Ijor

''This page pertains to the collaborative "Thrive Universe" project, and is not necessarily part of Thrive's official development. More information here and here'' "Fear the Ijor, the unnoticable death from above"~unkown hunter, found on a piece of pottery

Physical Description
Ijor have a long, slender body. They are distant cousins of the Jre, and therefore have a millipede-like body. They have a proboscis-like beak, used to suck vital juices. On the end of their tail, they have a venomous stinger. They have an extremely flexible, segmented exoskeleton, allowing them to easily climb in trees. In addition, they have short, insect-like feet which also allow them to climb up the bark of trees. On their head, they have four small, jelly-like eyes. They are usually 5 meters long, and half a meter wide and tall. However, longer specimens have been found, and the exact limit of their size is as of yet unknown.

Behaviour
Ijor spend most of their lives in the trees of their native jungles. Most of the time, they will simply lay on a branch and wait for prey to pass by. If they spot prey, they will lower their tail and sting the unfortunate individual. Then, the Ijor will follow its prey through the thick canopy of their home jungle until it collapses from the its venom. After this, they will lower their head, and suck the vital juices of their prey with their proboscis. Then, they will rest on a branch again. An Ijor only needs to eat about every 5 earth months, the rest of the time they will mostly lie dormant.

Reproduction and Lifecycle
Once the mating season has started, a female Ijor will lay an egg on a bigger branch. The egg is covered in a sticky substance, allowing it to hang on their branches in most situations. In addition, this substance spreads a scent that attracts male Ijor. Once a male Ijor finds the egg, it will inseminate it. The male will also carry it down to a bush. Only a month after, the egg will hatch. Ijor start their life as small and vulnerable creatures. They will hunt smaller animals in the safety of the jungles bushes. This is their only defense against predators, as juvenile Ijor are about the size of a rat. After about 3 earth years, the Ijor will have grown to the size of 3 meters, and they will leave their bushes in favour of the branches of the jungle. Here, they will mainly hunt other small arboreal creatures. After a further 2 years, they will have attained their adult size of 5 meters. They will then live their cosy lives as apex predators in the treetops, until they die.