Galentean Tiger

Galentean Tigers are a species of large feline native to Galentus Primus .

Basic Information

Anatomy

Galentean tigers are large Felinid animals with six limbs, long tufted ears, long canine teeth and four eyes. Their builds are long and sleek, with long, broad muzzles and strong jaws. Male and female tigers have a mane running along the spine, from the back of the head to the back of the frontal shoulder blades.
Like all vertebrate species from Galentus Primus, Galentean tigers have six limbs: two pairs of forelegs and one pair of rear legs. Their first set of forelegs are built for grabbing and holding on to prey, and have long, sickle shaped claws to dig into flesh. Their second pair of forelegs, like the hind legs, are mainly for locomotion.
Native galentean tigers have a natural orange coloration, with dark purplish-blue stripes covering the length of their bodies, tails, heads, necks, and limbs. Their manes and tufts at the ends of the ears have similar colouration. The countershading on their bellies and inner parts of the limbs is a pale white.
Galentean tigers also seem to adapt their colouration rather rapidly, and within a couple of generations will blend in very well with a new environment.
Albino tigers are rare but exist. Their colouration is primarily white, but the stripes and manes retain a darker colouration due to the difference in physical structure of the hairs.

Growth Rate & Stages

Galentean tigers reach maturity after roughly 13 years, at which point they will turn to solitary hunting.
At roughly 25 years of age, a male specimen will become a Silvermane, and their mane, tail & ear tufts will begin to grey.
After 50 years, an individual will begin to physically decline until death follows.
Notably, Galentean tigers are susceptible to the same lifespan-extending prodcedures as Galenteans

Ecology and Habitats

Galentean Tigers were commonly found within the jungles and deserts of Galentus Primus, but during the Golden age of Galenara they were spread far and wide throughout the reaches, coveted as prize pets for those with wealth and status. As a result, individual specimens would occasionally escape and would manage to find a foodhold witin a world's ecosystem.
On many worlds they are thus an invasive species but have overall found a new balance within their new habitats, often becoming apex predators, finding a new niche on a particularly hostile world, or carving out a new one.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Galentean Tigers tend to hunt in small packs or indvidually, and their social structure in the wild mirrors this.
A pack of Galentean Tigers is known as a pride, and led by a silvermane, Generally an older, more experience specimen. The Silvermane is joined by one or more tigresses, and their whelps. whelps will stay with the pack until they reach maturity, at which point they will become solitary hunters known as Rovers. Female Rovers will at some point join another pride, whereas Male rovers will try to sire offspring and, in doing so, start a new pride. In certain environments, however, Whelps from a pack have been observed to stick together after their departure, and in doing so improve their chances of survival.
Conflicts happen between prides in the wild, mostly due to territorial disputes. In such events, Silvermanes will compete, and the loser of such a competition will have to give way to the victor. In some observed cirucmstances, Silvermanes have engage in hunting competitions, in which they seem to pursue the same prey, and the first to fell the target is the victor. This has, on occasions, led to spontaneous cooperation between silvermanes in taking down particularly hardy prey. In such an event, the prides would begin to hunt together over a larger, shared territory. This type of alliance is called a pact.
Prides and Pacts are a display of the advanced intelligence of Galentian tigers, as they display a strong capacity for adaptation and learning. This dynamic is widely considered to be the reason Galentean Tigers manage to survive all over the reaches, even in highly hostile ecosystems.

Domestication

While the Galentean Tiger was never truly domesticated, they were nevertheless commonly held as pets and prize animals by powerful individuals on Galentus Primus and Secundus
With the expanse of the Galentean Empire, the tigers would become a symbol of power and strength throughout the reaches. As such they would become highly sought after symbols of status among the vassal states.
Keeping a Galentean tiger is not an easy task, and would require the tiger to gain a sense of respect and loyalty to their owner, in a sense taking on the role of a silvermane. But once properly 'trained' as such, a specimen would remain fiercely loyal to its owner, until its loyalty would be either lost, or gained by another.

Average Intelligence

Galentean tigers are highly intelligent predators, capable of understanding and responding to commands if trained properly, as well as being able to read and understand the body language of sapient species to a degree.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Galentean Tigers have four eyes. Their front set of eyes, or primary eyes, are capable of seeing the standard colour spectrum, while their hind eyes, or secondary eyes, are sensitive to light intensity and infrared light. Combining their two modes of vision makes them highly effective predators in regular and low-light conditions. The additional eyes also means that they retain depth perception should they somehow lose use of one eye.
They have a strong sense of smell and, in the wild, will track prey over long distances this way.
Their sense of hearing is also finely attuned. They are capable of moving their ears apart from one another, allowing them to listen with total clarity in all directions.

Scientific Name

Smilodon Hexapod Galensis

Lifespan

50-60 years

Conservation Status

Widespread throughout the reaches. Have integrated well into many carbon-based ecosystems, and commonly held as a pet.

Average Height

1.3 m at the shoulder

Average Length

• body - 3.9m

• tail - 1.4m

Geographic Distribution

• Galentus Primus