Marasabili

Marasabili (rough translation of punjabi words meaning "marsh cat") are a few species of cats related to Needletooth cats. Marasabili are found in the marshlands of the Indian subcontinent and East Asia. They split from the common ancestor of Needletooth Cats about two million years after the holocene extinction

Biology

Marasabili measure in at about 2 feet at the shoulder and 5 feet in length, not including a 1.5 foot long tail. They live to about 8 years old. Their coat is a greyish-tan color with an assortment of black stripes and eyespots covering the entire body in order to confuse insects and scare predators. This coat is also waterproof.

Marasabili, being marsh-dwelling animals, have slightly longer legs and wide flat feet to distribute their weight on the mud as to not fall through. Although cats already already have whiskers on their legs, Marasabili take it a step further as the phalanges are covered in tiny whiskers that can sense the smallest of vibrations in the water. Their claws are longer than a normal cat's and slightly hooked, this shape helps them while hunting.

Marasabili mostly eat fish, aquatic rodents, snakes, wading birds, and sometimes if food is scare, they may go after crocodiles. When they hunt fish, rodents, and snakes, they slowly walk through the water and make as little sound as they can before swiping at their prey and at skewering it with their claws so that it can't get away. For wading birds, they pounce from tall grass and use their claws to knock the bird from under its legs before the cat grabs it and delivers a bite to the neck. If the cat gets desperate enough to go after a croc, it will hop on its back and gouge out it's eyes with its claws, however theres a 75% chance this ends with a dead cat instead of a dead croc.

Behavior

Marasabili are solitary, they only meet up for mating. Kittens are born into litters of 5. Since the kittens aren't tall enough to wade through the water and can't swim, they climb on their mother's back and hold onto her thick coat for dear life while she hunts. The kittens play fight once they get back to the den on dry land. Here they feed and learn all the moves and strategies necessary for hunting.