Mothats

Basic Information

Anatomy

Mothats have six legs and two wings, a large head, and a long tail.

Genetics and Reproduction

Female mothats will enter heat twice a season and seek out a mate. If they find a mate in the time, the Mothat becomes fertilized. After a pregnancy of 70 days, the Mothat lays between 2-8 eggs. While waiting for its eggs to hatch, the female mothat begins to eat more and more food to be ready for milk production. the female also becomes fiercely territorial over its eggs. The larvae continue to develop in the egg for another 10 days and emerge as newborn Caterkittens.

Growth Rate & Stages

Egg

Mothat Eggs are yellowish and opaque, filled with a nutrient slurry. One can see the shadow of the larvae inside an egg.

Caterkitten

Freshly hatched and needing their mother's milk for another three weeks. Compared to the later stages, it's the least developed and has a fat worm-like body with no limbs but the Mothats distinctive face, save the antenna which remains furled until after Metamorphosis. They are blind for a period of two weeks. They do play and wrestle but remain near their mother until they're ready to be weaned.

Metamorphosis

After weaning off their mother's milk, the caterkitten will eat solid food for four weeks before they form a cocoon made of silk to complete their infancy. The body liquifies inside the cacoon before reforming into the mothat. The cacoon is cut through with their proboscis and emerges a juvenile mothat, ready for the rest of its growth.

Mothat

Now ready to leave, the juvenile leaves its mother and siblings, ready to explore the world. It grows larger to around a max height of 8 inches at the shoulder and 9 pounds. Once it hits sexual maturity at age five the mothat is finally considered fully grown.

Ecology and Habitats

Mothats inhabit nearly every corner of the Hemispheres, specialized breeds having adapted to the various regions of the planets.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Caterkittens require their mother's milk just after hatching while weaned caterkittens and mothats are omnivores, who eat both meat and fruits.

Biological Cycle

Mothats grow different types of hair depending on the season. In the warm season, it has bristly, almost chitinous fuzz. This falls out in the cold months, replaced by large amounts of downy fur that is exceptionally soft.

Additional Information

Domestication

Mothats haven't changed much from domestication, as they were created as a companion species, only cousins to more dangerous feline hybrids

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Their discarded cacoons can be boiled to unravel the fibers to create silk. Just 10 cacoons can create thirty meters of the fabric!

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Mothats center on human settlements but can live everywhere they choose to.

Average Intelligence

Mothats are much like cats, but how active or curious mostly depends on the breed and individual temperament.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

A mothat has many ways of experiencing the world. For sight, they have two large segmented eyes on the sides of their heads, as well as two conventional cat eyes. They possess intricate feathered antennae on the top of their head between their ears to help boost the range of their nose. Their mouth possesses teeth and a normal tongue that can taste , in addition to a proboscis in the back of the throat that is tipped with a sharp hook.

Scientific Name

Felis Catus Actias

Lifespan

15 years in best circumstances

Conservation Status

Least concern.

Average Height

10.3 Inches

Average Weight

7 lbs

Average Length

3 feet from tail to snout

Average Physique

Most are athletic and hunt for their meals, eating smaller creatures that exist in their enviroment.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Some mothat breeds are still poisonous and have bright colors to warn against coming near, while others adopt coloration to hide in the tunnels. It largely depends on the environment of the mothat and its ancestry.