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Description
While there are many species out there that get mislabeled as "monsters" and "maneaters," the manticore species is one that somewhat earns that title (though I still would be hesitant to call them full blown monsters). This comes from their carnivorous nature and the way they hunt and consume prey. To flesh-based species, manticores are terrifying beasts that are impossible to kill and are capable of devouring even the mightiest of warriors. In reality, they are not all that mythical, it is just that their anatomy and behavior makes them incredibly efficient creatures. Manticores are related to snails and slugs, though they are considerably larger than most others in that class. Though their anatomy may make one think otherwise, they are invertebrates. This lack of bone and spine is probably why hunters and warriors believe these creatures to be incredibly agile and tough. With no bones to hold them back, they are capable of contorting and bending their body in odd ways, which they often do to avoid attacks. Even if a blade were to hit them and penetrate their armor, their thick flesh would protect major organs from damage. To do real harm, you need a long piercing weapon to get past their scales and shells, and through their flexible flesh to hit something vital. This would be hard enough as it is without all those spines and paralytic venom.

Manticores can be found in environments that have regular rainfall or are damp for most of the year. This allows them to live in habitats that range from temperate to tropical, but also places like marshes, bogs and even caves. The only places you would never find them in are lands that see extreme heat or cold, as it would wreck havoc on their moist bodies. The other thing they require is large prey for sustenance. When encountering a manticore in the wild, you may find it in one of two different states: hunting or sleeping. While many see them as voracious predators, they are actually quite lazy creatures for a good chunk of their lives. When they are active, then they come off as deadly carnivores, as they partake in the hunt. When searching for prey, manticores stalk the landscape in search of food, moving in a slow, but methodical, manner. This speed helps them hide from predators and prey, as well give them time to analyze potential food sources. What the manticore is looking for is a large animal that is unwary of their presence. They do not like small prey, like rabbits or squirrels, as they are not worth the effort. They want something big and juicy, a creature that will fill their stomach in one sitting. When they spot the perfect target, like a deer drinking at a watering hole, they will creep up towards them until they are in striking range. In a flash, the manticore will whip its tail forward and use its famous deadly weapon.

Coating their long tail are dozens of razor-sharp spines that contain a paralyzing venom. While this appendage could physically strike a foe to take them down, the manticores prefer a more long ranged approach. The spines that grow from the tail have very thin bases within the flesh, giving them a rather poor anchor. The muscles that surround them can actually tighten around the spine and snap the base in half, causing it to become loose and fall out. When a manticore whips its tail towards prey, its muscles will break these spines at the right moment to cause them to fly free from the appendage. The result is a spray of spiny shards that will slice or embed themselves in prey. This attack is not very accurate, but with the amount of spines that are launched, it usually results in two or three hitting the target. Even a glancing blow is good, as just a drop of their paralytic venom will slow prey down and weaken them. After the initial attack, the manticore will let the prey flee, waiting for the venom to take effect. Within minutes, the victim will tire themselves out and succumb to its effects. A few glancing cuts from their spines will result in weak limbs and difficulty breathing, while full penetration from a few spines will cause full blown paralysis. After the prey falls, the manticore will stroll over and assess their meal. If the victim is still moving and kicking, it will unravel its facial tendrils and jab them with their venomous barbs. This will inject a lethal dose, which will shut down the lungs and cause asphyxiation. If prey is full paralyzed and still alive, the manticore won't bother with adding more venom. Their mouths will stretch out from their head shells and distend. Made of strong, flexible flesh, their maw is capable of opening to incredible sizes, which they use to engulf fallen prey. Hundreds of tiny sharp "teeth" will bite into the victim to hold them in place while it slowly swallows them. This act takes several minutes, or even longer depending on the size of its prey. It will swallow them whole, transferring them into a stretchy stomach that can hold the huge load of food. Their unarmed underbellies will swell and balloon, giving them a rather fat appearance after a meal. With a full belly, the manticore will seek out safe shelter and go into its resting state. During this time, they will lay in on spot for days ir weeks on end, slowly digesting their food. Predators or attackers who approach them will get a face full of spines, as they lash their tail out at anything that approaches them. If you know someone who is quite ornery when you try to wake them from their slumber or get them out of bed, then you now know why people jokingly compare these folk to manticores.

To avoid becoming prey themselves, manticores have several defenses that make them difficult to take down. The spine-flinging tail is the big one, as it makes even getting near them incredibly difficult. The facial tendrils with the barbs are used when foes come in close, and can strike with lightening speeds. Manticores also boast thick shells on their head, back and forelimbs, which can deflect blades and arrows. Coating their bodies is a layer of thick scales that can repel blows and swipes. Each scale is anchored to a muscle, allowing them to move their armor about at will. With this, they can cause their scales to concentrate on a single area in anticipation of a strike, causing the attack to be even less effective. They can also send ripples through their scaly coat as a method of communication, either with their own species or attackers. When their scales are standing up on end and vibrating, then you know they are agitated and ready to strike. When manticores are seeking mates for the breeding season, their scales will ripple like a grassy field in the wind. The speed of this rippling effect will increase as they approach a possible mate, hoping to see if the potential partner will do the same. If the two accept one another, the movements of their scales will become synchronized. Being hermaphrodites, both manticores will take on eggs after they mate and separate. These eggs are laid by the dozens in hidden, wet places, like rotting logs or small caves.

Manticores are well known for their venomous tail and flying spines, but most of their notoriety comes from the fact that they seem to have accepted humans as suitable prey. Something about man's size and behavior makes them a reliable food source, so manticores will purposefully head towards the outskirts of settlements and cities to nab a bite. Due to their resilient nature and venomous spray, they are difficult creatures to slay and are quite feared by poorly defended settlements. The walled cities of humanity do not have to fear too much, but the poor village that can hardly support a sturdy fence has plenty to be worried about. What makes them even scarier is the fact that they swallow victims whole. The idea of a person completely vanishing without a trace is terrifying, though intriguing to certain criminal elements. If one could arrange for a certain target to somehow "accidentally" run into a manticore, then no one would have to worry about cleanup. Fighting off manticores that bed down near settlements is a harsh task, and many town guards will outright refuse to try. It is much better to find a magic user to hit the beasts with ice or fire, as a sword and shield is laughably ineffective. One neat thing, though, that some poorer communities have discovered is that manticores dislike salt just as much as their smaller brethren. By taking sea salt and adding it into water filled sacs, folks have been able to craft "salt bombs" to launch at invading manticores. The salty water is not lethal, but quite painful to their wet flesh. A few good hits in with these have successfully driven off these beasts, though it still calls for one to get within throwing range. People who live alone in the woods may lay down a circle of salt around their property, which will ward away roaming manticores. It also supposedly is good for keeping away ghosts and other bad spirits, so that is a plus! The question is, though, which came first? Did they try to use salt to scare away poltergeists and realized it kept these snail beasts away as well? Or did someone throw down salt at a manticore and think "you know what else would hate this? GHOSTS!" Stuff to ponder about...

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Just had to take another stab at my manticores again!

Description
While there are many species out there that get mislabeled as "monsters" and "maneaters," the manticore species is one that somewhat earns that title (though I still would be hesitant to call them full blown monsters). This comes from their carnivorous nature and the way they hunt and consume prey. To flesh-based species, manticores are terrifying beasts that are impossible to kill and are capable of devouring even the mightiest of warriors. In reality, they are not all that mythical, it is just that their anatomy and behavior makes them incredibly efficient creatures. Manticores are related to snails and slugs, though they are considerably larger than most others in that class. Though their anatomy may make one think otherwise, they are invertebrates. This lack of bone and spine is probably why hunters and warriors believe these creatures to be incredibly agile and tough. With no bones to hold them back, they are capable of contorting and bending their body in odd ways, which they often do to avoid attacks. Even if a blade were to hit them and penetrate their armor, their thick flesh would protect major organs from damage. To do real harm, you need a long piercing weapon to get past their scales and shells, and through their flexible flesh to hit something vital. This would be hard enough as it is without all those spines and paralytic venom.

Manticores can be found in environments that have regular rainfall or are damp for most of the year. This allows them to live in habitats that range from temperate to tropical, but also places like marshes, bogs and even caves. The only places you would never find them in are lands that see extreme heat or cold, as it would wreck havoc on their moist bodies. The other thing they require is large prey for sustenance. When encountering a manticore in the wild, you may find it in one of two different states: hunting or sleeping. While many see them as voracious predators, they are actually quite lazy creatures for a good chunk of their lives. When they are active, then they come off as deadly carnivores, as they partake in the hunt. When searching for prey, manticores stalk the landscape in search of food, moving in a slow, but methodical, manner. This speed helps them hide from predators and prey, as well give them time to analyze potential food sources. What the manticore is looking for is a large animal that is unwary of their presence. They do not like small prey, like rabbits or squirrels, as they are not worth the effort. They want something big and juicy, a creature that will fill their stomach in one sitting. When they spot the perfect target, like a deer drinking at a watering hole, they will creep up towards them until they are in striking range. In a flash, the manticore will whip its tail forward and use its famous deadly weapon.

Coating their long tail are dozens of razor-sharp spines that contain a paralyzing venom. While this appendage could physically strike a foe to take them down, the manticores prefer a more long ranged approach. The spines that grow from the tail have very thin bases within the flesh, giving them a rather poor anchor. The muscles that surround them can actually tighten around the spine and snap the base in half, causing it to become loose and fall out. When a manticore whips its tail towards prey, its muscles will break these spines at the right moment to cause them to fly free from the appendage. The result is a spray of spiny shards that will slice or embed themselves in prey. This attack is not very accurate, but with the amount of spines that are launched, it usually results in two or three hitting the target. Even a glancing blow is good, as just a drop of their paralytic venom will slow prey down and weaken them. After the initial attack, the manticore will let the prey flee, waiting for the venom to take effect. Within minutes, the victim will tire themselves out and succumb to its effects. A few glancing cuts from their spines will result in weak limbs and difficulty breathing, while full penetration from a few spines will cause full blown paralysis. After the prey falls, the manticore will stroll over and assess their meal. If the victim is still moving and kicking, it will unravel its facial tendrils and jab them with their venomous barbs. This will inject a lethal dose, which will shut down the lungs and cause asphyxiation. If prey is full paralyzed and still alive, the manticore won't bother with adding more venom. Their mouths will stretch out from their head shells and distend. Made of strong, flexible flesh, their maw is capable of opening to incredible sizes, which they use to engulf fallen prey. Hundreds of tiny sharp "teeth" will bite into the victim to hold them in place while it slowly swallows them. This act takes several minutes, or even longer depending on the size of its prey. It will swallow them whole, transferring them into a stretchy stomach that can hold the huge load of food. Their unarmed underbellies will swell and balloon, giving them a rather fat appearance after a meal. With a full belly, the manticore will seek out safe shelter and go into its resting state. During this time, they will lay in on spot for days ir weeks on end, slowly digesting their food. Predators or attackers who approach them will get a face full of spines, as they lash their tail out at anything that approaches them. If you know someone who is quite ornery when you try to wake them from their slumber or get them out of bed, then you now know why people jokingly compare these folk to manticores.

To avoid becoming prey themselves, manticores have several defenses that make them difficult to take down. The spine-flinging tail is the big one, as it makes even getting near them incredibly difficult. The facial tendrils with the barbs are used when foes come in close, and can strike with lightening speeds. Manticores also boast thick shells on their head, back and forelimbs, which can deflect blades and arrows. Coating their bodies is a layer of thick scales that can repel blows and swipes. Each scale is anchored to a muscle, allowing them to move their armor about at will. With this, they can cause their scales to concentrate on a single area in anticipation of a strike, causing the attack to be even less effective. They can also send ripples through their scaly coat as a method of communication, either with their own species or attackers. When their scales are standing up on end and vibrating, then you know they are agitated and ready to strike. When manticores are seeking mates for the breeding season, their scales will ripple like a grassy field in the wind. The speed of this rippling effect will increase as they approach a possible mate, hoping to see if the potential partner will do the same. If the two accept one another, the movements of their scales will become synchronized. Being hermaphrodites, both manticores will take on eggs after they mate and separate. These eggs are laid by the dozens in hidden, wet places, like rotting logs or small caves.

Manticores are well known for their venomous tail and flying spines, but most of their notoriety comes from the fact that they seem to have accepted humans as suitable prey. Something about man's size and behavior makes them a reliable food source, so manticores will purposefully head towards the outskirts of settlements and cities to nab a bite. Due to their resilient nature and venomous spray, they are difficult creatures to slay and are quite feared by poorly defended settlements. The walled cities of humanity do not have to fear too much, but the poor village that can hardly support a sturdy fence has plenty to be worried about. What makes them even scarier is the fact that they swallow victims whole. The idea of a person completely vanishing without a trace is terrifying, though intriguing to certain criminal elements. If one could arrange for a certain target to somehow "accidentally" run into a manticore, then no one would have to worry about cleanup. Fighting off manticores that bed down near settlements is a harsh task, and many town guards will outright refuse to try. It is much better to find a magic user to hit the beasts with ice or fire, as a sword and shield is laughably ineffective. One neat thing, though, that some poorer communities have discovered is that manticores dislike salt just as much as their smaller brethren. By taking sea salt and adding it into water filled sacs, folks have been able to craft "salt bombs" to launch at invading manticores. The salty water is not lethal, but quite painful to their wet flesh. A few good hits in with these have successfully driven off these beasts, though it still calls for one to get within throwing range. People who live alone in the woods may lay down a circle of salt around their property, which will ward away roaming manticores. It also supposedly is good for keeping away ghosts and other bad spirits, so that is a plus! The question is, though, which came first? Did they try to use salt to scare away poltergeists and realized it kept these snail beasts away as well? Or did someone throw down salt at a manticore and think "you know what else would hate this? GHOSTS!" Stuff to ponder about...

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Just had to take another stab at my manticores again!