In most creatures, there's hardly ever a set base as to what exact shape they have, the same is true for nox, which has mutations to help it adapt to the many environments they inhabit.

Through breeding, any nox can have a combination of mutations that wouldn't be found in the wild.

COMMON MUTATIONS: Fan tail- in the wild, fan-tails tend to be found more often in lightly wooded areas. The longer, but still small 'spade' helps fan-tails to be more agile in the air than their more common arrow-tail members.

Raptor feet- an adaptation for desert and plains areas, where food is scarce and nox have adapted to more easily take down and kill their prey, rather than waiting for it to die on its own.

Dewlap- more often found in in heavily wooded, tropical areas, dewlaps act as an extension of a nox's mask to help them pick up more sound and vibration, resulting in a more finely-tuned echolocation better suited to a dense environment. Dewlaps are often brightly colored and showy, much like those of other reptiles, despite the nox's lack of sight. Nox with dewlaps have a better sense of hearing than other variety.

Facial horns: Another desert mutation, though this one more suited for display threats directed toward larger predators, or territorial display toward other nox. Facial horns, unlike mask horns, are part of a nox's skeleton, rather than chitin, and only grow on a nox's snout. Both males and females can have them, and they can range from one to five in number.

Spines: A defensive plains adaptation to scare off predators, a threatened spined nox will curl itself tightly so its thorns will be displayed. Spines, however, make a nox more difficult to pet.

UNCOMMON MUTATIONS: Sails- Found most commonly on both aquatic and tropical nox, but serving slightly different purposes for each. On nox living near water, sails provide an excellent dorsal fin for swimming. Nox themselves are not adapted to swimming, and can only make short dives where they scavenge for shellfish or dead fish.
Tropical living nox use their sails for breeding displays, nox with larger and stronger sails often being more appealing. Sails seem to have no other purpose than this.
On both variety, sails are fully foldable when not in use.

Draconic(snake) tongues- A more recent adaptation found in nox of all environments, snake-tongued nox are more able to pick up smells thanks to the forks, which are better suited for gathering scent molecules in the air.

Fin tail- Nox with the fin adaptation are more common in mountainous regions where stable, long-term soaring is more beneficial than quick or agile flight. The extra skin in the fin adaptation connects directly to the membrane of the fin-tail's wings, providing much more area for flight than any other nox. The extra skin, however, also weighs them down and makes them slower in the air, as well as take off.

Hoods- Are more found in grasslands, where they are used as a scare tactic against predators, similar to the frilled lizard. Hoods are generally brightly colored on the inside, and the outside matches the nox's base body color. When not in use, they fold tightly to the nox's neck.

RARE MUTATIONS: Feathered body- feather-bodied nox are extremely uncommon, living in mountainous tundra environments where any way to preserve heat is welcome, especially to the cold-blooded nox. Feather-bodied nox tend to be diurnal, rather than the normal nocturnal, so that they can gather heat in what little sunlight they can get.

Feathered crest- Is most often paired with the feathered body mutation when it is found. Nox with feathered crests tend not to have any mask features that other nox may have(such as ribs or horns). Feathers provide an excellent view into a nox's mood, as they rise or fall depending on different emotions(angry nox raise their feathers, happy nox will flatten them..).

Ribbed(leaf) tail- Rib-tailed nox are the most agile fliers, able to make tighter turns and maneuvers thanks to their flexible and fully foldable rudders. This adaptation is more often found in dense forests and tropical regions, where it would be most beneficial. Lately, rib-tails are becoming more easily found in cities, most likely due to unscrupulous breeders releasing unwanted animals. The flying capabilities of these nox make them difficult to recapture, similar to pigeons. Ribbed nox are still by no means common, and those found in the city tend to be undesirable for pets or breeding due to mixed bloodlines with wild nox, resulting in dull and muddied colors, as well as a smaller size.




TO ALL NOX OWNERS BEFORE 7/16/2016: You are able to add mutations to your previously 'plain' nox if you wish to, since mutations(other than feathers) were unavailable at the time of purchase. You may add up to three common mutations, an uncommon mutation and a common, or a single rare mutation.
Uncommon mutations are worth two common mutations.
Rare mutations are worth three common mutations.
(any nox bought from this shipment can are eligible for the 'new mutations' update: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/20610845/ )


The nox manducare is a closed species belonging to TheElderTrinity. Do not make your own without my permission.

More on nox here: http://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/.....ox-Information