Wampus cat
Stalking the shallows of the rivers and lakes by the dark of the night, the haunting cries of the wampus cat echoes out into the night. Seek out their green eyes in the shadows or fall victim to their saber teeth.
The Wampus Cat, or Wampus for short, is a magical, amphibious panther from North America. It is called the Gallywampus in wrecca state of Missouri and the Whistling Wampus in their state of Arkansas.
Often confused the other magical felines know to the indigenous population, the wampus is distinct creature from the various therianthropes and other magical cats of the Americas.
Basic Information
Anatomy
These large quadrupedal felines are often called cat dog hybrids because many who encounter them remember them as stockier than they actually are. It is true they have larger, sturdier bones than most of the fellow felines. They are much more similar to the extinct Smilodon with who they share many features, most notably their large saber teeth. Nearly all wampus have green eyes. They also possess gills hidden beneath the tufts of fur on their cheeks allowing them to breath underwater.
Genetics and Reproduction
The wampus build their own or enter the den of a beaver to give birth to their kits after 93-112 days of gestation.
Growth Rate & Stages
They live in the den with their parents until they are about a year old. It takes females 3 to 4 years to sexually mature, and male 3 to 5 years. Once mature, they set off on their own to establish a territory for themselves.
Ecology and Habitats
Since the wampus is amphibious, they make their homes around rivers and lakes, though some have taken residence in a pond if the surrounding hunting grounds are rich enough to sustain them.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The wampus is a carnivore, and is known to consume any animal in their territory with the exception of beavers. It is believed that since they often share dens and the beavers are so beneficial to their survival they have been taken off the menu.
Mortals and elders have been known to be hunted, killed, and devoured by wampus.
Additional Information
Social Structure
The wampus lives in a matriarchal pride, generally keep one or more males as possible mates and hunters.The kits stay with the pride until they reach the age of 4 or 5 years, and since they have a gestation period of 93-112 days and can go into heat within 21 days of giving birth, the average matriarch is capable of having two litters of 1 to 12 kittens a year, so these prides can be quite large.
Domestication
The wampus has never been successfully domesticated, and most who have tried died.
Facial characteristics
If one were able to get close enough to safely examine them, it would become readily apparent that they each have a distinct pattern in the fur on their faces.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
The wampus ranges from Markland in the north to Southern Cibola
Average Intelligence
There is a much debate about the intelligence of the wampus with estimates ranging from them being highly intelligent animals to a fully sapient species. Some have gone as far as to call them the American Sphinx.
It would be a mistake to doubt the intelligence of the wampus, but since calm encounters with them are rarely reported, it is difficult to gage. One has never been successfully held in captivity. They always find a means of escape.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
The Wampus can see better than any other know feline. Their nocturnal habits have developed keep vision even when hunting underwater at night. They have a nictitating membrane that protects their eyes while underwater.
They are renown for their ability to pierce the heart or soul of a mortal or elder, causing a deep melancholy that leads to madness.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
The wampus appears to have a symbiotic or at the very least mutually beneficial relationship with beavers. If a wampus lives in the region, it is a virtual certainty that there are beavers in the region too.
Some experts, especially those who called them the American Sphinx, believe they domesticate the beavers and keep them as pets, but their relationship has not been thoroughly studied.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Lifespan
89 years
Conservation Status
The Wampus is a vital element of most of the preserved wild spaces with rivers and lakes, and have been reintroduced into all of their original territories. As a result they are no longer considered endangered.
Average Height
47 in at the shoulder
Average Weight
490 to 880 lb
Average Physique
The wampus is strong and particularly muscular, even for a feline.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
The wampus has a dusky gray fur with large black mottling, but they have been seen with dark blue and dark violet fur as well.
Geographic Distribution
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