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Description
the dragon version of a cleaner wrasse
A lovely informative piece about Toothhoppers from SlingBlade87 !
Toothhopper, The draconid specimen colloquially known as a Toothhopper is a quaint little creature, with little being incredibly relative as they are still as tall or taller than your average human when sitting erect. Despite their size, they are considered to be of little threat to humans as they were until more recently considered to be obligate scavengers. It is unclear when the first observation of a Toothhopper occurred, however they have appeared in various artistic and written depictions throughout recorded history and pre-history in association with their larger draconic cousins. They have even made appearances on heraldic crests and in monarchical displays, indicating that the creatures have a long history in relation to humans. The Toothhopper has a relationship to its larger draconic kin similar to what we see in some species of wrasse or oxpecker. They act as cleaners of larger draconic specimens and assisting in what is functionally basic dental hygiene as well as removing dermal parasites from across the larger dragon's body. For the most part, the Toothhopper doesn't seem to irritate its bigger cousins, which allow the Toothhoppers to pluck out remains from between teeth, beneath tongues, and even in and around loose scales and wounds. There are no recorded incidents of predation on Toothhoppers from the majority of its draconic kin, though some smaller specimens have been seen to hunt them in times of scarcity. With the hunting to extinction of the bulk of large draconic species in the modern era, it was presumed that the Toothhopper would too begin to fade from its ecological niche and concerns about its subsequent extinction have been raised repeatedly in the preceding decades. However it appears that these concerns may be somewhat mitigated by the apparent adaptability of the Toothhopper. While inland species have definitely suffered and declined across their range to the point of localized extinction in many cases, seaside populations are showing a proficiency for fishing much to the surprise of dracologists. In areas where Toothhoppers have access to waters with a consistent fish supply, they have adapted to a combination of diving and wading to catch their own prey, going from scavenger to predator in just a handful of decades. This has raised concerns about the long-term affects this will have on other diving and wading animals that are now forced to compete with Toothhoppers, but it does at least indicate that the species has hope for long-term survival. The modern Toothhopper is now recognized to be largely a piscivorous hunter, however one group of them still retains its cleaning scavenger origins. These are the ones that live on various oceanic islands where they have access to the various kyte species, sea serpents, and even whales. This has allowed these oceanic populations to continue in their traditional ecological niche where their land-based cousins have been forced into a more predatory role. Even those Toothhopper populations who live along coastlines have transitioned mostly to piscivory and will actively ignore the same opportunities that their seaborne kin have continued to make use for. Numerous dracologists have speculated that this divergence between oceanic and land dwelling specimens, may result in further speciation among Toothhoppers. However it is as yet too early to determine if this is the case. Future biological surveys will need to be conducted to determine the extent of divergence between the two groupings and whether or not such divergence confirms such speciation. However given the apparent adaptability demonstrated by Toothhoppers, it seems like a confident speculation to make that future dracologists will be able to undertake such studies as the Toothhoppers do not appear to be at risk of extinction at this time.

Description
the dragon version of a cleaner wrasse
A lovely informative piece about Toothhoppers from SlingBlade87 !
Toothhopper, The draconid specimen colloquially known as a Toothhopper is a quaint little creature, with little being incredibly relative as they are still as tall or taller than your average human when sitting erect. Despite their size, they are considered to be of little threat to humans as they were until more recently considered to be obligate scavengers. It is unclear when the first observation of a Toothhopper occurred, however they have appeared in various artistic and written depictions throughout recorded history and pre-history in association with their larger draconic cousins. They have even made appearances on heraldic crests and in monarchical displays, indicating that the creatures have a long history in relation to humans. The Toothhopper has a relationship to its larger draconic kin similar to what we see in some species of wrasse or oxpecker. They act as cleaners of larger draconic specimens and assisting in what is functionally basic dental hygiene as well as removing dermal parasites from across the larger dragon's body. For the most part, the Toothhopper doesn't seem to irritate its bigger cousins, which allow the Toothhoppers to pluck out remains from between teeth, beneath tongues, and even in and around loose scales and wounds. There are no recorded incidents of predation on Toothhoppers from the majority of its draconic kin, though some smaller specimens have been seen to hunt them in times of scarcity. With the hunting to extinction of the bulk of large draconic species in the modern era, it was presumed that the Toothhopper would too begin to fade from its ecological niche and concerns about its subsequent extinction have been raised repeatedly in the preceding decades. However it appears that these concerns may be somewhat mitigated by the apparent adaptability of the Toothhopper. While inland species have definitely suffered and declined across their range to the point of localized extinction in many cases, seaside populations are showing a proficiency for fishing much to the surprise of dracologists. In areas where Toothhoppers have access to waters with a consistent fish supply, they have adapted to a combination of diving and wading to catch their own prey, going from scavenger to predator in just a handful of decades. This has raised concerns about the long-term affects this will have on other diving and wading animals that are now forced to compete with Toothhoppers, but it does at least indicate that the species has hope for long-term survival. The modern Toothhopper is now recognized to be largely a piscivorous hunter, however one group of them still retains its cleaning scavenger origins. These are the ones that live on various oceanic islands where they have access to the various kyte species, sea serpents, and even whales. This has allowed these oceanic populations to continue in their traditional ecological niche where their land-based cousins have been forced into a more predatory role. Even those Toothhopper populations who live along coastlines have transitioned mostly to piscivory and will actively ignore the same opportunities that their seaborne kin have continued to make use for. Numerous dracologists have speculated that this divergence between oceanic and land dwelling specimens, may result in further speciation among Toothhoppers. However it is as yet too early to determine if this is the case. Future biological surveys will need to be conducted to determine the extent of divergence between the two groupings and whether or not such divergence confirms such speciation. However given the apparent adaptability demonstrated by Toothhoppers, it seems like a confident speculation to make that future dracologists will be able to undertake such studies as the Toothhoppers do not appear to be at risk of extinction at this time.