Bushcats

The bushcat is a land-based, ambush predator. It lives in areas with low cover such as scrub brush, dense undergrowth, or rocky crags/cliff sides. They are large cats, weighing in at a range of 280-400 lbs, and standing 40 inches or more at the shoulder. Bushcats are solitary, have large territories, and tend to be courageous rather than cautions. They are opportunistic and can to be a particular danger to anyone traveling alone in areas with lots of cover. Traveling in the wide open is more advisable when alone and over land, since the bushcat will not chase its prey over an open distance. However, they don’t naturally take to hunting people. Their natural prey are animals like the nymbak, the scrapwing, and other small to medium winged animals. They hunt by ambush and specialize in snatching prey from the air as it is taking off. Winged prey tends to spook upward when startled, and Bushcats take advantage of this with prodigious jumping abilities. Bushcats have slightly longer hind legs that add power to their leaps, and short, stiff tails used as a rudder during their jumps. Their claws are severely curved, so as to hook into the skin of their prey and drag it down to the ground. The largest bushcats can take down pegasi, though this is not common, since most pegasi are at the top of their prey weight class, and tend to fight back more than nimbak or similar animals.

Large ears help locate prey in their natural hunting grounds that have sporadic lines of sight. They raise litters of 1-3 kittens. Kittens stay with the mother for up to 2 years. Bushcat coats tend to be dusty tan with minimal white markings, though coat patterns vary based on specific environments. A bushcat on a southern island may have a vastly different coat than one on a more northerly island. They have local names, but are universally known as “bushcat”.