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Description
Time to answer some questions, such as How big can they get? What does a skipperlion baby look like? How long is one's neck anyway? Well, 2 out of 3 are answered.

While the finer details of Skipperlion sociology and courtship are for another time, for now it's best to start by saying that there aren't exactly traditional 'male' and 'female' variants. Instead, the population is composed of "Seeders" and "Carriers". Seeders are the producers of the gametes that ultimately become a new Skipperlion. During reproduction season, seeders will produce a unique secretion containing their gametes that is smeared in various accessible locations across the environment, marking either unique spots or overtop of a pre-existing smear- and once the latter happens, the next stage of reproduction kicks off.

The mixing of different compatible gametes triggers a chemical reaction in the mixture that tells a Carrier skipperlion to come and 'pick up' the successful gamete pool. Once this makes it to the specialized space in the carrier, the gametes are stimulated into continuing development. It's not uncommon for multiple zygotes to form, but in the end only one embryo will ultimately make it past early stages of growth. It's incredibly rare for twins to form and make it to birth, as the limited resources make it difficult for both to develop healthily and the increased size puts a potentially deadly strain on the carrier's body.

The Carrier incubates the egg in their body for roughly half a year, after which a yolk foms and the egg is laid in a somewhat traumatic fashion. (The egg develops in a cavity between layers of skin on the skipperlion's underbelly. As the egg reaches readiness and the carrier's resources deplete, the outer skin layer begins to dry and thin out until it finally splits, dropping the egg). Carriers typically leave their egg in collective piles with others' eggs before leaving the young entirely independent, and won't carry again for at least 1-2 years (once the 2nd skin layer grows back).

Growth after the laying of the egg happens very rapidly. After more 3 months of continued development in the egg with the yolks, the young will finally hatch. Within the week they'll be fully mobile and already beginning to hunt, though young typically stay together in a herd at this time. Physical growth slows down around 4 weeks but never stops even after reaching full maturity (around 3 months after hatching).

Frankly, if the Skipperlions as a species weren't so danger prone, more of them would probably make it to Elder status. As it is though, it's very unusual for one to make it to such a size as drawn above. Even environmental and injury factors aside, their bodies are simply not meant to carry them at such a size, and it becomes increasingly difficult to hunt their prey the larger they are. Most of the elder specimens that come up are found in rare small groups of skipperlions that form a permanent community year-round, not just in the reproductive/Great Hunt season (which aligns with that planet's winter season), since they can share food resources and hunt larger prey regularly.

Description
Time to answer some questions, such as How big can they get? What does a skipperlion baby look like? How long is one's neck anyway? Well, 2 out of 3 are answered.

While the finer details of Skipperlion sociology and courtship are for another time, for now it's best to start by saying that there aren't exactly traditional 'male' and 'female' variants. Instead, the population is composed of "Seeders" and "Carriers". Seeders are the producers of the gametes that ultimately become a new Skipperlion. During reproduction season, seeders will produce a unique secretion containing their gametes that is smeared in various accessible locations across the environment, marking either unique spots or overtop of a pre-existing smear- and once the latter happens, the next stage of reproduction kicks off.

The mixing of different compatible gametes triggers a chemical reaction in the mixture that tells a Carrier skipperlion to come and 'pick up' the successful gamete pool. Once this makes it to the specialized space in the carrier, the gametes are stimulated into continuing development. It's not uncommon for multiple zygotes to form, but in the end only one embryo will ultimately make it past early stages of growth. It's incredibly rare for twins to form and make it to birth, as the limited resources make it difficult for both to develop healthily and the increased size puts a potentially deadly strain on the carrier's body.

The Carrier incubates the egg in their body for roughly half a year, after which a yolk foms and the egg is laid in a somewhat traumatic fashion. (The egg develops in a cavity between layers of skin on the skipperlion's underbelly. As the egg reaches readiness and the carrier's resources deplete, the outer skin layer begins to dry and thin out until it finally splits, dropping the egg). Carriers typically leave their egg in collective piles with others' eggs before leaving the young entirely independent, and won't carry again for at least 1-2 years (once the 2nd skin layer grows back).

Growth after the laying of the egg happens very rapidly. After more 3 months of continued development in the egg with the yolks, the young will finally hatch. Within the week they'll be fully mobile and already beginning to hunt, though young typically stay together in a herd at this time. Physical growth slows down around 4 weeks but never stops even after reaching full maturity (around 3 months after hatching).

Frankly, if the Skipperlions as a species weren't so danger prone, more of them would probably make it to Elder status. As it is though, it's very unusual for one to make it to such a size as drawn above. Even environmental and injury factors aside, their bodies are simply not meant to carry them at such a size, and it becomes increasingly difficult to hunt their prey the larger they are. Most of the elder specimens that come up are found in rare small groups of skipperlions that form a permanent community year-round, not just in the reproductive/Great Hunt season (which aligns with that planet's winter season), since they can share food resources and hunt larger prey regularly.