| Lamia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Original | ラミア | ||
| Romanization | Ramia | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Ophidio-centaurian | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sentience | Sentient | ||
| Sapience | Sapient | ||
| Aggressivity | Medium | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Diet | Carnivore | ||
| Locomotion | Slithering | ||
| Subspecies | Echidna Melusine Medusa | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | Monster Musume | ||
| Created by | Okayado | ||
| Designed by | Okayado | ||
Lamias are a sapient, all-female, ophidio-centaurian species which reproduces by abducting human males and mating with them.
Biology[]
Lamias look similar to some kinds of Nāginī. They have the body of a beautiful woman, and a long serpentine lower half in place of legs. They also have pointed ears.
Being poikilothermic creatures, they're highly vulnerable to cold temperatures and usually seek warm places. Wrapping their bodies around a warm-blooded creature also works. As carnivores, they're known to have a relatively small number of taste buds, meaning that they'll eat food that omnivores and herbivores (especially the latter, given their highly sensible taste) would consider horribly-tasting. They seem to have a preference for eggs. As poikilotherms, they can go on for several days without eating, though.
Like regular snakes, Lamias can see in the infrared spectrum, and are able to pick up scents in the air using their tongues - which are relatively long, prehensile and have a forked tip. Also like snakes, they need to shed their skin periodically. The tip of the Lamia's tail is incredibly sensitive. Due to their large size they're easily capable of constriction.
Like all "monster" species, Lamias undergo periods of unrest during the full moon, in which their instincts take over and they're barely able to control their actions.
Subspecies[]
Three known subspecies differ considerably from the regular Lamias:
- Echidnas, a highly venomous variety distinguished for having reptilian, rather than humanlike arms.
- Melusines, a variety which possesses bat-like wings and horns. They're flightless, however, and semi-aquatic.
- Medusas, which have hair made of snakes and poor eyesight, which gives the impression that they're always glaring at someone.
Notes[]
- This species is named after Lamia, a legendary Libyan queen who became one of Zeus' many lovers and was consequently punished by his wife Hera, who transformed her into a child-eating monster, today often associated with snakes. This in turn gave rise to a mythological legend of Lamiae (singular: Lamia), as a species of vampire-like creatures known to seduce men in order to feed on their blood.
- Likewise, each of the three subspecies is named after a character from Greek / European mythology. Echidna was a half-woman half-snake creature and the primordial mother of all monsters. Melusine was a winged, reptilian mermaid-like creature. Medusa was an infamous gorgon slain by Perseus. Additionally, echidna is the name of a real life mammal, and medusa refers to swimming life stage of jellyfish (some jellyfish species spend all their adult lives as medusa, while others alternate a medusa stage with a sessile polyp stage).