Scanderan sea wyrm: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 23:08, 11 September 2013
| Scanderan sea wyrm | |
|---|---|
| File:Drgkinsw.gif | |
| a drawing of a sea wyrm | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia
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| Phylum: | Chordata
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| Class: | Reptilia
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| Order: | Squamata
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| Family: | viperids
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| Genus: | Vipermara
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| Species: | V.Wyrmaro
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| Binomial name | |
| Vipermara Wyrmaro Hylfred Görenssen, 1798
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| File:Seawyrmhabitat.png | |
| Habitat | |
The Scanderan sea wyrm is a large marintime reptile that inhabits most waters around Scandera and one can find them both in innanhafet and utanhafet where they have over eons been a great danger to longships and sometimes even the gallies that were used in innanhafet if the larger ships ventured out on the open sea.
Etymology
Sea wyrm comes is a translation of the Imerian word "hafs wyrm" which in turns comes from the very old urmål word "Harrs vyrm".
History
Historically so have sea wyrms just as the large eight armed krakens that lives far out in utanhafet been a danger to sea going vessels and countless ships used and still bears a wyrm as it's figurehead while it is also popular as a heraldric symbol and it is amongst other used by Jarnarna. To combat these threats so did Imerians evolve several weapons that were not used somewhere else like large sharp rams on cogs, large pikes worn by a group of four men to fend them off and finally so were it common to capture dragonlings and empty them of poision that were used to coat harpoons, darts and crossbow bolts to fend of the large seaborn predators.
Another common tactic was to sail in groups and have a wyvern on one of the ship that would use it's fearful stinger to kill the reptile. More exotic but still commonly used weapons were snares shot from balistas that were then dumped with ballast to pull the serpent down under the waves and drown it. However with the comming of the age of gunpowder did the threat from these large creatures diminish a bit as the light deck cannons used in boardings could cause them quite a lot of problem if one of their cannonballs hit the creatures.
The best known example of this was when the royal ship of the line FaKS Enharningen engaged one of the largest sea wyrms recorded that according to descriptions were a massive 50 meter long beast that had swam far too close to shore. Enharningen commanded by high king Gustav rex Stjärnkhrone IV solved the problem by firing a whole broadside at the oncoming beast just as it was about to strike.
Even today so can one on clear night's see the large beast's bones in southern Erathia around 50 miles from sundet.
This is however not the only tale where the large reptile has been involved in as there are tales of a truly massive animal living in innanhafet that can pull down even modern ships with ease that most scientists claims is a large sea wyrm and tales (Erathian and Karmanjakan ones) says that it is the riverprince Hylfrid of old that still haunts innanhafet. Other versions of the tale however says that, that cannot be the case as Hylfrid in other sources (mostly Imerian and Vedian ones) he was transformed into a dragon.
Taxonomy
The sea wyrm was classified as a Vipermara or sea viper by Hylfred. However so did Hylfred in his book "di simmande raserna" say that there were tree species of wyrms in Scandera based on their length, the Vipermara Wyrmaro Marainterior, Vipermara Wyrmaro Maraexterior and Vipermara Wyrmaro Sundius depending on where they lived. In the modern era however so are they all classified as the same species as their growth is limited to the space or lack thereof they can swim in. This leaves the wyrms from Sundet and Asterarna rather small and often only five meters long while those born in innanhafet can grow to twice that length. However so are those born outside of those restrains massive and a wyrm from utanhafet does not have a limitation to it's growth.
Anatomy and health
Contrary to most ocean living serpents so have the wyrm evolved large functioning fins (or were given them by Arv the god of the sea according to the holy chronicles). It uses these fins to reach high speeds and is able to swim down large whales and even krakens that it eats with the sharp teeth that one can find in it's mouth. Just like sharks so does the wyrm have a highly evolved sense of smell and it can smell blood at massive distances and it is also able to notice moment in water when a prey is swimming close by.
Reproduction
Not much is known about sea wyrms reproduction patters, however thanks to the few animals born in captivity so does people know that they give birth to live children all around the year and then leave them to fend for themselves or even outright eats them.
Diet
The diet of a Seawyrm varies from region to region as the smaller wyrms of sundet only lives on seal birds, seals, fish, dolphins and the giant Scanderan lobsters while those born in innanhafet also eats smaller whales. The truly massive ones born in utanhafet however are known to hunt basking sharks, the larger whales and even humans on ships as well as taking both wyverns and dragons that flies too far out over the ocean.
Behaviour
Beside the highly aggressive lifestyle of the Wyrm so is not much known about it's normal behaviour. What is however known is it's hunting tactic and it hunts in a manner roughly similar to a shark where it swims down under it's prey and takes a hold of it. What it however does that is not similar to a shark is that it often surface with it's prey and proceeds to either try to suffocate it by keeping it in the air or tries to beat it to death on the flat water by going as high up into the air as it can before it smashes it's prey as hard as it can against the ocean surface.
Life expectancy
It is theorised that a wyrm can grow up to become a century old but this is not yet proven and people are still arguing about it.
