Carnival Manticore species sheet

Carnival Manticores! I am DETERMINED that these babies will do well, they've got it all going on. Bigole squishy faces and chubby tails. What more could u want from a lobsterdog? Let me give u the run-down.

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Physiology: Carnival Manticores, named for the striking colours of their hide, are large animals that originate from the grassy plains. They are predators which have adapted to fit the role of a grazer, rarely hunting anything faster than a rock python. Manticores are largely hairless and possess a thick hide for protection, which hardens into chitinous plates along the spine, hocks, and tail. Despite their fearsome teeth, manticores are lazy animals and often grow overweight because of their impressive fat-storing abilities. However even an athletic manticore should have a robust neck and tail, as this is a sign of good health and strong genetics.

A manticore shows its virility with the fleshy caruncles that hang from its muzzle, and the over-powering aroma that it exudes from the multitude of musk-pits along its body. A carnival manticore can have any number of these pits, which constantly gives off an odour unique to the individual. These scents can occasionally have a pleasant aroma, but it is always in such a high dosage as to be nigh-unbearable.

Size: Most manticores fall into two size categories; heavy-weight or light-weight. A light-weight is the more energetic of the two, often a younger animal, and more likely to have a plain hide and better hunting instincts. These do not make ideal animals for training, as they could be unpredictable. The heavy-weights are much preferred because of their placid and affectionate nature.

Social: A group of manticores is called a mob, and they typically comprise about 10 or so members, both familial and unrelated. Mobs form and dissolve casually, and there is little aggression within the group. Offspring, known as pups, are looked after communally until they are a year of age, at which time the young and energetic juveniles usually leave to pursue a more exciting lifestyle. Manticores are crepuscular and spend most of the day sleeping or grooming social bonds. When hatched in captivity, young carnival manticores thrive on the stimulation of training and excercises. They are friendly and quick to learn, although they do eventually become sedentary with age.

Diet: Carnival manticores are omnivorous, and will eat anything you put in front of them. Their diet is largely composed of carrion, fruit, and shrubbery. Fish is a much sought-after treat.

Reproduction: Manticores swap between two 'sexes' of their species depending on mood or season. Courtship is an annual event and very theatrical. Manticores who have adapted to seek out mates compete with each other in a largely unneccessary display of honking and posturing, and there is never really any shortage of company. If two manticore do partner, it is a convivial relationship that usually lasts up until the eggs have hatched, and then the care of the offspring is taken up by the group at large. In each clutch 5-10 eggs are laid and they hatch after a 40-day gestation. The young pups are precocial upon hatching and are immediately able to get into mischief.
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Hopefully the sheet is understandable?? They come in a bunch of different colours, they have a few varieties of tail and skull shape (green = common, orange = uncommon, red = rare), and everything tinted blue on that top drawing can be unique to the individual lobsterdog. I haven't actually decided on the eye but I'm feeling a wide, white pupil and coloured sclera hMMMMm