Cheshire Beast

A bio-weapon presumably designed by the near mythical Doctor Bannick. No one knows whether they were introduced to the wild through malice or incompetence, but some sources lean to the former, pointing toward Bannick's less-than-stellar moral track record as proof. Immediately following the Scream, Cheshire Beasts spread rapidly across the continent and filled the niche of Apex Predator. After the dust settled, any community unfortunate enough to fall within the territory of a Beast would desperately pool a bounty large enough to encourage a swift response.

Basic Information

Anatomy

This abomination most closely resembles a large jaguar with a dense frill of 8 to 16 thick tentacles at the base of the neck. Through a combination of chromatophores, bioluminescence, thin sub-dermal musculature and fiber-optic analogous fur, the Cheshire Beast has perfect camouflage.

Genetics and Reproduction

Proprietary telomeres keep the Cheshire Beasts nightmarishly unstable DNA coherent.
If a female Beast does not find a suitable mate by the end of her fertile period, she will switch to a period of parthenogenic asexual reproduction. Regardless of the productive method, most litters consist of one or two cubs.

Growth Rate & Stages

From birth, the Cheshire Beast can assess and mimic its surrounding with fantastic accuracy.

Additional Information

Average Intelligence

The Beast shows a shocking aptitude for pattern recognition, predictive analysis, and even theory of mind.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Cheshire Beast has two unique sets of eyes. The larger pair are mounted high and wide on the skull, and are cribbed from its cuttlefish gene donors. The Cheshire Beast has "w" shaped pupils granting it a 360 degree field of view and access to a wide spectrum of light, from deep infra-red to ultraviolet. The second pair are lower, smaller, and forward facing for binocular vision.

Lifespan

Unknown, likely functional immortal

Conservation Status

Actively hunted to near extinction, with many communities offer a hefty bounty for the beasts head.

Average Height

40 to 60 inches at the shoulders

Average Weight

300 to 500 lbs

Average Length

5 to 8 feet long, tip to tail

Discovered by

Doctor Bannick