs too much to fly, and must rely on the charity of her mate and the other members of the pride. Gryphlets are born viviparously in litters ranging from one to four. Newborn gryphons are to be treated with extreme care, as they are born with soft beaks and talons. Rough handling can cause deformities before they harden. The softer beak is needed to help the mother pass the gryphlet through the birth canal, and allow for nursing (albiet inefficient) for the first few days of life.
Gryphlet - The first twenty years of life are spent in this stage. After the first week, a gryphlet's beak and talons have been replaced with bone, and their diet can be supplemented with solids. The eyes open around this time as well. Gryphlets learn to respond to visual stimuli with chirps, because they remain immobile until the first month. At first, gryphlets crawl and waddle on their bellies, but most are able to walk on four paws by the end of their second month. Speech comes after about five months, with gryphlets able to make simple demands. During these twenty years, a young gryphon remains covered in their downy chick feathers. While very active and playful, gryphlets are to be considered defenseless and need the protection of the pride.
Fledgling - After twenty years until a gryphon is fifty, they are considered fledglings. At this point, the 'teenage' gryphons begin to molt and grow their flight feathers and adult plumage. Learning to fly is the most dangerous time of a gryphon's life, and accounts for the highest number of deaths.
Adult - Once a gryphon has learned to fly and has produced all of its adult plumage, it is to be considered fully grown. Many prides have coming of age rituals for this time in a gryphon's life. At this state, individuals will join the pride in hunts and start to search for a mate. Gryphons exist in this stage for about a hundred and fifty years.
Elder - Gryphons age with grace, and it is sometimes hard to differentiate an adult from and elder. Elders feathers begin to dull and physical activity becomes harder. They still hold an important place in society and should be treated with respect. And elder gryphon will continue to live anywhere from fifty to seventy years longer. When an individual dies, the pride members mourn with the corpse for a night, and then it is buried near a food source. Gryphons believe they must be returned to the earth so that grass may grow from their bones and feed the prey of the next generation.
Physiology
Body Structure:
Head - The same shape as the average raptor's. They're longer than they are tall, with hooked beaks. Face feathers sometimes spill out into the beak (especially in owl-crosses), but not always. The eyes rest right behind and slightly below the nostrils, and behind them lie the ears. Ears always point back - that makes them more aerodynamic. They're shaped something like a donkey's or rabbit's ears. It's very unusual to see a gryphon without at least one piercing in their ear, though there are some who don't share that legendary love of treasures. Behind the ears at the base of the skull is a crest of feathers. It's slightly larger in males than in females, and is primarily used to signal moods. The crest will rise when a gryphon is angry, surprised, embarrassed, or very excited. It's an involuntary reaction - gryphons cannot raise and lower their crests at will.
Neck and Chest - The most anatomically complicated area of a gryphon. They need to have a deeper chest in order to house their keel bone, the bone flight muscles must attach to. So a gryphon has a wider profile than a typical feline, and a chest that protrudes slightly in front of the scapula. This forces the neck to be held in a lofty position, and makes room for a crop and a pair of air sacs. The air sacs help to reduce the gryphon's apparent weight and warm the cold air in the higher altitudes. The lungs and heart occupy a majority of the rib cage, with the liver, gizzard, and other accessory organs tucked just under them. The kidneys sit just outside the rib cage along the dorsal surface.
Wings - A gryphon's not a gryphon if it can't fly, right? The anchor joint for the wing sits behind the tip of the scapula. The rest follows the standard bird anatomy. Gryphon wing shapes come in two categories: broadwing and gryfalcon. Broadwings have broad wings. They can sustain long periods of efficient flight, or produce quick bursts of power. Gryfalcons have narrower wings with more pointed tips that allow for more agility and maneuverability in the air, and greater speed.
Forelimbs - Two notable features. First, the stiff feathers protruding off the elbow. They slim the couture of the chest a little and help reduce drag. Second, the foredigits. A gryphon's foot looks like a mix between a paw and a hand. The weight is held by the fingers (all three joints touch the ground) and the last section of the thumb. Each digit can be moved individually, but grasping ability is limited to larger objects; I.E. a gryphon cannot hold pencil or pick up a pebble with it's toes.
Hindquarters - Another row of stiff feathers covers the rump. These create an air foil over the tail and increase the amount of lift generated. They mesh together when a gryphon sits on its haunches. The hind limbs end in typical feline paws. Unlike birds, gryphons do not share a common urogenital opening. There is an opening for solid wastes and an opening for reproductive organs. Gryphons don't have bladders, so the nitrogenous waste removed from their blood by the kidneys is excreted as uric acid into the intestines to mix with other wastes. Females have enlarged fallopian tubes that join with the uterus for housing litters. Males have typical mammalian genitalia. Tails are generally leonine in shape, ending with a fan of feathers. There is longitudinal muscle down the entire length, allowing the tail to be turned left and right to steer in flight. A male's tail cannot move up or down due to a stiff cartilage rod that gives the tail support. The female's, however, is held in place by ligaments, allowing it to be moved out of the way for copulation.
Coloration:
The plumage of gryphons is widely varied, usually depending on the area in which they live. Those in mountainous areas have dull gray or brown colors, with darker eye and beak colors. They also tend to be broadwings. Gryphons that live near bodies of water tend to have very dramatic color changes in their plumage. Often they have near white underbellies and dark backs. These gryphons have lost the fan of feathers on their tails, since they spend most of their time swimming. Desert-dwellers are lighter in color and shades of red, orange, yellow and rich browns. They tend to be gryfalcons and have yellow beaks. Forest gryphons are dark in color and usually stripped to reflect the beams of light that pass through the trees. Forest gryphons are the smallest species.
Behavior
Diet and Feeding - Gryphons are obligate carnivores, meaning their diet consists almost solely of meat. They lack any ability to process plant material, and some consume it simply as an emetic. The typical diet of a gryphon is large game, which the pride females hunt down together. Most attacks are aerial, where the gryphon drops onto herd animal and severs the spine with its beak. By moral code, the eldest hunters get to eat first, then the carcass is flown home for the pregnant and gryphlets. The lowest in the pecking order are the fledgelings and young adults, who usually get scraps or un-nutritious tissue. Gryphons that live as loners can hunt smaller game well enough. With the exception of those that live near water, most gryphons avoid eating fish.
Communication - The adaptation of a hooked beak and tongue make speech easy for gryphons. They enjoy linguistics, and many are multilingual. Gryphons do have their own language, which would sound to humans like the love child of German and Spanish. Gryphons are a very musical species and often whistle or sing to themselves. The songs serve no purpose other than entertainment, or a chance to woo a mate. There are also a couple means of non-verbal communication. A gryphon's crest and tail are key places to watch when determining moods. A tail lashing from side to side represents agitation, while slow, smooth movement may be amusement or content. The crest raises during emotional stress. A gryphon's face is not as malleable as a humans, but they are capable of expressing basic emotions such as anger, happiness, grief, surprise, and fear.
Social Structure - Gryphons live in groups called prides of about ten to twelve individuals. At the head of the pride is a dominant male and his mate, known as the king and queen, respectively. A pride's social pecking order is determined by age, with older individuals receiving more respect than the younger. Prides are mixed genders and the members are usually not closely related. Gryphons are very opposed to harems. The government in a pride is something of a democratic monarchy. The king and queen are expected to produce heirs to inherit the alpha position, but if a leader turns out to be less than satisfactory, the members of the pride can overturn them. The society is patriarchal - the male offspring will succeed the title of king and seek out a queen. Lineage is also through mothers, however, and mated pairs refer to themselves by the female's last name.
Gryphons live by a very strict moral code that is upheld by all members of the species. Violent confrontations with neighboring prides is unheard of. They're very proud creatures, and often get into very harsh verbal arguments. Because of this pride, though, their moral code is only upheld with other gryphons - they won't hesitate to use talons against another species that insults them. Always use caution when approaching a gryphon and speak in the politest of terms.
Resting and Roosting - Because gryphons need lots of room to take off and land, they do not roost in trees. Instead, many find caves other sheltered spots to sleep in. Gryphons are diurnal (active during the day) and will return to the same spot to sleep every night. Often, the whole pride sleeps in one place, huddled together for warmth. Gryphons only sleep next to those they have absolute trust in. It is a sign of a close friendship when a gryphon curls up next to you to sleep.
Breeding
Mate Selection - Finding and courting a mate are very elaborate rituals in gryphon society. As a species, they're monogamous and most do not take another mate if their first dies. All pairs in a gryphon pride are allowed to breed, not just the king and queen. Males to a majority of the courting, usually in early spring months when the females go into estrus. Gryphon courting is similar to human courting - spending time together, exchanges of gifts, preening, etc. There's a little bit of biology that also goes in to mate selection. Females enjoy the scents of males with a very different genome from their own. As such, it's common for females to look outside their birth pride for mates. There is no formal marriage ceremony between two gryphons who wish to become mates. The pride begins to refer to them as a couple when it is implied they are together.
Mating - Gryphons tend to copulate in the months of late winter and early spring, to ensure the young are born during the summer. Females must gorge themselves for a couple days in order to induce ovulation. Mating flights are a spectacular event, in which the pair swoop and chase and cartwheel around each other. To culminate, the pair flies high, join together, and fall back to the earth. Some recreational, land-based sex occurs, but the only way for a female to become pregnant is if gravity is involved. They reproduce with relative ease, thanks to a healthy gene pool.
Nesting - The gestation period for gryphons is approximately four months. During the latter part of the pregnancy, a female weighs too much to fly, and must rely on the charity of her mate and the other members of the pride. Gryphlets are born viviparously in litters ranging from one to four. Newborn gryphons are to be treated with extreme care, as they are born with soft beaks and talons. Rough handling can cause deformities before they harden. The softer beak is needed to help the mother pass the gryphlet through the birth canal, and allow for nursing (albiet inefficient) for the first few days of life.
Life Cycle
[/u][/center]Gryphlet - The first twenty years of life are spent in this stage. After the first week, a gryphlet's beak and talons have been replaced with bone, and their diet can be supplemented with solids. The eyes open around this time as well. Gryphlets learn to respond to visual stimuli with chirps, because they remain immobile until the first month. At first, gryphlets crawl and waddle on their bellies, but most are able to walk on four paws by the end of their second month. Speech comes after about five months, with gryphlets able to make simple demands. During these twenty years, a young gryphon remains covered in their downy chick feathers. While very active and playful, gryphlets are to be considered defenseless and need the protection of the pride.
Fledgling - After twenty years until a gryphon is fifty, they are considered fledglings. At this point, the 'teenage' gryphons begin to molt and grow their flight feathers and adult plumage. Learning to fly is the most dangerous time of a gryphon's life, and accounts for the highest number of deaths.
Adult - Once a gryphon has learned to fly and has produced all of its adult plumage, it is to be considered fully grown. Many prides have coming of age rituals for this time in a gryphon's life. At this state, individuals will join the pride in hunts and start to search for a mate. Gryphons exist in this stage for about a hundred and fifty years.
Elder - Gryphons age with grace, and it is sometimes hard to differentiate an adult from and elder. Elders feathers begin to dull and physical activity becomes harder. They still hold an important place in society and should be treated with respect. And elder gryphon will continue to live anywhere from fifty to seventy years longer. When an individual dies, the pride members mourn with the corpse for a night, and then it is buried near a food source. Gryphons believe they must be returned to the earth so that grass may grow from their bones and feed the prey of the next generation.