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Description
It’s about time I reintroduced you guys to my oldest and still most loved drawing hobby:
Making up animals. ^^

Yes, I’ve posted some of them before, but there are SO MANY (I’m seriously up to about 50, if you count the dragons). For those who don’t know, I made up the world of Palapia as a sort of dumping ground for all of my animals, and I like to make up little ‘journal excerpts’ about them. But that would take FOREVER to do for all of these, esp. the less interesting ones, and I feared I’d never get the silly things posted.

And then had the bright idea to do a sketchdump. This isn’t the actual sketchdump – that will come later, for all of the little half-finished doodles I have of my critters. But for now, have some Palapian critters in bulk! PLEASE NOTE: the sizes of the pictures are not all relative to each other, so some may appear bigger in comparison to others than they actually would be in ‘real life’.

Info-Dump Alert!

1 – Twin-Tailed Fighting Lizard
This reptile runs in packs of five to fifteen and can grow between four and five feet tall. Their most distinguishing markings are the presence of two long, prehensile tails, their two-legged stance, and the colorful ‘feather’ crests around their eyes. These crests are not in fact actual feathers, but rather stiff, brightly-colored red and yellow scales; the rest of the lizard tends to be varying shades of green. While carnivorous, twin-tailed fighting lizards are usually not a danger to humans except in seasons of famine. They claim their ‘fighting lizard’ title for the uncanny ferocity and cunning they are known to use when taking down prey and when fighting each other for dominance. These reptiles prefer rocky and forest terrain.

2 – Shuro Rabbit
A common rabbit found in Palapia. The fur on its body, normally white, is much bushier than the light tan fur on its legs and ears and very soft; this and its delicious flavor make it a valued game animal. On the other hand, this same soft fur, as well as its docile nature and attractive and uniquely sword-shaped ears, have also made it a popular pet, especially amongst the gentry of Palapia.

3 – Gelirn
A six-tentacled ocean mollusk with hard, bony points on each tentacle and on top of its head. Averaging a foot and a half in length, they are rarely a danger to humans unless threatened, but are vicious hunters. A gelirn often lies in wait for its prey, shooting out its sharp tentacle points to spear passing fish, but they have also been known to shoot speedily across short distances and stab their headpoints straight into slightly larger prey. Their mouths are at the center of the tentacles. Definitely to be avoided.
(Note: this is not technically a ‘Palapian’ animal, since Palapia is landlocked. But it IS native to the same world, aka Degrin.)

4 – Patra
Small mountain deer known for its nimbleness and short, curved horns. Common in both mountain ranges flanking either side of Palapia.

5 – Dapple Bear
A small species of bear with a humorously large behind, made so due to its unusual manner of storing fat. The dapple bear is so named for the dappled golden splotches on its back that make it look perpetually sun-spotted. A shy creature, this animal prefers to avoid all conflict and eats mostly forest fruit, mushrooms, the occasional fish, and insects, which is roots out of the undergrowth on the forest floor. Like other bear species, the dapple bear is a daytime hunter and hibernates during the winter.

6 – Burrnep
A short, thick-set creature with very large paws for digging. An unusual feature for this animal, being a burrower, is the webbing between all of its toes; these assist not only in digging, but also in short bouts of swimming. This clever mammal is known for digging escape tunnels from its burrows that lead straight into the beds of nearby rivers and streams. It subsists almost entirely on whatever it can dig out of the ground, from insects to small rodents, and seems to avoid swimming when not using water as an escape route.

7 – Palov
The black-faced palov shown here is one of the most common livestock animals of Palapia. While smaller than other species of bovine, palov are easier to tend and have a slightly sweeter meat than the cow or rogen, their closest cousins. Despite being small, they are very strong animals and can draw small carts. It is also not unknown for poor farmers to occasionally use them as a riding animal, but they do not provide for very comfortable transport and can be as mulish as donkeys. Their manure is very rich in nutrients and commonly used as fertilizer for fields and gardens.

8 – Mren
The mren fish is Palapia’s most famous fish, admired for the very unique scales it possesses. Its scales, brownish-silver in color, are incredibly long and thin, and wave in the water. It gives the fish the appearance of having fur or hair. This fish baffled the early settlers of Palapia for years, as they often mistook sightings of it as brief glimpses of some slick, nigh-uncatchable water mammal.

9 – Prippt
A very common, very annoying insect similar to but slightly larger than the gnat. While not of the biting variety, this insect is known for having an unusual attraction to hair, and during spawning season, hordes of these things make life absolutely miserable for people and animals alike. The callimid plant contains a juice that can be made into candles and lotions that ward off the creatures, and so is cultivated in gardens all over Palapia.

10 – Mottled Mountain Lizard
A small, mottled gray lizard that can be found almost anywhere in the mountains of Palapia. Both males and females bear a small crest on their heads, but the males’ are noticeably larger and come in bright rainbow colors. These crests act as sponges for sunlight in order to cultivate high levels of Vitamin D, but for males, the more colorful versions serve as both warnings to other males and as a means to attract females. Mottled mountain lizards can fold down these attractive crests and slip into incredibly small cracks. They are extremely hard to catch, unless you happen upon a group of them while they are dozing and sunbathing on a hot, open rocky area.

11 – Termacanth
The termacanth is a subterranean amphibian that lives in small caves and tunnel systems near water sources. They have large, completely black eyes that can see with the tiniest amount of light, and they usually reside in large colonies of several dozen or more. While fish is one source of food, their most common and notorious means of hunting is their habit of digging traps: they will dig upwards until they are just below the surface of the ground, then wait for prey to walk overhead and fall in, usually straight through a pre-woven web. The termacanth swarm will then spray the prey with more of the sticky webbing they produce from their beak-like mouths, entrapping it. Termacanth traps are extremely dangerous for humans, but as the animals themselves are relatively small – averaging about a foot in length – and have only their short, webbed claws and sharp beaks to attack with (which they will refrain from doing until the prey is fully immobilized), it is usually a simple matter to rescue a person from the trap in time. That being said, it is always wisest to travel in groups and to test the ground carefully when in areas known to be home to termacanth.

12 – Red Jewel Bird
The red jewel bird is admired for its bright red markings, which extend from the head to both wings and down the back to the middle of the tail feathers, with one single tail feather sporting this bright splash of color all the way to its tip. It also bears a slight ruff of feathers on its head. The rest of the bird’s feathers are off-white, and the females are slightly more muted in color.

13 – Ottemandi
This rust-orange mammal is similar in behavior to the otter, but it is most known for having puzzled hunters for years. With its odd fur coloring for a water mammal, its very short, slick-looking fur, the cream-colored spots on its back, its thick, heavy tail, and its earless, aquiline shape, some early settlers to Palapia actually believed it to be some sort of amphibian. Only upon capturing one and giving it closer inspection was this rumor dispelled, but these animals are not very easy to catch. They are remarkably swift in water and almost never come onto dry land. They prefer deep pools and muddy, clay-bottomed rivers, where they can blend more easily into the riverbed. For the most part, ottemandi are not hunted as game animals, although there is a small market for their waterproof (albeit very short) fur. They are larger than otters, usually growing about four feet long from nose to tail tip. Their name is derived from a combination of the older names for ‘otter’ and ‘salamander’.

Well, that was fun. ^^ I tell ya, it's really helpful coming up with biographical information for the creatures you make up, esp. in world-building. All of these animals are copyright me.

Description
It’s about time I reintroduced you guys to my oldest and still most loved drawing hobby:
Making up animals. ^^

Yes, I’ve posted some of them before, but there are SO MANY (I’m seriously up to about 50, if you count the dragons). For those who don’t know, I made up the world of Palapia as a sort of dumping ground for all of my animals, and I like to make up little ‘journal excerpts’ about them. But that would take FOREVER to do for all of these, esp. the less interesting ones, and I feared I’d never get the silly things posted.

And then had the bright idea to do a sketchdump. This isn’t the actual sketchdump – that will come later, for all of the little half-finished doodles I have of my critters. But for now, have some Palapian critters in bulk! PLEASE NOTE: the sizes of the pictures are not all relative to each other, so some may appear bigger in comparison to others than they actually would be in ‘real life’.

Info-Dump Alert!

1 – Twin-Tailed Fighting Lizard
This reptile runs in packs of five to fifteen and can grow between four and five feet tall. Their most distinguishing markings are the presence of two long, prehensile tails, their two-legged stance, and the colorful ‘feather’ crests around their eyes. These crests are not in fact actual feathers, but rather stiff, brightly-colored red and yellow scales; the rest of the lizard tends to be varying shades of green. While carnivorous, twin-tailed fighting lizards are usually not a danger to humans except in seasons of famine. They claim their ‘fighting lizard’ title for the uncanny ferocity and cunning they are known to use when taking down prey and when fighting each other for dominance. These reptiles prefer rocky and forest terrain.

2 – Shuro Rabbit
A common rabbit found in Palapia. The fur on its body, normally white, is much bushier than the light tan fur on its legs and ears and very soft; this and its delicious flavor make it a valued game animal. On the other hand, this same soft fur, as well as its docile nature and attractive and uniquely sword-shaped ears, have also made it a popular pet, especially amongst the gentry of Palapia.

3 – Gelirn
A six-tentacled ocean mollusk with hard, bony points on each tentacle and on top of its head. Averaging a foot and a half in length, they are rarely a danger to humans unless threatened, but are vicious hunters. A gelirn often lies in wait for its prey, shooting out its sharp tentacle points to spear passing fish, but they have also been known to shoot speedily across short distances and stab their headpoints straight into slightly larger prey. Their mouths are at the center of the tentacles. Definitely to be avoided.
(Note: this is not technically a ‘Palapian’ animal, since Palapia is landlocked. But it IS native to the same world, aka Degrin.)

4 – Patra
Small mountain deer known for its nimbleness and short, curved horns. Common in both mountain ranges flanking either side of Palapia.

5 – Dapple Bear
A small species of bear with a humorously large behind, made so due to its unusual manner of storing fat. The dapple bear is so named for the dappled golden splotches on its back that make it look perpetually sun-spotted. A shy creature, this animal prefers to avoid all conflict and eats mostly forest fruit, mushrooms, the occasional fish, and insects, which is roots out of the undergrowth on the forest floor. Like other bear species, the dapple bear is a daytime hunter and hibernates during the winter.

6 – Burrnep
A short, thick-set creature with very large paws for digging. An unusual feature for this animal, being a burrower, is the webbing between all of its toes; these assist not only in digging, but also in short bouts of swimming. This clever mammal is known for digging escape tunnels from its burrows that lead straight into the beds of nearby rivers and streams. It subsists almost entirely on whatever it can dig out of the ground, from insects to small rodents, and seems to avoid swimming when not using water as an escape route.

7 – Palov
The black-faced palov shown here is one of the most common livestock animals of Palapia. While smaller than other species of bovine, palov are easier to tend and have a slightly sweeter meat than the cow or rogen, their closest cousins. Despite being small, they are very strong animals and can draw small carts. It is also not unknown for poor farmers to occasionally use them as a riding animal, but they do not provide for very comfortable transport and can be as mulish as donkeys. Their manure is very rich in nutrients and commonly used as fertilizer for fields and gardens.

8 – Mren
The mren fish is Palapia’s most famous fish, admired for the very unique scales it possesses. Its scales, brownish-silver in color, are incredibly long and thin, and wave in the water. It gives the fish the appearance of having fur or hair. This fish baffled the early settlers of Palapia for years, as they often mistook sightings of it as brief glimpses of some slick, nigh-uncatchable water mammal.

9 – Prippt
A very common, very annoying insect similar to but slightly larger than the gnat. While not of the biting variety, this insect is known for having an unusual attraction to hair, and during spawning season, hordes of these things make life absolutely miserable for people and animals alike. The callimid plant contains a juice that can be made into candles and lotions that ward off the creatures, and so is cultivated in gardens all over Palapia.

10 – Mottled Mountain Lizard
A small, mottled gray lizard that can be found almost anywhere in the mountains of Palapia. Both males and females bear a small crest on their heads, but the males’ are noticeably larger and come in bright rainbow colors. These crests act as sponges for sunlight in order to cultivate high levels of Vitamin D, but for males, the more colorful versions serve as both warnings to other males and as a means to attract females. Mottled mountain lizards can fold down these attractive crests and slip into incredibly small cracks. They are extremely hard to catch, unless you happen upon a group of them while they are dozing and sunbathing on a hot, open rocky area.

11 – Termacanth
The termacanth is a subterranean amphibian that lives in small caves and tunnel systems near water sources. They have large, completely black eyes that can see with the tiniest amount of light, and they usually reside in large colonies of several dozen or more. While fish is one source of food, their most common and notorious means of hunting is their habit of digging traps: they will dig upwards until they are just below the surface of the ground, then wait for prey to walk overhead and fall in, usually straight through a pre-woven web. The termacanth swarm will then spray the prey with more of the sticky webbing they produce from their beak-like mouths, entrapping it. Termacanth traps are extremely dangerous for humans, but as the animals themselves are relatively small – averaging about a foot in length – and have only their short, webbed claws and sharp beaks to attack with (which they will refrain from doing until the prey is fully immobilized), it is usually a simple matter to rescue a person from the trap in time. That being said, it is always wisest to travel in groups and to test the ground carefully when in areas known to be home to termacanth.

12 – Red Jewel Bird
The red jewel bird is admired for its bright red markings, which extend from the head to both wings and down the back to the middle of the tail feathers, with one single tail feather sporting this bright splash of color all the way to its tip. It also bears a slight ruff of feathers on its head. The rest of the bird’s feathers are off-white, and the females are slightly more muted in color.

13 – Ottemandi
This rust-orange mammal is similar in behavior to the otter, but it is most known for having puzzled hunters for years. With its odd fur coloring for a water mammal, its very short, slick-looking fur, the cream-colored spots on its back, its thick, heavy tail, and its earless, aquiline shape, some early settlers to Palapia actually believed it to be some sort of amphibian. Only upon capturing one and giving it closer inspection was this rumor dispelled, but these animals are not very easy to catch. They are remarkably swift in water and almost never come onto dry land. They prefer deep pools and muddy, clay-bottomed rivers, where they can blend more easily into the riverbed. For the most part, ottemandi are not hunted as game animals, although there is a small market for their waterproof (albeit very short) fur. They are larger than otters, usually growing about four feet long from nose to tail tip. Their name is derived from a combination of the older names for ‘otter’ and ‘salamander’.

Well, that was fun. ^^ I tell ya, it's really helpful coming up with biographical information for the creatures you make up, esp. in world-building. All of these animals are copyright me.