tehisses

Tehisses are a fictional clade of arboreal snakes defined in the worldbuilding of the Lyra archipelago. The name combines a descriptive hissing vocalization with a general noun ending, reflecting the animals’ prominent use of hiss-like signals in social and territorial contexts.

Taxonomy and description: Tehisses belong to the family Tehissidae, order Squamata, class Reptilia. Adults range from 40 to 90 cm in length. They have slender, elongated bodies, smooth iridescent scales, and a brightly colored throat patch that swells during display. The most diagnostic feature is a specialized glottis and vocal apparatus that produce a spectrum of hiss tones.

Habitat and distribution: Tehisses inhabit tropical forests, especially primary and regrowth canopies, across several islands in Lyra. They prefer humid microhabitats with abundant vines and branches. They are adept climbers and seldom descend to the ground except during reproduction.

Behavior and ecology: Tehisses are omnivorous, feeding on small lizards, insects, and occasionally fruit. They are diurnal and territorial, using tailored hiss sequences to communicate aggression, courtship, and alarm. Reproduction is oviparous with clutches of 2–6 eggs; parental care is minimal after egg laying.

Cultural significance and conservation: In Lyra’s folklore, tehisses appear in omens of change and are subjects of field recordings by xenobiologists. In fiction, habitat loss from deforestation is described as the main threat, with conservation efforts focusing on preserving forest canopies and genetic diversity.