Pythosaurus

The pythosaurus, more commonly known to locals as Esmelda or the Monster of the Lake, was a species of aquatic dinosaur endemic to Lake Esmel in Amn.

Description
The body structure of a pythosaurus was largely similar to that of other aquatic dinosaurs, such as plesiosaurus and elasmosaurus, a large central body with a long neck and large flippers. However, their heads were notably said to resemble a cross between a snake and dragon, with an tall rigid dorsal spine running along its neck. The description of the creature's body was fairly consistent in the stories told of it by the inhabitants of Amn, though there was often some form of inconsistency in the accounts.

Their central body was over long and  wide, while their necks ranged from lengths of.

Behavior
Being largely unintelligent animals, the pythosaurus was just as likely to attack boats as it was sailors and other creatures. However, unless hungry or provoked, they were unlikely to be found anywhere near the surface.

Ecology
The pythosaurus was a largely solitary creature, only interacting with other members of their species when they needed to mate or teach their youth how to hunt. This teaching period typically lasted for only a few weeks following the youth's hatching, after which the creature would leave their offspring to fend for themselves.

Habitats
Due to their preference for cold water habitats, the pythosaurus generally stayed away from the western end of Lake Esmel and was more common in its eastern end.

Relations
Most of the inhabitants of Amn believed that the pythosaurus was merely a myth and a tool for telling tall tales at taverns. They also believed that it was but a single creature, when it reality there were around a dozen living within Lake Esmel.

History
The pythosaurus was created by one of the creator races during the Days of Thunder (likely the sarrukh ). They had been in Lake Esmel ever since that time.