Manticore
The
Manticore has various different forms depending on where you come from
but the Manticore was originally a red lion with the head of a human and
a scorpion-like tail. But you have to remember that people from over
150 years ago would most likely say that animals with a squished in face
had a "human like" face. The Manticore is a species of lion with a red
coat, a squished in face, and quills on the end of its tail which is
normally kept curled up unless the animal is threatened.
Body Structure:
Teeth/Jaw:
The
jaw of the Manticore is stronger then their African cousins due to
having a wider head and a shorter snout. This is because the Manticore
often hunts large prey like deer and moose. The Manticore also has
modified salivary glands that produce a powerful venom that the
Manticore uses to take down prey mainly by biting multiple times around
the same area like the legs, head, or neck, making it appear as if the
Manticore has more teeth then what it really has sparking the "3 rows of
teeth" part of the myth. The Manticore only uses its full bite force
when eating, chewing on bone, horns, or antlers.
Quills:
The quills on the end of the Manticore's tail are just modified hairs on the end of the tail. Every quill has a small muscle attached to it that raises the quill to make it puff up like a porcupines quills. The vertebrae at the end of the Manticore's tail are fused which helps support the quills. The Manticore does not "shoot" its quills but rather uses them as a powerful defense. When threatened by another predator or another Manticore, the Manticore will turn sideways and swing its tail back and forth slowly as a warning to the threat. If that doesn't work the Manticore will either attack the threat head on or will swing its tail with enough force that any loose or shedding quills will fly through the air and hit the threat hopefully making it think twice before messing with the Manticore. Like any hair the Manticore's quills shed and grow back.
Head Shape:
The Manticore has a naturally squished in head but sometimes though rare a Manticore will be born with more of a snout making it look more like a red african lion. These Manticores simply have what is known as Genetic Inheritance where a dominant gene turns on and makes the animal have features that its ancestors had but the species lost. Humans occasionally have this too like being born with a tail, being double jointed in the legs, hands, arms, and feet, having dark skin though your parents are white, or having long hair all over the body. The Manticores with the more lion-like head survive just as well as the ones with the normal squished in face, but often hunt differently due to the adaption.
Tail:
The tail is slightly longer then the Manticores african cousins and is normally held in a curled up, scorpion-like position because the quills can get caught on bushes and fallen branches which the Manticore doesn't want because they need the quills for defense and loosing to many at a time can result in the animal being killed. The Manticore only lowers its tail when it feels threatened or grooming.
Venom:
The
Manticore's venom is used mainly when hunting or sometimes while
fighting an attacking animal. The venom is powerful enough to take down a
human with fair ease but the Manticore uses its venom much like the
komodo dragon (the komodo dragon does have venom glands) in that it
inflicts multiple bites into the prey and then backs down and waits for
the venom to weaken the animal. Once the animal is weak enough the rest
of the pride will attack and kill the animal. The venom can work fairly
quick depending on how much venom the animal got injected with.
Parental care:
Like every lion the male Manticores are the only ones with manes. And like their african cousins Manticores live in prides (though smaller then a african lions). Often with 1-3 males and a few females and their young. Just like african lions Manticores nurse their young until the cubs are six months old. Unlike their african cousins though Manticore females do not take turns nursing each others young but if a cub looses its mother sometimes another mother will adopt the cub, though this is rare. The males help protect the cubs and sometimes even play with them, but the biggest danger is other Manticores, primarily other males. Just like african lions if the dominate male Manticore gets defeated by a new male the new male will kill all the cubs that are not old enough to be sexually active or chased away.
The cubs themselves are a lighter colour then their parents and have small brown spots on them. Cubs don't have quills on the end of their tails and often don't hold their tails up until they are about 1 year old.
Quills:
The quills on the end of the Manticore's tail are just modified hairs on the end of the tail. Every quill has a small muscle attached to it that raises the quill to make it puff up like a porcupines quills. The vertebrae at the end of the Manticore's tail are fused which helps support the quills. The Manticore does not "shoot" its quills but rather uses them as a powerful defense. When threatened by another predator or another Manticore, the Manticore will turn sideways and swing its tail back and forth slowly as a warning to the threat. If that doesn't work the Manticore will either attack the threat head on or will swing its tail with enough force that any loose or shedding quills will fly through the air and hit the threat hopefully making it think twice before messing with the Manticore. Like any hair the Manticore's quills shed and grow back.
Head Shape:
The Manticore has a naturally squished in head but sometimes though rare a Manticore will be born with more of a snout making it look more like a red african lion. These Manticores simply have what is known as Genetic Inheritance where a dominant gene turns on and makes the animal have features that its ancestors had but the species lost. Humans occasionally have this too like being born with a tail, being double jointed in the legs, hands, arms, and feet, having dark skin though your parents are white, or having long hair all over the body. The Manticores with the more lion-like head survive just as well as the ones with the normal squished in face, but often hunt differently due to the adaption.
Tail:
The tail is slightly longer then the Manticores african cousins and is normally held in a curled up, scorpion-like position because the quills can get caught on bushes and fallen branches which the Manticore doesn't want because they need the quills for defense and loosing to many at a time can result in the animal being killed. The Manticore only lowers its tail when it feels threatened or grooming.
Venom:
Parental care:
Like every lion the male Manticores are the only ones with manes. And like their african cousins Manticores live in prides (though smaller then a african lions). Often with 1-3 males and a few females and their young. Just like african lions Manticores nurse their young until the cubs are six months old. Unlike their african cousins though Manticore females do not take turns nursing each others young but if a cub looses its mother sometimes another mother will adopt the cub, though this is rare. The males help protect the cubs and sometimes even play with them, but the biggest danger is other Manticores, primarily other males. Just like african lions if the dominate male Manticore gets defeated by a new male the new male will kill all the cubs that are not old enough to be sexually active or chased away.
The cubs themselves are a lighter colour then their parents and have small brown spots on them. Cubs don't have quills on the end of their tails and often don't hold their tails up until they are about 1 year old.
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