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Description
"Family: Domeheads,Dragonrams,Drakes and allies (Pachycephalosauridae)
Scientific Name: Dracomanis squamosa
Diet: Primarily herbivore, tough will engage in omnivory on occasion.
Area of Occurence: Restricted to the montane rainforests of the Spitfire mountains on Newark, right near the Grand Virginian border.
Size: about 2m tall and 4.5 meters long

The Qilin, also known as the Kirin is perhaps one of Appalachia's rarest and most poorly understood members of the domehead family (pachycephalosauridae), found only on the inacessible slopes of Mts. Tartarus, Thanatos,Persephone and Hades, the five actively volcanic mountains popularly known as the spitfire mountain range. Qilin are very unusual creatures, sporting an armor of quills modified into scaly plates on their backs and a very long tail, the Qilin is instantly recognizable anywhere on its range, where they are so elusive it is said that seeing one of these exquisite creatures is a sign of good luck.

The Qilin is unique in that, unlike most of its relatives, its a solitary creature, living alone most of its adult life so unlike other members of its family they can't count on numbers for protection, The Qilin evolved a rather unique way to defend itself from the tearing slashes of its primary predator, the Jungle Kukri (Kopsisaetus newarkensis), which consists on curling itself around its tlong tail, lying down and protecting all of its vulnerable vital points. Should this strategy fail, they can also count with a powerful head butt for defence, as well as their long striding legs, which allow them to move very swiftly across the forest floor. Their diet and habits are not very well understood in the wild, tough in captivity, they have been known to eat a variety of items from primarily fruits and leaves to insects and meat, plus they have been observed eating snakes in at least two occasions in the wild, showing that these creatures are pretty generalistic and really not picky with what they eat.

The Qilin is well sought after by exotic animal collectors and poachers working for the illegal pet trade, as it is considered an auspicious animal overseans in east asia, where it they are present on the Menágeries of many kings and emperors, as it is said in east asian lore that the birth of a Qilin marks the rule of a great ruler and its death the comming of great disgrace.

Unlike many other animals in this field guide, its the Qilin's good reputation that is bringing on its demise in the wild, and the fact that we know next to nothing about their population numbers, their current situation or even their habits makes it even harder to protect these magnificent creatures. I fear that we direly need more research and effort on their conservation, otherwise i fear the species may very likely be soon lost."

-From the Field Guide of Appalachian Wildlife by Lilian P.Sturmvögel

(made by Leonardo oliveira/Austroraptor)

Description
"Family: Domeheads,Dragonrams,Drakes and allies (Pachycephalosauridae)
Scientific Name: Dracomanis squamosa
Diet: Primarily herbivore, tough will engage in omnivory on occasion.
Area of Occurence: Restricted to the montane rainforests of the Spitfire mountains on Newark, right near the Grand Virginian border.
Size: about 2m tall and 4.5 meters long

The Qilin, also known as the Kirin is perhaps one of Appalachia's rarest and most poorly understood members of the domehead family (pachycephalosauridae), found only on the inacessible slopes of Mts. Tartarus, Thanatos,Persephone and Hades, the five actively volcanic mountains popularly known as the spitfire mountain range. Qilin are very unusual creatures, sporting an armor of quills modified into scaly plates on their backs and a very long tail, the Qilin is instantly recognizable anywhere on its range, where they are so elusive it is said that seeing one of these exquisite creatures is a sign of good luck.

The Qilin is unique in that, unlike most of its relatives, its a solitary creature, living alone most of its adult life so unlike other members of its family they can't count on numbers for protection, The Qilin evolved a rather unique way to defend itself from the tearing slashes of its primary predator, the Jungle Kukri (Kopsisaetus newarkensis), which consists on curling itself around its tlong tail, lying down and protecting all of its vulnerable vital points. Should this strategy fail, they can also count with a powerful head butt for defence, as well as their long striding legs, which allow them to move very swiftly across the forest floor. Their diet and habits are not very well understood in the wild, tough in captivity, they have been known to eat a variety of items from primarily fruits and leaves to insects and meat, plus they have been observed eating snakes in at least two occasions in the wild, showing that these creatures are pretty generalistic and really not picky with what they eat.

The Qilin is well sought after by exotic animal collectors and poachers working for the illegal pet trade, as it is considered an auspicious animal overseans in east asia, where it they are present on the Menágeries of many kings and emperors, as it is said in east asian lore that the birth of a Qilin marks the rule of a great ruler and its death the comming of great disgrace.

Unlike many other animals in this field guide, its the Qilin's good reputation that is bringing on its demise in the wild, and the fact that we know next to nothing about their population numbers, their current situation or even their habits makes it even harder to protect these magnificent creatures. I fear that we direly need more research and effort on their conservation, otherwise i fear the species may very likely be soon lost."

-From the Field Guide of Appalachian Wildlife by Lilian P.Sturmvögel

(made by Leonardo oliveira/Austroraptor)