Of the three known species of Gorgon, Gorgos euryale, colloquially known as the "lesser gorgon," has been reliably voted as "least likely to melt your face, turn you to stone, or otherwise behave like a bad neighbor." Lesser gorgons tend to be polite, pleasant, and fairly good at blending into the background—not a bad trick for people whose hair literally has a mind of its own. Lesser gorgons do not co-habitate well with greater gorgons, although they have been seen existing quite comfortably with Pliny's gorgons.
The lesser gorgon originated in Europe, evolving somewhere in the area of what is now known as Greece. They are not technically considered mammals, as they do not have hair, and exist, instead, in that strange quasi-mammalian place occupied by the members of order therapsida. As they are fully sapient and reasonably friendly, the fact that they aren't mammals should not matter to anyone who is not severely anti-cryptid, or severely herpiphobic.
Like all gorgons, the lesser gorgon possesses multiple brains, although only the central brain housed in the primary skull is capable of rational thought. The individual snakes which make up the gorgon's hair are independent and sometimes willful, and most lesser gorgons spend a great deal of time befriending their tresses. Lesser gorgons are immune to their own venom, which is fortunate, as otherwise, the species would have long since died out.
BIOLOGY
As members of order therapsida, lesser gorgons are classed as "mammal-like reptiles." This is, quite frankly, as close as we can get. They're warm-blooded but oviparous; female gorgons lay large, soft-shelled eggs very similar to the eggs of alligators or large snakes. These eggs are incubated in large nests, traditionally made up of rotting vegetation (and often, in the modern world, made of wool and electric blankets). The gender of the offspring will be determined by the ambient temperature during incubation. Eggs are laid after three months gestation in the mother's body, and normally come in clutches of three. They will incubate for six months before hatching. Gorgons are extremely protective of their nests, and will become irrational if their young are threatened.
The snakes on a lesser gorgon's head are venomous, capable of delivering a paralytic bite which will, if left untreated, prove fatal. They possess a secondary esophagus, which runs down the back of the skull before joining with the primary esophagus. This allows the snakes to strike and consume prey, thus stimulating venom consumption. They are marginally more intelligent than normal, non-cryptid snakes. Then again, so is moss.
Lesser gorgons cannot turn you to stone by looking at you. Seriously. We swear. They can, however, cause temporary paralysis, which can be fatal in small mammals or children under the age of five. Specially treated lenses prevents this; most lesser gorgons wear glasses or contact lenses when dealing with non-gorgons.
Lesser gorgons have a roughly human lifespan, and are susceptible to both human and reptilian infections.
DESCRIPTION
Lesser gorgons resemble humans, except for the part where they have snakes in place of hair on the tops of their heads (and no hair elsewhere on their bodies). Many female lesser gorgons draw eyebrows on with eyeliner, and both males and females usually wear wigs, concealing their serpentine tresses.
The snakes which crown a lesser gorgon's head are often brightly colored and patterned, with absolutely no attempts made at camouflage. They can grow quite long; male lesser gorgons have traditionally been unable to conceal themselves in a human population during periods where long hair for men is not in fashion, which has led to some cryptozoologists concluding, incorrectly, that the lesser gorgons are an all-female species.
SOCIETY
Thanks to bitter persecution by the Covenant of St. George, the lesser gorgons no longer possess anything resembling a coherent society. Very few of them live in Greece, their ancestral homeland, due to having been hunted so extensively there. "Live in Greece, die in Greece; live in Manhattan, pay a lot of rent," is how one lesser gorgon put it, when asked.
Lesser gorgons marry based on the opinions of their snakes. The less said about this, the better. They are cross-fertile with both greater and Pliny's gorgons, but the offspring will be sterile. These matings are hence frowned upon, no matter how well the snakes get along.
Artwork by Kory Bing.