For those of you who dabbled a bit more into DnD, this monster concept might seem familiar. Conceptually, the Dragon Turtle is in my opinion one of the scariest creatures in the game: it lives in the deep ocean, can fire a jet of boiling water out of its maw, can reach the size of an island... that is horrifying.

So, naturally, my "big brain" came to the conclusion that making 4 different species of dragon turtles would be an amazing idea!!
But let us be absolutely fair: in our normal world, most animals radiate into several related species and subspecies (I mean, look at tigers! Bengal tigers, Siberian tigers, Sumatran tigers, etc all of them are tigers, but all count as different species). And with that mindset, I've come up with different species/subspecies of dragon turtles.

- The Freshwater Dragon Turtle inhabits rivers and lakes where it uses its coloration to hide among rocks and underwater vegetation. Growing up to 15 meters in length (roughly 50 feet) it is one of the larger dragon turtles. As an ambush predator, it has a hunting style similar to that of crocodiles with which it has a direct rivalry.

- The Swamp Dragon Turtle is a smaller member of the family. As the name implies, it inhabits swamps and bogs with stagnant water, using mud and rotten vegetation to conceal itself from potential prey. On average it reaches the length of 9 meters (roughly 30 feet) it is the second smallest of its lineage.

- The Coastal Dragon Turtle is the smallest of the presented species. It inhabits estuaries and areas close to the coast where it lurks among seaweed and rocks to ambush unsuspecting fish, seals, and dolphins.

- The Deep Sea Dragon Turtle is the closest in concept to its inspiration source. While not as long as the freshwater dragon turtle, it is bulkier and built for underwater travel and combat. It is an active predator and, at a length of around 13 meters (40 feet), it is known to take on large sharks and small whales. The only time it comes out to land is when it needs to lay eggs (same as the other 3 dragon turtles).

One common trait that the dragon turtles share is their high aggression towards true dragons. Scholars theorize that millions of years ago, the ancestors of dragon turtles served as the natural enemies of true dragon ancestors. Some of that predatory relation is still embedded in their nature, as whenever the opportunity shows itself, dragon turtles will eagerly prey on young dragons.