Swamp Drake

Swamp drakes are amphibious and spend most of their time in or near bodies of fresh or brackish water. They silently wait underneath the water's surface for prey to approach the pool’s edge. They typically hunt fish, large reptiles, and large mammals such as deer, horse, humanoids, and cattle. Swamp drakes will not hesitate to leave the water to prowl and hunt nearby prey.

Swamp drakes often attack by surprise, capturing prey with their jaws before dragging it back into the water. Larger swamp drakes knock unsuspecting prey into the water with their long, powerful tails. Once their target is in the water and safely secured in their jaws, the swamp drakes perform a death roll – a rapid, rotating maneuver that enables the drakes to tear and dismember their prey.

Larger, more powerful quarries are usually drowned or ganged up by other swamp drakes. If the prey is too large or difficult to devour, it is dragged into the swamp drakes' lair. There the swamp drakes break down the carcass with its acidic breath until it is soft enough to be shredded and swallowed.

During daytime, swamp drakes often lie at the water’s edge to sun themselves. They are active mostly at night, retreating back to the water at sundown to begin their wait for prey anew. Young swamp drakes usually form gangs and congregate near areas where large numbers of animals cross the water. Larger drakes live solitary lives and establish their own territories, only allowing swamp drakes of the opposite sex to enter their domain during mating season. Black dragons and swamp giants capture and enslave young swamp drakes, using them as lair guardians