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Description
Edit: fixed some small mistakes in the ref and finished the description

Finally finished a species reference sheet of my turtle dogs so you can make your own!

Boy I'm never doing this again, too much work

Anyway now that the ref sheet is done, turtle dogs are an OPEN SPECIES!

Only thing I'm asking for is that you give credit to me as the species creator.
You are allowed to make adopts though please only sell them for dA points.

Turtle dogs are egg laying mamalian reptiles that are a mix of canines, crocodiles and turtles. They are found in warm and mostly humid climates and live in and around water. There they feed on fish, amphibians, waterbirds and their eggs as well as bigger prey if they happen to come close enough and aren't too big. Think of baby deer or antilopes coming for a drink.

They are about the size of an alligator and the males can get especially big and heavy. There is no real visible difference between the two genders besides their colors in the wild.

In the wild the males are vibrant and flashy in colors while the females are earthy and dull in colors so they blend in with their surroundings better. Turtle dog hatchlings all start out with muddy colors regardless of gender and as they grow bigger they slowly gain their adult colors. This is so they aren't easily spotted by predators while they are too small to defend themselves. The color of the eggs are a good indicator of what their adult colors will be. Turtle dogs have a throat sack which they can inflate to expose colorful membranes and produce a booming sound. This is to mark off their territory and for males to show off to females.

Females lay their eggs (around 10) in egg mounts they build out of rotting plant material and dirt/sand. Much like crocodiles, turtle dog mothers look after their eggs and young. They fiercely protect the egg mount and once the babies hatch she carries them into the water. She keeps protecting them for about a month after they hatched before abandoning them to fend for themselves. Adult turtle dogs may cannibalise young turtle dogs, especially the adult males as they want to dispose of competition.

Turtle dogs are very wanted in the exotic pet trade and people pay thousands of dollars to own one. As the only way to keep a turtle dog without being attacked every time you get near it is raising a newly hatched baby, a lot of babies and eggs were stolen from their mother in the wild at the beginning. Luckily they are now also bred in captivity but there is still illegal poaching of babies and eggs going on out in the wild. Eggs and babies aren't the only thing poachers are after. Powder made of the shells of turtle dogs is believed to medicinal in some countries. All this poaching caused turtle dogs to be endangered in the wild.

However people are luckily able to breed them in captivity now so the need for wild eggs and hatchlings has gone down. People have also been breeding morphs, meaning there are endless possibilities in patterns and colours for both sexes. While a popular pet in the exotic pet trade, they need expert care and a lot of space much like rectangulated pythons. People are trying to breed miniature turtle dogs but so far there is no success. Turtle dogs raised in captivity can be kinda domesticated, but not fully. They do like to be petted and they can learn to recognise their own name and be trained to do certain things but hey are still dangerous animals who should be treated with respect. They don't take kindly to strangers (meaning people who arent their owners) and if you ignore their warnings of hissing and inflating their throat sack their first reaction will be to bite and attack you, never to flee. As their jaws are incredibly sharp, this can lead to loss of limbs.

Description
Edit: fixed some small mistakes in the ref and finished the description

Finally finished a species reference sheet of my turtle dogs so you can make your own!

Boy I'm never doing this again, too much work

Anyway now that the ref sheet is done, turtle dogs are an OPEN SPECIES!

Only thing I'm asking for is that you give credit to me as the species creator.
You are allowed to make adopts though please only sell them for dA points.

Turtle dogs are egg laying mamalian reptiles that are a mix of canines, crocodiles and turtles. They are found in warm and mostly humid climates and live in and around water. There they feed on fish, amphibians, waterbirds and their eggs as well as bigger prey if they happen to come close enough and aren't too big. Think of baby deer or antilopes coming for a drink.

They are about the size of an alligator and the males can get especially big and heavy. There is no real visible difference between the two genders besides their colors in the wild.

In the wild the males are vibrant and flashy in colors while the females are earthy and dull in colors so they blend in with their surroundings better. Turtle dog hatchlings all start out with muddy colors regardless of gender and as they grow bigger they slowly gain their adult colors. This is so they aren't easily spotted by predators while they are too small to defend themselves. The color of the eggs are a good indicator of what their adult colors will be. Turtle dogs have a throat sack which they can inflate to expose colorful membranes and produce a booming sound. This is to mark off their territory and for males to show off to females.

Females lay their eggs (around 10) in egg mounts they build out of rotting plant material and dirt/sand. Much like crocodiles, turtle dog mothers look after their eggs and young. They fiercely protect the egg mount and once the babies hatch she carries them into the water. She keeps protecting them for about a month after they hatched before abandoning them to fend for themselves. Adult turtle dogs may cannibalise young turtle dogs, especially the adult males as they want to dispose of competition.

Turtle dogs are very wanted in the exotic pet trade and people pay thousands of dollars to own one. As the only way to keep a turtle dog without being attacked every time you get near it is raising a newly hatched baby, a lot of babies and eggs were stolen from their mother in the wild at the beginning. Luckily they are now also bred in captivity but there is still illegal poaching of babies and eggs going on out in the wild. Eggs and babies aren't the only thing poachers are after. Powder made of the shells of turtle dogs is believed to medicinal in some countries. All this poaching caused turtle dogs to be endangered in the wild.

However people are luckily able to breed them in captivity now so the need for wild eggs and hatchlings has gone down. People have also been breeding morphs, meaning there are endless possibilities in patterns and colours for both sexes. While a popular pet in the exotic pet trade, they need expert care and a lot of space much like rectangulated pythons. People are trying to breed miniature turtle dogs but so far there is no success. Turtle dogs raised in captivity can be kinda domesticated, but not fully. They do like to be petted and they can learn to recognise their own name and be trained to do certain things but hey are still dangerous animals who should be treated with respect. They don't take kindly to strangers (meaning people who arent their owners) and if you ignore their warnings of hissing and inflating their throat sack their first reaction will be to bite and attack you, never to flee. As their jaws are incredibly sharp, this can lead to loss of limbs.