Lesser Dragon

The Lesser Dragon (Varanus geos) is a varanid lizard native to Tasmania.

Evolutionary History
The Lesser Dragon split off from the Greater Dragon around 1.3 million years into the future, when a warm period once again split Tasmania and Australia. By this time, Komodo Dragons, which were introduced as part of a rewilding project, (along with dwarf cassowaries, long-beaked echidnas, southern elephant seals, new zealand pigeons, new zealand kaka, and various other marsupials that went extinct on the mainland but survived elsewhere), had spread across the entire continent, and into Tasmania during an ice age. However, the planet warmed once more, seperating this population. With less food, they began to shrink, and by 2.01 million years into the future, the species as we know it appeared, along with several relatives on the surrounding archipelagos, such as the Furneaux Group, King Island, and more. By 10 million years into the future, they withstood the rebuilding of civilization rather well, surviving past the extinction of the last intelligent human species that resided on Earth. By 50 million years into the future however, they were split into many more species, with Tasmania flooding and turning into an archipelago with Antarctica warming up. By 75 million years into the future, Lesser Dragon descendants have diversified in this archipelago, due to the relative isolation from each other.

Description
This animal has not changed much in appearance from its ancestors, but, it has shrunk, reaching only a maximum size of 1 feet and 6 inches. However, they are no longer capable of hunting as large animals as they used to be able to.

Habits
They feed mainly on insects, eggs, small animals, and fish, but, will steal carcasses from larger animals, such as Mokois. When threatened, they will screech, often startling would be attackers. If this does not work, they will ambush the predator, injecting venom into the bloodstream.

During mating season, males create elaborate vocalizations, often parroting noises they hear in the wild. Females select males based on the vocalizations they like. After which, the male mates with the female, and the female lays 5 - 23 eggs per clutch. When the eggs hatch, the mother leaves the babies to fend for themselves. The babies take 3 years to reach sexual maturity.