The young male sought after the vividly bright female. She was larger than all the others, strong and intelligent, and her colors were brighter than any female he had ever seen. Before he could start to attract her attention, a massive male came down hard to claim the female as his own. The young male crawled away and courted after another.

Anyways, another piece with my desert drakes. I am kinda making my own little species here. They are fun to draw. With slim bodies and leathery skin, they are not too challenging to work with. So, here's some info about the courting and mating process.

Desert drakes mate for life, so choosing a strong and able companion is crucial. Desert life is harsh and unforgiving. Dragons do not seek a mate until they are about seven or eight years old. When a female is actively seeking a mate, the yellow hues in her skin will change to blue. The brighter the blue, the more desirable she is (due to better nutrition and overall health). The fact that females are so rarely blue-skinned, means that the hide off of one of these females is worth a fortune in trade. Once she has found a mate, her coloration returns to normal, although it is not uncommon to find blue tints to her crest of skin.

Male fights can be spectacular and deadly. When one is clearly outmatched, he will disengage either by crawling away, or diving for ground. Fights follow several stages. The first is intimidation, shown here. The challenging male will swoop in, in the hopes of scaring off his rival. If that fails, the two will begin to circle in the sky, feinting at each other. That will quickly escalate into actual biting and clawing, slashing with the horns, and whipping with the tail. If two males are equally matched, it will become a fight to the death; though, those are rare.

Although these dragons mate for life, events can happen to leave one widowed. Due to disease, malnutrition, drought, predators (though they are rare), and human hunters, it is not uncommon for dragons to be widowed. When the mourning process is over, a female will change her coloring to attract a new mate, and a male will begin to search for a suitable mate. Here, the female and the winning male were both widowed. Due to experience and age, the female's colors were much brighter and more abundant than younger females' and the male had size and greater hunting skills to scare away his opponent.

No references used. Colored pencils on 9X12 sketch paper. Sprayed with fixative to prevent smudging.

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