Aurlûnoren Lûn

The Aurlûnoren Lûn (Ophidophysis aurlunorensis), or simply the Lûn, is a species of dragon native to the tropical regions of southwestern Syltör. It is the national animal of the Aurlûnor Velande, of which it is endemic.

Description
The Lûn is a relatively large predatory animal, with males measuring nearly 6 meters in length; females are slightly smaller at around 4.8 meters for mature adults. Its body is very elongate, with a relatively large distance between its front and hind limbs. The midline of the body bears a mane of downy feathers, ending in a spurred tail; most of the rest of the body is covered in scales.

It has two horns made from the dragon's parietal bone; the horns bear two small projections at the rear when the adult reaches maturity. Smaller horns are present around the rear of the skull. The face bears large whiskers, including two large whiskers behind the nostrils present in males.

The hands of the Lûn are splayed outward to the sides and do not face forward. This allows the Lûn to grasp its prey and other objects and bring them in toward the mouth. The hind legs and tail can be used as supports, allowing the dragon to rest bipedally or quadrupedally.

Like most dragons, the Lûn can breathe fire; however, its use is very limited due to being a forest-dweller. Fire is only used as a method of last defense by the dragon.

Taxonomy and Evolution
The Lûn is a member of the clade Apterodraconidae, the "wingless dragons". It is thought that the ancestors of the Lûn could have once been fliers; however other zoologists argue that they maintain a conservative wingless state. Dragons as a whole are thought to belong to the Ceratosauridae, a group of early-branching theropod dinosaurs known for bearing horns.

Fossils of the Lûn are known from recent deposits in Lake Estecónmar, as well as in caves scattered around Tacua and Alma Provinces.

Behavior
The Lûn is a mostly carnivorous animal, being mostly an ambush predator; they are rarely known to eat fruits, however. They hunt by slowly stalking prey, and quickly springing onto it from behind vegetation as they are very flexible. Adult Lûn prefer to eat mammals, particularly wild pigs, though they will frequently eat any animal that comes their way, aquatic or terrestrial.

The mother Lûn raises a clutch of around two dozen eggs in a mound-shaped nest made of mud and leaves. She feeds her young directly, by regurgitating food into the nest for the first month or so of the chicks' lives. The chicks, upon reaching a month of age, will then be large enough to hunt for small animals. Young Lûn prefer to live in trees, hunting lizards, frogs, insects, snakes, birds, and small mammals including monkeys; this keeps them away from adults, who may eat them. By leaving the nest for the trees, the mother Lûn cannot protect her chicks, and as such her maternal instincts wear off.

The Lûn has few natural predators as an adult; they are mainly preyed upon by the Syltör Tiger, though large enough Short-Nosed Alligators are known to prey upon them as well. Young are more commonly preyed upon than adults.

Relationship with Peoples
The Lûn is a sacred animal in the Twin Dragon faith, as it was in the Almadorian Pantheon. It is a revered creature in Aurlûnoran culture, as per its religious connotations. The dragon-deities Sen and Lyn are not said to specifically be Ophidophysis aurlunorensis, but are of a similar body type to the Lûn.

The creature, despite its high status, is endangered due to habitat loss and overhunting of its prey. A small but illicit trade where dragon eggs, bones, pelts, and other material are sold as rare medicines or as mere curios does also exist. Participating in this trade is considered worthy of capital punishment by the Aurlûnor Velande's government.