Knuckers
A serpentine, aquatic dragon that generally sticks to lakes and swamps, knuckers are one of the most prominent wildlife threats in the Viridian.
Working similarly to a crocodile or alligator, they can get by on fish, but will hunt and eat almost anything in the water or on nearby land, even humans too close to the shore or in small boats, and while they don’t have wings to fly with, they are very fast and have astonishing leaping power.
Unlike crocodiles and alligators who eventually need air, knuckers can both breathe air and have gills to breathe underwater. They can die if their bodies go without moisture for too long, however, so they prefer to stay submerged most of the time.
Often the only sign of an approaching knucker in the water is managing to catch a glimpse of their backside or tail breaking the surface as they swim along. To add to the danger, their nests are hidden, underwater burrows known as knuckerholes, where the knuckers lie in wait to spring at unlucky animals, people out for a swim, or people in boats. While hatching their eggs and tending their broods, they remain in the hole for quite some time, their trap of a home becoming their main source of food, leaving only when they’re not getting enough.
They are generally solitary creatures, but have been known to “team up” on human communities in particular. Because of this and how great a threat they are, knucker hunting is a very common though risky line of work as it’s vital to keep the amount of knuckers and knuckerholes as low as possible.
Based on the knucker myth of Sussex, England.