Short-Tailed Cat
Basic Information
Anatomy
The short-tailed cat is a large, robust feline known for its massive body, large head, and extremely dense pelt. These cats have dark brown to black skin with a generally light gray, cream, or white fur that is extremely dense over thick layers of body fat and muscle, that make them formidable predators. Large paws allow them to distribute their weight well over tightly packed snow, oftentimes allowing the cats to walk atop it where other animals might sink and become trapped. Slightly webbed feet also allow the cats a high degree of mobility in the water, and they are known to swim quite well and even give chase to fish near the surface.
In the wintertime, the cats will shed their summer coats for a much denser white or cream one.
Genetics and Reproduction
Short tail cats typically reach sexual maturity around 3-4 years old, and due to their primarily solitary nature, will often only come together to mate. Typically, they mate in mid-winter so that cubs will be born in spring, where food is more plentiful and seasons are far less harsh. Female cats will generally mate with many males, a survival strategy seen across many animals, so that males cannot tell which offspring are theirs, and are less aggressive overall to the cubs when encountering them.
Typically, each pregnancy results in 2-4 cubs being born in the spring. Cubs are born, much like many mammals, deaf and blind, and will grow quickly over their first few weeks. Pregnant short tails will typically dig a den in dense snow to give birth and rear their young, during which time they do not hunt until their cubs have grown enough to tolerate their mothers being away for several hours at a time and can regulate their own body temperatures. Around three months old, short tail cubs will begin venturing out of their dens to explore, play, and begin practice hunting on small animals brought to them by their mothers. Around 6 months of age, they may begin to hunt larger prey with their mother, although are typically only able to help chase or flush prey to her to kill. At 2 years, cubs will generally begin dispersing from her territory, although are known to stay in the general area more typically until they themselves are sexually mature.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Short-tail cats feed on a wide variety of prey, but are most well known for hunting reindeer, seals, arctic birds, and hares. Their diets are, however, not restricted just to their common prey, and short-tails will feed upon anything they can, particularly in late autumn and early winter, including trapped whales or porpoises, small dragons, fish, wolves, foxes, and on occasion, people. Due to their harsh environment and the availability of food, they are known to see anything smaller than themselves as potential prey and will not pass up opportunities to hunt if there is not too much risk.
Tales of short-tail cats hunting explorers, stalking researchers, and scavenging on the remains of humanoids are not uncommon. It is widely believed in their native range that the species may be behind tales of Rimewalkers, similarly to in North America where the myth is believed to be tales of the Needlecoat Wolf.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Short-tail cats are primarily solitary creatures. They only come together to mate or when a female is raising her own cubs and will often be territorial to one another at all other times. Unlike some other species of large cats, male short-tails are not aggressive to cubs unless situations are truly dire due to the promiscuous nature of their species: Males mate with many females and the vice versa, meaning that any cub a male encounters could potentially be his, a survival strategy to keep adult males from being aggressive to the young.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Short-tail cats were once extensively hunted due to the dangers they could potentially pose to humanoids, or poached for their fur and claimed to have been posing a threat. While these cats are not afraid of people as is common with many large-bodied arctic predators and may see them as potential food, the tales of the cats hunting and stalking such for weeks on end, maliciously killing and then not eating any persons they have caught, or always being a threat are generally accepted as being wildly exaggerated. Similar protocols as to dealing with bears, Needlecoat Wolf, other wolves, or other big cat species have proven to be more than enough to keep them at bay, such as not keeping food in one's shelter, yelling and making one's self look large, or turning on large bright lights when one is in the area.
Due to hunting of the species not being completely outlawed until recently as well as their harsh environment, it is currently unknown where their populations truly lie and how densely. It is widely believed that the short-tail cat has suffered extreme population loss over the centuries, having a massive impact on the population and quality of their prey.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
This species lives exclusively in the extreme northern reaches of Asia and Europe, primarily inhabiting tundras and glacial plains. Short-tail cats are the apex predators of their ecosystems and greatly prefer rocky terrain, cliffs, crags, and valleys above the glacial line.
Origin/Ancestry
Natural
Conservation Status
Requires further study
Average Weight
650 - 1500 lbs
Average Length
6.5 - 8 ft
Average Physique
Robustly muscled
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Light gray, white, or cream fur with darker patterning in the summer. White or cream fur in the winter.
Comments