Palmatera (Pal-mah-teh-rah)

Summary
The palmatera is a predator native to Geminus Major prized by trophy hunters for its lustrous striped maroon fur. Despite this, their already small numbers have remained steady for hundreds of years thanks to their natural strengths and asexual form of reproduction. Palmateras are partially plantlike in nature, releasing spores when scenting their territory which bloom into plants with the same sort of maroon colouration, providing them with an easy area of camouflage wherever they settle. On top of this, when threatened the pheromones released will cause rapid growth within the plants and potentially ensnaring the attacker in question. This rapid growth does drain the plant's nutrients and will wither and die shortly after, but often provides enough time for a palmatera to either kill or escape the threat. Flames are often recommended in defending yourself from a palmatera, however this is not used in hunting as it is deemed too damaging to the pelt.

Appearance
Palmatera are quadrupeds roughly 1 metre in height & 5 metres in length on average with a lithe and flexible body. Their fur is striped with a vibrant maroon colouration, their tail covered with small offshoots resembling the shape of palm leaves, their spore glands within them. Their long, curved claws allow them to more effectively climb trees as well as keeping themselves hooked onto their prey whilst doing the majority of the damage with their fangs. Their heads are somewhat catlike, though with more leaflike ears that are harder to pick apart from their surroundings when moving.

Diet & Behaviour
Palmatera have a slow metabolism, and so whilst they will eat almost any creature it has access to, it prefers to hunt bigger game and digest it slowly over a few weeks to months. Because of this, palmatera often will hunt small game only when young or desperate, most often of which happens after just leaving their parent or something forcing it out of its territory. In both instances the camouflage they usually use to ensnare larger, more dangerous prey is unavailable whilst their spore plants are regrowing (a process that takes about a month to reach a comfortable level for the palmatera, but if left alone with access to nutrients will continue to grow for up to a year.)
The plant-like nature of the palmatera results in a rather interesting form of reproduction, where the fully grown plants from the spores of a palmatera will begin to react with reproductive spores once the palmatera reaches maturity, beginning to produce palmatera infants. These "fertilised" plants will begin to close up and form a bulb requiring additional nourishment to stimulate the growth and will sap away at nearby plants within a 10 metre range. In the wilds of Geminus Major this is mostly a non-issue as the density of the foliage provides enough plants that they won't be heavily impeded by the excess drain, often with only other spore plants dying as a result. Attempts to breed in captivity however has found the process more difficult to maintain in a more sustainable manner. After around 6 months, the bulb will burst open, revealing a baby palmatera. Whilst each bulb is an independent birth, it's common for multiple to be born within a short timespan if left alone, with litters of 3-4 being relatively common. 
Palmatera become more solitary as they age; it's common for palmatera to leave their parent from 6 months old, at which point they're almost fully grown and will start producing spores in low quantities. By 8-10 months they're fully grown, and from that point the speed in which they generate spores increases over time for the next two years, after which they start producing reproductive spores until nearer the end of their 10-year lifespan. Because of this early leaving age,  palmatera will often form small packs with their broodmates in their early years, but usually become fully solitary by the time they're producing reproductive spores.