Needletooth Cats

Needletooth Cat art done by Tortoiseman on reddit

Needletooth Cats (genus Cerebrustabulum, brain-stabber) are large, predatory descendants of domestic cats found in the grasslands and savannas of Eurasia.

Biology

Needletooth cats measure at about 6 feet in length (not including a 2 foot long tail) and 3 feet tall at the shoulder. Their upper canines measure at 8 inches in length.

A Needletooth's canines are concealed behind its lips. These teeth are thin, but sturdy at the same time due to thick enamel. The tongue has lots of spiky papillae for licking meat off of bones as well as grooming. 

Needletooth's have large ears and sensitive hearing as well as smaller eyes and sharp eyesight. Their ears have tufts of hair to help them blend into tall grass. Needletooth cats have a black striped pattern to aid them in hiding. Their coat is brownish-black in color.

Sexual dimorphism is very apparent with females having wider faces and a puffed up ridges of hair on their jaw. Males have stronger jaws and a bushier tail.

Needletooth cats have large hooked claws designed for grappling onto prey. Their primary source of prey are mowboars. Hunting has a success rate of 33%.

Behavior

Needletooth cats use their long and thin upper canines for quickly killing mowboars. While the mowboars are feeding or drinking, the Needletooth will wait in the grass for the right moment to pounce. It grabs onto the mowboar with its claws and pulls itself up to the head. It bites down and its upper canines poke through the eyeballs and orbitals right through the brain, quickly killing its prey. Multiple other cats usually distract the rest of the herd while the strongest one tries to secure its kill.

Needletooth cats have a pride system. Prides are run by females with one female. The male changes every two years and the new male kills the previous kittens. Males live outside the pride in coalitions.

Mothers have litters of about 3-4 kittens. Kittens play with each other and small animals in order to learn life skills early on. If they're lucky, least one kitten can make it to 15 and die of old age.

Needletooth cats have various forms of communication. They most notably use purring when hunting to coordinate while staying silent, purring is also used while nursing. Their excessive use of purring is a behavior imprinted on them by humans even though we are long gone by this point. Grooming is also common in needletooth prides to show loyalty to the leader.