Cryptid/ Mythological Creature Encyclopedia

Hydra

Animal Class: Reptile

Diet: Carnivorous

While Hydras are NOT invincible, it is impossible to kill one via decapitation as cutting off the head of a Hydra causes two more heads to grow back in just a few seconds. ( it's still unclear as to why this process happens so fast) Many ancient warriors and hunters discovered this at the cost of their own lives.

The more heads a Hydra has, the larger their internal organs are. This is actually a huge weakness because the larger the organ, the more likely it is to be damaged during combat.

A one headed Hydra is referred to by he/him or she/her pronouns whilst a Hydra with more than one head is referred to by them/they pronouns. 

The original head has a venomous bite, but the venom becomes less and less potent with every head that the Hydra gains.

Hydras are immune to toxic gases and are unaffected by radiation sickness/radiation poisoning. This has caused many Hydras to migrate to and live in Chernobyl.

Like Dragons, they have been around since the end of the Triassic Period and share a currently undiscovered common ancestor with both Dragons and Dinosaurs( like with Dragons, it is still unclear as to how they survived the extinction event that wiped out the Dinosaurs). These more ancient versions of Hydras had wings and were capable of flight.( They might have also been able to breathe small streams of fire, but that has yet to be confirmed)

Since Hydras only have one stomach, only one head has to eat and the heads won't fight over which one of those gets the food.

They can breath underwater and have the ability to do it in both freshwater and saltwater. Many Hydras have chosen a life out on the open sea over a life on land.

Naturally live in Europe( aside from the ones that have chosen a life at sea and are therefore constantly moving from place to place), but fossils of them have been found in North America, Asia, and Africa: indicating that their ancestors had a much larger range.

Hydras lay 3 to 8 eggs in small holes in the ground. This eggs are coated in a strange chemical that burns any living thing that touches it except the Hydra that laid the egg, the Hydra that came out of the egg, and that Hydra's nest mates.

Like Dragons, Hydras can live for a very long time with their average lifespan ranging from 200 to 400 years.

The most heads that a Hydra has ever been seen with is 204 and that record belongs to a Hydra that lived during the Age of the Roman Empire.

Extra Fun Fact: A common misconception that people once had is that Hydras had a sex organ for every head. This is now known to be false and many people now laugh at the idea of that.