Moon Tigers

Moon tigers are a species of genetically engineered large predatory cat, native to the mountainous slopes and high forests of the far side of Luna. Although they are often thought of as members of the Gene Sea, technically speaking they are not true members, because their ancestors came from Earth and because they were not introduced back to Earth with the other alien species which arrived at the start of the Season Of Innocence, following the Vow of Earth.
They are also uncommon on Earth itself, but they are not unknown. The Guardians of Luna kept a small population of a re-engineered and domesticated subspecies of the moon tiger, which they used to patrol and protect their earthly embassy at the Enclave of Hesperados during the Season of Innocence. Due to the time their ancestors spent away from Earth, we can perhaps stretch the point to consider the moon tigers on earth to be at least an associate member of the Gene Sea, even if they are an unusual one.

Moon Tiger by DMFW with Midjourney

Basic Information

Anatomy

Moon tigers are four legged hunters with powerful limbs and claws and teeth capable of rending the flesh from their prey. They have a mobile tail which helps them to balance.

Ecology and Habitats

Moon tigers live in the mountainous regions of the far side of the Luna, which has always been a wilderness area, relative to the more highly populated cities around the seas and oceans on the earth facing side of the satellite.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Moon tigers hunt grazing lagomorphs, grald and stilt gazelle, which inhabit the pine trees and meadowlands around the high lakes in the mountains.

Behaviour

Moon tigers are silent hunters who prefer to stalk their prey but they can also run at great speed when required and will often be faster then their prey over short distances. They are apex predators and there is no other species on the moon that can threaten them. Even on earth, where they have been adapted and reintroduced, they can compete with most members of the Gene Sea and are one of the few creatures known to have successfully fought with spider wolves.
The species has a wide vocal range, which includes roars and mews that convey relatively sophisticated signals to their group, even if this is not quite at the level of a language. When content, they will often produce a low frequency rumbling in the throat which is known as purring. Moon tiger purring can be suprisingly loud. It is considered an endearing feature of the domesticated subspecies and a sign of affection.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Moon tigers live in small family groups, such as the ones shown here. They make dens in caves, often above the tree line.

Moon Tiger Lair by DMFW with Night Cafe

Moon Tiger Cubs by DMFW with Night Cafe

Moon Tiger Family by DMFW with Midjourney

Domestication

During the Season of Innocence, the Guardians of Luna took stock of a subspecies of tamed moon tigers and re-engineered them to adapt them for life on earth. Their distant ancestors had long been extinct on the mother planet and the new subspecies needed to have stronger muscles and a more robust anatomy to live under the heavier gravity than their recent adaptations on the moon had selected for.
The image below shows in the background, moon tigers at the Enclave of Hesperados, where they acted to defend the embassy of Luna. The moon tigers were great favourites of their human masters and were treated with the respect and honour due to their intelligence and disposition, fierce against enemies and loving towards friends. Moon tigers were every bit as important to the empaths of the Luna embassy as their horses were to the Riders of that age.

Klane Kalonia at the Gates of Hesperados by DMFW with Vue

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Moon tigers, in their original form are found on the far side of Luna in the more remote highland areas. Wild descendants of the domesticated subspecies originally re-engineered by the Guardians of Luna can still be seen in the Bitter Mountains and the Cold Rise mountains on the continent of Trass.

Average Intelligence

Moon tigers have larger and more sophisticated brains than their earthly ancestors, having been genetically engineered for cunning (with other carefully selected traits) when they were adapted for life on the moon. Although they do not possess the levels of intelligence necessary to qualify them for true sapience, they are not far away and are capable of achieving a level of understanding which allows them to be integrated into certain co-operative roles within human societies. It is a kind of domestication but not one it is always safe to trust.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Moon tigers have excellent eye sight and can hunt either by day or night. They are usually diurnal but have been observed to sometimes change this pattern depending on the pattern of locally available prey.

Origin/Ancestry

White Bengal Tiger

Lifespan

40 years

Average Height

1.5 metres

Average Weight

150 kg

Average Length

2.5 metres

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Moon tigers are almost invariably white with black stripes of varying patterns, although occasionally there may be an orange or red tint to the fur, a recessive trait that used to be dominant in their distantly related ancestors, before gene engineering. Their eyes can be yellowish green, or more rarely, a piercing shade of blue.