Hydrum cat - sheet1

(inspired by something random... watching a show called future cats and waaayyy overthinking what might happen if big cats were to go aquatic! XD I kind of love them though, especially the deep-sea.)

Hydrum cats inhabit a world where the ice-caps have melted to half the size they were recorded at in 2015. They are apex predators who have no predators on land bar mankind who occasionally kill them for their pelts and blubber. In the water they are actively hunted by larger species of shark, leopard seals and giant squid.

 

Hyrum cats come in three varieties:

 

Common (adapted for life in both cold and warm waters)

Ice-cap (adapted for life in icy seas)

Deep sea (adapted for life in deeper waters)

 

All three kinds are semi aquatic, though the deep sea variety only come to land to breed; the other types hold small land bound territories throughout the year.

 

These cats are very stocky and muscular.

 

They have very flexible spines and are very acrobatic in the water. When not hunting they are as playful as dolphins.

 

Their teeth are serrated to help grip the fish they typically hunt.

 

Although their eyes are very large and sensitive, their whiskers are their most important sensory organs as they are very sensitive to vibrations in the water.

 

Their small ears and their noses ‘close’ when they are submerged.

 

They can hold their breath for a very long time, and their chests can expand enormously when their lungs are filled.

 

They do not hunt on land as they are too cumbersome, though they do excel at taking prey on the water from beneath like a shark.

 

The common variety have been known to ambush drinking prey by the waterside, much like crocodiles do.

 

Eye colours are – blue/yellow/silver/orange

 

Breeding season is late spring and kittens are born in early summer.

 

Kittens matures slowly and usually stay with their mothers until at least two years of age, though the mother will be ready to breed again a year after the last litter.

 

Litters vary in size according to type. Deep sea and Ice-cap varieties commonly have twins (or sometimes triplets) but common Hydrums will have between 3 and 6 kittens in every litter.

 

Type peculiarities:

 

Common:

NO sexual dimorphism.

Colours are – Greys/blues/silvers/browns – for the cold water variety

    -       Golds/Oranges/Yellows – for the warm water variety

This type is the most reliant on land.

Common Hydrums tend to live in groups and will hunt together as well.

Common Hydrums are most commonly found in the shallow seas created over land by the progressive melting of the ice caps.

 

 

Ice-cap:

Males have a lot more fur, typically in manes and on the elbows, heels and tails.

These Hydrums have two sets of protruding teeth, upper and lower.

They have a thicker layer of blubber than the other types and can appear quite podgy when food is plentiful as they store fat very easily.

They live in pairs or very small groups (maximum of four) as hunting is trickier in their harsher climates.

 

 

 

Deep sea:

Males have frills and extra ‘whiskers’ which are used for display purposes.

These hydrums are specially adapted to an almost exclusively aquatic life, and as such can remain underwater for significantly longer than the other types.

Deep sea hydrums have ‘bio-lights’ which help them to find prey and each other in the deep dark waters. Prey become mesmerized by the lights and are drawn to them.

Their eyes are more sensitive than the other types.

They live in small groups or singularly and have tend to take down very large prey which is then stored in underwater caves. They are particularly fond of shark, which they attract by attacking other prey and waiting for the blood to attract the sharks. 

 

Hydrum cats are (c) to me, and I'm hoping to make an arpg type group around the world they inhabit. I may make humans part of it, I may not, I haven't decided yet. Right now I'm working on other wildlife in their world.

These are not free to create or yet available for creation at all, I'm still working on them, I'll update things in a journal when things progress a little ^^

 

 

The current hydrum sheets were done without any kind of referencing for the cats structure as I was without internet and with all my books packed away at the time of drawing them. I am working on new sheets which will hopefully look a lot smoother at the moment.