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Ancestor: Sun Cat

Size: 80cm nose to tail

Dietary Needs: Mixed diet of fish, crustaceans, lizards and warm-blooded animals up to the size of a small rabbit. The largest prey they will take on is an adult eeltrout.

Life Cycle: These cats are more solitary than their domestic ancestors. Males and females both compete for territory. Males increase their own kittens' chances at survival by eliminating their competition. This creates a selective pressure for larger, stronger males than females, as it is these males who can overpower a female and eliminate their rival's offspring are then replace them with their own kittens, are the most likely to have successful offspring. Males can also become possessive of females, patrolling several female territories to keep rivals out.

Males have no involvement in their kitten's lives. They are indifferent as long as the kittens give off the chemical signature that they are his own. Kittens are usually born before water levels rise and rivers fill. Females seek solitude and may become elusive until the kittens are active and agile. The kittens may take the rest of the summer to mature, so a female will only rear one set of kittens per year. When kittens start hunting their own food their mother starts treating them as competition for food, and separates from her kittens.

Other: Long legs are characteristic to the genus. This makes them able to leap great distances, such as over obstacles presented by their wetland environment such as grassy vegetation and patches of mud. As well as leaping over obstacles they are also able to leap gracefully and quietly at prey, including birds. A third use of their long legs is to wade into the water on warm days and wait patiently until the fish become habituated to their presence. Then they bat a choice fish out of the water, or grab it with their claws and teeth combined.

Their tail has reduced function, mainly as a means for communication though limited between such solitary animals. Their ability to leap is not affected by the lack of a long tail. A small tail provides one extra benefit, albiet minor. The tail doesn't often accidentally brush up against vegetation and thus, the cat has less chance of making accidental noise. Although cats have quite good spatial awareness, in this particular environment of narrow corridors between walls of grass the tail was often an accidental noise trigger. Since this cat is both predator to smaller animals and also prey to a local barrel cat species, they have every reason to stay as silent as possible.

They are excellent swimmers and drawn to water.