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Description
Skulldren
Attribute: Water
Size: 25 ft
Weight: 1500 pounds
Speed: 25 mph (land), 32 mph (water), 20 mph (air)
Shot Limit: 3 to 4 shots (Boiling Blast)
Class: Mystery class, Neodraconid
Danger Level: High - Beware!

Colors: Bluish gray and blue, sometimes dark gray and black
Armed with: Teeth, claws, Boiling Blast, spikes on back and nasal horn
Defences: Rough skin and scales, back spikes
Radar: None - 0
Poison: Spray is slightly poisonous, though more likely to burn on contact - 2
Hunting ability: Eats its seafood whole, sometimes after boiling it - 10
Speed: Not very fast - 4
Fear and Fight Factor: Avoids humans but is dangerous when provoked - 8

The Skulldren, also known as the Scauldron, is a rarely seen aquatic dragon. As in the case of other Water dragons such as the Thunderdrum and the Night Fury, this dragon is reclusive and passive, shying away from humans whenever possible. However, when confronted by danger, it can prove a surprisingly powerful adversary, especially where its appearance and temprament are concerned.

The most easily recognizable feature of the Skulldren is its bulky physique, with a rotund body and head, a long sinuous neck and tail, small legs and wings, and little ornamentation apart from a row of scutes down the back, small horns on the head, and of course the vibrantly colored tail fin. Said bulky physique is taken up mostly by the water bladder in its chest, which allows it to ingest gallons of seawater easily. This is a useful tactic that not only balances out buoyancy, but also enables it to wedge itself in cliff-side crevices or coral reefs by inhaling seawater (or air when on land) to expand and anchor its body amidst the rocks. Since the Skulldren is preyed on by a variety of dragons, most notably the Boneknapper and the Seadragonus, this dragon's first line of defense is extremely effective, and can prove frustrating to an inexperienced hunter. The swim bladder is known from early days of dragon hunting, as the few Vikings who survived a Skulldren hunt discovered that the dragons could be deflated if their water bladders were pierced with something sharp, though with great difficulty since their skins are as resistant to conventional weapons as other dragons and the only proper way to get through is to hit the soft underside.
Throughout the eons, the water bladder mechanism has gradually developed into a different weapon that it isn't afraid to use when push comes to shove. When the dragon stores seawater, it extracts the salts, which it removes through its tear ducts, and replaces them with a special chemical secreted by glands in the bladder wall, forming a pressurized peroxide solution. When threatened, the dragon will spray this solution up through the long neck and out, at the same time leaching hydroxides through another set of glands at the back of the throat. The two chemicals react violently, producing a deadly blast of boiling liquid that can reach 200 degrees Farenheit. This Boiling Blast is what gives it the alternate name of Scauldron; the distinctive shape of its head, with its large jaw to store the hydroxide glands, is what gives it the conventional name of Skulldren.

Although this is predominantly an aquatic dragon, its wings are still large and powerful enough to fly - though not very well. The wings are long and narrow, similar to those of seabirds, enabling the dragon to exploit thermals to keep it airborne. Since this dragon's wings are smaller than others compared to body size, it uses them primarily to slow its descent off nesting cliffs and to parachute onto its prey. For long distances, it prefers to walk, or swim whenever it can.
Notably, it cannot fly when its water bladder is full, which suggests that this dragon has to empty its bladder before flying. A specimen found in 1011, which died in flight following a midair collision during a territorial dispute, showed a remarkable discovery: the bladder was filled, not with water, but with gas. Specifically, it was inflated with hydrogen, a lighter-than-air gas that is also found in the Seadragonus and the Zippleback. This suggests that the Scauldron may have come from a similar ancestry to these two dragons, which in turn came from a large ancestor that used gas-filled bladders to aid in flight. The Skulldren in turn developed this into a water bladder as well, turning it into what can only be described as, to use the words of one eminent Viking, "a dual-functioning balloon with claws and wings, equally powerful in the water and in the air."
As for the tail fin, it makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. Since this dragon evolved to serve an aquatic niche, its wings and tail have developed into fins that, along with its streamlined body and short legs, enable the dragon to swim more easily. They are also brightly colored, even more so in the breeding season, and are used for communication and display as well as movement. Mating displays can be conducted in either air or water, although the latter is more likely since these dragons are not as agile in the air. Male Skulldrens in particular perform spectacular acrobatic performances when breeding, flashing fins and wings to attract females and ward off rivals. The color of a male's wings is a good guide to how strong and fit it is, so that contests between rivals can be settled without expense of energy or injury.

The Skulldren is critically threatened due to habitat loss and human hunting. Thankfully, however, it is only rarely glimpsed, and chances of an individual being killed by Vikings are fairly slim for something so large and powerful.

-The Dragon Manual, Volume III: Mystery Class

Another one that was waiting to be posted. I know the original manual showed a fatter dragon, but I guess this skinnier version is due to an empty water bladder. The boiling water mechanism is derived from bombadier beetles, which are most famous for doing exactly the same thing when confronted by predators.

The Dragon Manual and How to Train Your Dragon are copyright to Dreamworks and Cressida Crowell. But the Skulldren/Scauldron concept art is mine.

-Fawkes

Description
Skulldren
Attribute: Water
Size: 25 ft
Weight: 1500 pounds
Speed: 25 mph (land), 32 mph (water), 20 mph (air)
Shot Limit: 3 to 4 shots (Boiling Blast)
Class: Mystery class, Neodraconid
Danger Level: High - Beware!

Colors: Bluish gray and blue, sometimes dark gray and black
Armed with: Teeth, claws, Boiling Blast, spikes on back and nasal horn
Defences: Rough skin and scales, back spikes
Radar: None - 0
Poison: Spray is slightly poisonous, though more likely to burn on contact - 2
Hunting ability: Eats its seafood whole, sometimes after boiling it - 10
Speed: Not very fast - 4
Fear and Fight Factor: Avoids humans but is dangerous when provoked - 8

The Skulldren, also known as the Scauldron, is a rarely seen aquatic dragon. As in the case of other Water dragons such as the Thunderdrum and the Night Fury, this dragon is reclusive and passive, shying away from humans whenever possible. However, when confronted by danger, it can prove a surprisingly powerful adversary, especially where its appearance and temprament are concerned.

The most easily recognizable feature of the Skulldren is its bulky physique, with a rotund body and head, a long sinuous neck and tail, small legs and wings, and little ornamentation apart from a row of scutes down the back, small horns on the head, and of course the vibrantly colored tail fin. Said bulky physique is taken up mostly by the water bladder in its chest, which allows it to ingest gallons of seawater easily. This is a useful tactic that not only balances out buoyancy, but also enables it to wedge itself in cliff-side crevices or coral reefs by inhaling seawater (or air when on land) to expand and anchor its body amidst the rocks. Since the Skulldren is preyed on by a variety of dragons, most notably the Boneknapper and the Seadragonus, this dragon's first line of defense is extremely effective, and can prove frustrating to an inexperienced hunter. The swim bladder is known from early days of dragon hunting, as the few Vikings who survived a Skulldren hunt discovered that the dragons could be deflated if their water bladders were pierced with something sharp, though with great difficulty since their skins are as resistant to conventional weapons as other dragons and the only proper way to get through is to hit the soft underside.
Throughout the eons, the water bladder mechanism has gradually developed into a different weapon that it isn't afraid to use when push comes to shove. When the dragon stores seawater, it extracts the salts, which it removes through its tear ducts, and replaces them with a special chemical secreted by glands in the bladder wall, forming a pressurized peroxide solution. When threatened, the dragon will spray this solution up through the long neck and out, at the same time leaching hydroxides through another set of glands at the back of the throat. The two chemicals react violently, producing a deadly blast of boiling liquid that can reach 200 degrees Farenheit. This Boiling Blast is what gives it the alternate name of Scauldron; the distinctive shape of its head, with its large jaw to store the hydroxide glands, is what gives it the conventional name of Skulldren.

Although this is predominantly an aquatic dragon, its wings are still large and powerful enough to fly - though not very well. The wings are long and narrow, similar to those of seabirds, enabling the dragon to exploit thermals to keep it airborne. Since this dragon's wings are smaller than others compared to body size, it uses them primarily to slow its descent off nesting cliffs and to parachute onto its prey. For long distances, it prefers to walk, or swim whenever it can.
Notably, it cannot fly when its water bladder is full, which suggests that this dragon has to empty its bladder before flying. A specimen found in 1011, which died in flight following a midair collision during a territorial dispute, showed a remarkable discovery: the bladder was filled, not with water, but with gas. Specifically, it was inflated with hydrogen, a lighter-than-air gas that is also found in the Seadragonus and the Zippleback. This suggests that the Scauldron may have come from a similar ancestry to these two dragons, which in turn came from a large ancestor that used gas-filled bladders to aid in flight. The Skulldren in turn developed this into a water bladder as well, turning it into what can only be described as, to use the words of one eminent Viking, "a dual-functioning balloon with claws and wings, equally powerful in the water and in the air."
As for the tail fin, it makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. Since this dragon evolved to serve an aquatic niche, its wings and tail have developed into fins that, along with its streamlined body and short legs, enable the dragon to swim more easily. They are also brightly colored, even more so in the breeding season, and are used for communication and display as well as movement. Mating displays can be conducted in either air or water, although the latter is more likely since these dragons are not as agile in the air. Male Skulldrens in particular perform spectacular acrobatic performances when breeding, flashing fins and wings to attract females and ward off rivals. The color of a male's wings is a good guide to how strong and fit it is, so that contests between rivals can be settled without expense of energy or injury.

The Skulldren is critically threatened due to habitat loss and human hunting. Thankfully, however, it is only rarely glimpsed, and chances of an individual being killed by Vikings are fairly slim for something so large and powerful.

-The Dragon Manual, Volume III: Mystery Class

Another one that was waiting to be posted. I know the original manual showed a fatter dragon, but I guess this skinnier version is due to an empty water bladder. The boiling water mechanism is derived from bombadier beetles, which are most famous for doing exactly the same thing when confronted by predators.

The Dragon Manual and How to Train Your Dragon are copyright to Dreamworks and Cressida Crowell. But the Skulldren/Scauldron concept art is mine.

-Fawkes