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Mythosaur
Non-sentient ◇ Reptile ◇ Endangered ◇ Carnivorous
Non-sentient ◇ Reptile ◇ Endangered ◇ Carnivorous
Mythosaurs are a species of carnivorous reptiles native to the Outer Rim world of Vhett. Due to their aggressiveness, tenacity, and gargantuan size, Mythosaurs have achieved legendary status in Mandalorian culture.
Biology & Appearance
As a reptilian species, mythosaurs are cold-blooded. Easily, the species' defining trait is its tremendous size. A juvenile mythosaur is comparable to an adult krayt dragon. An adult can grow to around 20 meters (65 feet) in length. Legends, however, on both Vhett and Mandalore claim that the oldest mythosaurs reach greater proportions, the evidence of which can be found in the skeletons—some of them complete—which have been found in the City of Bones, the Mandalorian name for a large mythosaur graveyard on Vhett.
A mythosaur's size can be attributed to its long lifespan. Since the species is an indeterminate grower, a mythosaur will continue growing until it dies, and a typical mythosaur can live for centuries if it is not killed by other means. On Mandalore, where mythosaurs are an introduced species, this led to periodic hunts organized by the Mandalorians to prevent older mythosaurs from growing too large and becoming real threats to society.
All mythosaurs walk on four extremely powerful legs and have a ridge of spines that grows down the lengths of their necks, backs, and tails. There seems to be some sexual dimorphism between the genders, evident in their skulls. A male mythosaur can be identified by two horns protruding from the head and which grow straight back, away from the skull, similar to krayt dragons. Females, on the other hand, have an additional set of horns which curve down and inward towards their jaws. Both sexes have slanted eye sockets and slitted pupils; eye colors vary in color between green, brown, and yellow. Their mouths contain razor sharp teeth meant to tear tough meat.
Similar to the rancors native to Dathomir, the mythosaurs of Vhett have a symbiotic relationship with a species of bird known as the crested tetra. These birds clean the mythosaur's teeth, granting them a food source, while keeping the mythosaur's teeth clean and hygienic. Similar symbiotic relationships have been known to develop in other mythosaur sub-species, such as the ones located on Mandalore.
Mythosaur mating cycles are hard to predict. The species mates infrequently, which acts as a sort of biological population control, preventing these massive creatures from becoming too numerous and thus depleting their food supply. However, with the advent of Mandalorian society and hunts, as well as the ritualistic significance of mythosaurs on their homeworld of Vhett, this particular biological trait has become detrimental to the species. As specimens are killed, either to control their size or in rite of passage-style rituals, the species dwindles closer to extinction and is now considered endangered.
Mythosaurs are ovoviviparous: they give birth to live young. The young mythosaur develops within an egg, which itself is within the mother, and obtains its nourishment form a yolk sack and uterine secretions. Gestation can last anywhere from three to nine standard months.
DIET
Mythosaurs are known to hunt herds of shatuals—large deer-like creatures which can be found on many Mandalorian-settled worlds—but are famously indiscriminate in what they eat. In the ancient past, during the settlement of Vhett, they stalked the large herds of herbivores that could be found across the planet. Those herds, however, have since passed into extinction and modern mythosaurs—called "pigmy" mythosaurs—are smaller as a result. A carnivorous species, they eat whatever source of meat is closest to them when they are hungry. With the advent of Mandalorian society, this has led to mythosaurs attacking livestock and Mandalorian settlements when they are hungry. It is also not uncommon for a mythosaur to eat is own offspring in times of food shortages, as a juvenile mythosaur can provide a long-term food source.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Arguably the mythosaurs' two most obvious advantages are their gargantuan size and tough hides. Their hides are resistant to most traditional bladed weaponry and hard to penetrate with standard blaster technology. And their tails are like battering rams, swinging too and fro to protect the soft skin of their underbellies
However, their greatest strength—one discovered only after the species encountered Force-sensitive warriors—is their extreme mental resistance to the Force. Despite lacking sentience, mythosaurs can resist all but the absolute strongest forms of Force mind domination, and even when controlled will not remain so for long. They are also completely impervious to attempts to mutate them via the dark side of the Force, which prevented the Sith from turning specimens into Sithspawn. Their weight makes attempts to move them with the Force limited to only the strongest masters of the Force, Jedi or Sith.
However, mythosaurs are not invincible. Their eyes are venerable, which led to the development of jetpack use by some Mandalorians, allowing them to get a better vantage point for a shot. The tender skin on the underside of their necks and bellies are venerable to most bladed and blaster weapons. Though their hides are tough, they are not lightsaber resistant, giving Jedi and Sith a unique advantage in combat with them. They are also extremely susceptible to large doses of Force lightning.
Temperament & Behavior
Mythosaurs are a reclusive species, rarely interacting with Mandalorian society except in times of food shortages. Among their own, they are also isolationists. The females dominate their society and control vast swaths of mountainous territory, within which two or three males will reside along the fringes, defending it from rival males and acting as her mate.
When hungry or their territory is infringed upon, however, mythosaurs are highly aggressive and obviously dangerous.
Though some Mandalorian legends, particularly among Clan and House Fett, tell of legendary warriors who tamed and rode mythosaurs in battle, there is scant evidence to suggest that mythosaurs could ever possibly be tamed or domesticated.
Territory
Mythosaurs live on every continent on their homeworld of Vhett, occupying the central mountainous regions of those continents. Younger and smaller mythosaurs make their homes in vast mountainous caverns, which act as their dens. Older specimens, due to their gargantuan size, simply live out in the open, disguising themselves as large rock formations when they sleep.
Planets
— Vhett (Homeworld)
— Mandalore (Introduced)
— Concord Dawn (Introduced)
Cultural Significance
They were also symbols of the Vhett monarchy. In the early days of settlement on Vhett, warriors from Mandalore would test their mettle against the mighty mythosaur, with survivors and victors going on to become immortalized in Fett song and legend. Later, those who bested mythosaurs in combat became the early rulers of Vhett, leading to the establishment of the monarchy which has lasted well into the modern age.
After House Fett was almost eradicated by the Sith, the members of Clan Fett—deposed of their ancestral monarchy by House Taske of Vhett—retreated to their fortress in the mountains of their homeworld. This fortress, dubbed the "City of Bones," is an enclave constructed out of the bones of fallen mythosaurs.
Intent
After the scrubbing of Legends, the mythosaurs also disappeared from Star Wars lore. However, this will bring them back. Since Mandalore's backstory is different both on this site and in canon, and so the Taungs never conquered the mythosaurs when Mandalore was settled, I decided to give them a new homeworld: Vhett. Here, their story plays out similarly. Warriors from the early incarnation of what would become the Mandalorians, the Chosen, settled Vhett early in Mandalorian history and fought the mythosaurs for dominance of the world. Eventually, the mythosaur was so ingrained in their clan culture that it became a cultural symbol: thus the reason Boba Fett wears the symbol of a mythosaur a millennia later on his armor.
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