Cordilleran Caers
Official Topic
Official Topic
Cordilleran Caers are a cat hybrid species that originate in the cordilleran rainforests of the pacific coastal mountain ranges of North America. Due to their breed's success and human migration, Caers have spread from the West of the continent towards the Boreal and Eastern forests and also towards other continents because of human displacement.
The Caer is a cross of a deer and a feline species. It shows occasional differing deer characteristics but is seen with many more traits of its felid cousins. It is aloof majority of the time, sticking mostly to its sub-family but for social or hunting reasons, it does show itself of being part of a pack or clan consisting of elders, hunters, fighters and scouts. The Caer and its clan's usual habitat is that of the forest's canopy where it lives, hopping from tree to tree. Because of its small stature and lack of running speed, it seldom comes to the ground, usually only to scavenge or look for water.
The Caer is an omnivore but perfers meat to any plant substance. Its usual prey is that of smaller tree-dwelling animals like squirrels or chipmunks, birds, eggs and the occasional insect if the Caer is too hungry to be choosy.
The average size Caer is around two feet in height and length standing at shoulder height and from nose to tail. They can range in size below that but none seen exceed three feet. A Caer is classified in its clan by physical size but most importantly, antler size. The size and elaboration of a male Caer's antlers makes him more desirable as a hunter, fighter or leader and also as a mating partner.
Among female Caers, the larger a male is and the more showy his antlers are give him more options when choosing a mate. Female Caers are naturally smaller in size. Depending on the Caer's height preference, a male may find physical size more attractive than coat elaboration which is more prominent in females. Unlike cats, Caers are not very profuse breeders; Caers can only mate three times in their life and females have only been known to give birth to a maximum of three kits at a time, though on average only one makes it to adulthood.
The Caer's lifespan usually averages out around at around ten years of age as they enter their elder years. Only a select few live past ten and into their elder years and act as clan leaders or caregivers to the sick and vulnerable. No Caer lives past the age of fifteen.
The Caer is an aloof species that has yet to be fully tamed by humans. Caers that have been captured and preserved in an artificial habitat have slowly grown to accept humans and see them as food providers, but have yet to trust them. In the wild, they seem receptive to humans existing in the area below its habitat but can become quite defensive if any human gets too close. Males are more lackadasical when humans are present unless its breeding season or the clan is under some other threat. Females choose normally to flee or hide unless in the presence of kits in which case they are the most aggressive and threatening wild Caer existing.
