Greater Bear Dragon

Greater Bear Dragon

Habitat: Mainland; Coastal Shore 
Type: Large Coastal Predator
Length: 30 To 40 Feet
Height: 10 To 13 Feet
Weight: 4,000 To 7,000 Pounds

Greater Bear Dragon

The Greater Bear Dragon is a large predator found along the shores of Mainland. It patrols the coastline, entering the waters of the Ring Sea to hunt. It has a body with a narrow head, crocodile-like jaws, and long forelimbs tipped with heavy claws. The inside finger on either hand has a particularly large, hooked claw. A small ridge runs over the hips and into the base of the tail, giving the rear of the body a slightly raised look compared to the front end.

It is an ambush hunter, and most of its hunting takes place underwater. The Bear Dragon is capable of holding its breath for long periods, sinking to the bottom and remaining completely still while it waits. It can disappear inside the forests of long sea grass that grow in the Ring Sea, leaving no sign of its presence. When prey passes by, the Bear Dragon's powerful legs launch it upward in a sudden burst. Its jaws clamp shut on its prey, while its foreclaws begin to rake and slash at the body until the animal is dead.

Greater Bear Dragon Hunting Spoutfish

It feeds on a wide range of marine creatures, including prey up to about half its own length. Common targets include Spoutfish, Razorjaw, Crunchers, and Giant Sea Turtles. As they are growing, smaller Bear Dragons will prey on fish, octopus, and even crabs. It is also an opportunist, and will feed on carcasses that wash up on the beach as well.

After a kill, the Bear Dragon always drags the body out of the water and onto land before feeding. Even when prey is caught in shallow water, it is pulled up onto the beach. Feeding is done on shore, where the animal can stand over the carcass and tear it apart with its mouth and claws.

The waters where it hunts are not safe, even for a predator as large as this. An even larger sea predator moves through the same areas, the Greater Sea Dragon. When presented with a three-ton land animal venturing into the sea, the Sea Dragon will not hesitate to attack it for food. Also large Sea Serpents (massive constricting snakes) will attack the Greater Bear Dragon, although they are far too large for the snake to eat. The Bear Dragon tends to stay close to shore, in water deep enough to hide in, but where it still has a better chance of escaping back to land.

However, even on land, it faces a real threat. Ridgeback Allosaurs will attack these animals in small packs of two to five individuals. These predators are much better swimmers than the Bear Dragon, and move just as easily through the water as they do on land. Because they are such strong swimmers, they will enter the shallows to hunt and often coordinate their attacks from both directions at once. Some will push in from the water while others hold position on land, closing off escape routes.

Under Attack By Ridgeback Allosaurs

These encounters are violent and often leave injuries on both sides. A Bear Dragon can fight back effectively, using its jaws and claws to wound or kill attackers, but when it is forced to turn and defend against multiple directions, it begins to lose ground. Over time, the pack is usually able to bring it down.

One unusual behavior can be seen along the seaside cliffs. The Bear Dragon will dig into loose rock and pull stones free, some of them up to a foot across, and swallow them whole. This is done deliberately and happens often, but the reason for it is not clear.

• Naturalist Note: The Greater Bear Dragon is certainly a spinosaurid, and its size and shape are consistent with Suchomimus. Its overall body plan, cranial proportions, and enlarged forelimbs align well with known fossil material.
  
  However, the prolonged submersion and bottom-ambush hunting strategy suggest a degree of aquatic specialization that goes beyond what we find with fossilized Suchomimus. While relatives like Spinosaurus and Baryonyx are more heavily-built and have solid bones for swimming and diving, Suchomimus seemed to have lighter bones, and would not seem designed for this "submerge and wait" strategy.
  
  There are two possibilities concerning the Greater Bear Dragon's identity. One, it is possible that it is a larger species of Baryonyx, built to be less buoyant and dive under the water. The second possibility is found in that strange habit of swallowing stones. Perhaps this creature is, in fact, Suchomimus and uses these stones to counteract its buoyant build.
  
  Of particular interest is the interaction with the Ridgeback Allosaur, which is likely the carcharodontosaurid Acrocanthosaurus. Within the ecological framework of the Floating Isles described by Daniel, such a specialization in theropods would provide a clear advantage when targeting large, semi-aquatic prey.
  
  The Greater Sea Dragon is likely a large pliosaur, such as Kronosaurus or Liopleurodon, although the former seems more likely. The Sea Serpent is interesting, as Daniel's other writings describe it to be a forty to seventy foot long constrictor. This could make them particularly large Vasuki or Titanoboa, or perhaps an entirely new species.
  
  The prey species mentioned included large sea turtles (likely Protostega), smaller mosasaurs (called Crunchers) and ichthyosaurs (called Spoutfish).