Male Hatchling
Name: unnamed
Species: Kobaldibar Crystalwing
Birthday: Friday, May 15, 2020
Owner: Darksev
Element: Earth/Air
Like many poisonous creatures, kobaldibar crystalwings get their poisons from the food they eat, in particular metallic minerals rich in arsenic, mercury, lead, and other poisonous substances. However, even before they have reached the levels of toxicity of their parents and grown large crystals on their backs, juvenile kobaldibar crystalwings bear bright colors warning potential predators away. Youngsters are covered in a thin layer of small toxic mineral grains as soon as they hatch, but adults will also lick them with their poisonous saliva for added protection. Hatchling kobaldibar crystalwings retain the ability to fly until they reach about half of their adult size, and no one is quite sure why. Some have suggested that the hatchlings are able to fly in order to avoid predators, but they seem to have little fear of other creatures and will readily approach much larger dragons and bears, often frightening them off by their mere appearance. A more plausible explanation may be that they use their flight to keep up with the adults as they migrate along the mountainside, for their legs are short and they tire easily when walking.
Kobaldibar crystalwings hatch with only small grains of minerals coating their skin, but as they age massive crystals will form around the feathers of their wings, eventually preventing them from flying. What would in other creatures be a serious detriment is no concern to kobaldibar crystalwings; by the time they lose the ability to fly, they have acquired enough toxins in their body to make them one of the most poisonous creatures in the world, and most creatures learn to stay well away from them. The skin of a kobaldibar crystalwing is so potent that any creature that bites them will become deathly ill and usually die within a few hours after their encounter. Despite their toxicity, these crystalwings are actually welcomed in many areas rich in toxic minerals, as the crystalwings will eat or absorb many of the deadly compounds and sequester them away in their bodies. The crystals do not seem to easily come off of the animals or get absorbed into the water they drink, so the crystalwings may even be introduced to places contaminated with heavy metals in order to clean them.
Sprite art: Borealum (hatchling) | Description: PKGriffin