Most of Allun's western half is a desolate and barren environment, with the most relatively productive reaches being the dusty badlands that border the southern savannahs. Deep within the interior of this region lies a vast desert of dunes and baking temperatures, and in this desert the Great Sand Ocean of Allun can be found. Life in this inhospitable habitat has had to adapt to the extreme challenges that it presents, and one such life is the apex predator of the Great Sand Ocean. Enter the Desert Baron.
Reaching a total length of 36 feet long and weighing several tons, this imposing beast is one of the largest animals of Allun's desert region. Some especially old male specimens can even max out at under 50 feet, nearing the size of the sandwhales (of which they also prey upon).
As ambush predators, the desert baron's prime hunting method is to lurk below the sands with only the top of their heads visible, before closing in on unsuspecting prey. To aid this, the dark patch of scales that cover the top of their scales helps reduce glare and protect it from solar damage. But it also makes the baron stand out against the stark bright sands unless it is also partially covered in it, so they can often be seen lurking under the shaded side of dunes where the darkness mitigates this visibility. Vision is not the only sense they employ in hunting, alongside a keen sense of smell, their hearing is also quite potent, and with the ability to sense vibrations in the sands thanks to sensitive scales that run along the length of their bodies, they can sense potential prey even if they are fully submerged in sand.
A male baron defends his territory with utmost aggression, and will chase off or even cannibalize other males that enter it. To reaffirm boundaries between neighboring male barons, they will emit a loud booming roar that can travel for miles across the desert, and since a single male can own a territory as large as 190 square miles, they must also be constantly on the move patrolling it. All this effort is done to secure the largest numbers of prey and females. Their tendency to claim huge territories means that there is a high chance for it to overlap with that of the females. The bigger it is the more likely the chances of it happening.
If a male successfully courts a female, that is by offering her a nuptial gift of food, she will lay a clutch of her eggs which can number up to 12 in a secluded area. If the male is particularly successful, he may court 5 females in a relatively short span of time, meaning that he may have to guard 60 eggs at a time. During this rearing period he will subsist entirely off of fat stores in his tail. This fat store is also a factor in attracting mates, as the females can judge if he is up to the grueling task of guarding eggs by the size of his tail alone, thus the pressure to have the largest and prey rich territories there is.
The young would hatch after a 4 month incubation period and are fully capable of fending for and feeding themselves, but will shadow their fathers for several weeks picking off the scraps and leftovers of his kills. Only a small fraction would survive to adulthood, some falling victim to cannibalism, and others to the many predators of the desert, but those that do survive their youth are in good stead to see their 6th decade of life.
