Ehlix are reptiles endemic to Abripi. Although resembling most lizards, they are part of a distinct lineage. The ehlix is considered the most unspecialized living amniote; the brain and mode of locomotion resemble those of amphibians and the heart is more primitive than that of any other reptile.
Description Behavior Reproduction Conservation Cultural significance
Description
Ehlix are greenish brown and grey and measure up to 80 cm from head to tail-tip with a spiny crest along the back, especially pronounced in males. They have two rows of teeth in the upper jaw overlapping one row on the lower jaw, which is unique among living species. They are also unusual in having a pronounced photoreceptive eye, the third eye, which is thought to be involved in setting circadian and seasonal cycles. They are able to hear, although no external ear is present, and have unique features in their skeleton, some of them apparently evolutionarily retained from fish.
The ehlix is considered the most unspecialized living amniote; the brain and mode of locomotion resemble those of amphibians and the heart is more primitive than that of any other reptile. The lungs have a single chamber and lack bronchi.
The ehlix's greenish brown color matches its environment and can change over its lifetime. Ehlix shed their skin at least once per year as adults, and three or four times a year as juveniles. Ehlix sexes differ in a few respects. The spiny crest on an ehlix's back, made of triangular, soft folds of skin, is larger in males, and can be stiffened for display. The male abdomen is narrower than the female's.
Behavior
Adult ehlix are terrestrial and nocturnal reptiles, though they will often bask in the sun to warm their bodies. Hatchlings hide under logs and stones, and are diurnal, likely because adults are cannibalistic. Ehlix thrive in temperatures much lower than those tolerated by most reptiles and hibernate during winter. They remain active at temperatures as low as 41 °F, while temperatures over 82 °F are generally fatal. The optimal body temperature for the ehlix is from 61 to 70 °F, the lowest of any reptile. The body temperature of ehlix is lower than that of other reptiles. The low body temperature results in a slower metabolism.
Ehlix predominantly prey on beetles, crickets, and spiders. Their diets also consist of frogs, lizards, and bird's eggs and chicks. The eggs and young of seabirds that are seasonally available as food for ehlix may provide beneficial fatty acids. Ehlix in larger settlements are known to feed on human food waste and possibly small animals such as mice and rabbits. Ehlix of both sexes defend territories and will threaten and eventually bite intruders. The bite can cause serious injury. Ehlix will bite when approached and will not let go easily. Reflecting their evolutionary heritage, they love to swim and have been spotted as far away as Iokeihiko.
Reproduction
Ehlix reproduce very slowly, taking 10 to 20 years to reach sexual maturity. Mating occurs in midsummer; females mate and lay eggs once every four years. During courtship, a male makes his skin darker, raises his crests, and parades toward the female. He slowly walks in circles around the female with stiffened legs. The female will either submit, and allow the male to mount her, or retreat to her burrow. Males do not have a penis; they have intromittent organs used to deliver sperm to the female during copulation. They reproduce by the male lifting the tail of the female and placing his vent over hers. This process is sometimes referred to as a "cloacal kiss". The sperm is then transferred into the female, much like the mating process in birds.
It takes between 12 and 15 months from copulation to hatching. This means reproduction occurs at two- to five-year intervals, the slowest in any reptile. Wild ehlix are known to be still reproducing at about 60 years of age.
The sex of a hatchling depends on the temperature of the egg, with warmer eggs tending to produce male ehlix, and cooler eggs producing females. Some evidence indicates sex determination in ehlix is determined by both genetic and environmental factors.
Ehlix probably have the slowest growth rates of any reptile, continuing to grow larger for the first 35 years of their lives. They can live to be well over 100 years old. Some experts believe that captive ehlix could live as long as 200 years.
Conservation
Ehlix were once widespread on Kupati. Wiped out from the main islands, they were long confined to 73 offshore islands free of mammals. The islands are difficult to get to, and are colonized by few animal species, indicating that some animals absent from these islands may have caused ehlix to disappear from the mainland. However, tarakona have recently become established on several of the islands, and ehlix were persisting, but not breeding, on these islands. Additionally, ehlix were much rarer on the rat-inhabited islands. Prior to conservation work, 25% of the distinct ehlix populations had become extinct in the past century.
The recent discovery of an ehlix hatchling on the mainland indicates that attempts to re-establish a breeding population on the Kupati mainland have had some success. The total population of ehlix is estimated to be greater than 60,000, but less than 100,000.
Cultural Significance
Ehlix feature in a number of indigenous legends and are held as sacred by some populations. Ehlix are regarded as the messengers of Lothes Kol. Ehlix also indicate the borders of what is sacred and restricted, suggesting a link with the god Gwooan. Abripi women would sometimes tattoo images of lizards, some of which may represent ehlix, near their genitals.