The Armorican Cheetah

The Armorican Cheetah (Lat. Acinonyx Nix Venator), is the equivalent to the earth cheetah.

Anatomy and Traits

The Armorican Cheetah is quite big compared to the earth cheetah, it measures 190 to 240cm (75 to 90 inches) with a tail of about 150cm (59inches) and weighs up to 125Kg (275lbs), Females are slightly smaller.

Their waist is very narrow which makes them more aerodynamic. They have very large nasal passages and a very big chest. This enables them to be able to take in large amounts of air while running at top speeds. This is also why it can run so quickly for long periods without becoming tired out. 

Their Spine works like a spring mechanism, letting them take more power from their back legs with each burst of movement. Their back legs have a higher muscle density which makes them very powerful on each movement burst. Their feet have special pads which offer them very good traction.

Armorican cheetahs have a small set of horns on their head, it helps them hunt larger and sturdier preys, they usually appear after two to four years and usually announce a cheetah's maturity.

Their maw, small for their size is however very powerful with big canines. They have semi-retractable claws which are very sharp to help them cut through their prey, it also gives them another traction which helps them make quick turns. They have dewclaws a bit longer helping them hunt preys their size or bigger, female's dewclaws are even longer and sharper.

They have tear marks to protect them from the sun. They also have rosettes of spots on the body, however, they don't cover The belly and throat areas, which are generally a different colour than the rest of the fur. They have a mane on their upper back and neck which help them hide in tall grass and slightly longer fur on the throat area.

Habitat and Lifestyle

Armorican Cheetahs live in the great grasslands of the East continent.

Packs:

They live in a system similar to lion prides called “Acinonyx Packs”. They are always on the move, moving around a territory, they are lead by Elderly cheetahs which can hardly hunt, there are usually up to 3 elders per pack.

Then there are hunters which hunt in groups up to five lead by a veteran hunter which organize the group to have two tacklers and two crushers. Tacklers, usually females are very fast and with their dewclaw, will try to tackle the prey by aiming their ligaments. Crushers, usually males are quite bigger and have bigger horns which help them hit hard the prey's ribs. 

Finally, there are cubs which come usually in litters up to four. They are protected and taught by the elders for the first six months, then they are trained by hunters, at adulthood, they have to leave the pack to find a new one, newcomers in packs are tested for two to three months to see if they are fit to join the pack, different packs can have different standards.

/!\: Elders and cubs aren't accepted in new packs.

Packs without elders are called “young packs”, they usually have a hard time surviving, as adults cannot lead the pack and organize hunts and patrols. When it happens, the packs usually dismantle, cheetahs joining other packs, losing most of the time all their territory.

/!\: Approaching an Acinonyx Pack is extremely dangerous, they will kill any predator on sight.

Cheetahs aren't the best fighter and prefer to avoid combat when on their own, they can, however, be dangerous if forced to, most of the time badly injuring the opponent's limbs and leaving.

Life cycle:

Armorican Cheetah pregnancy usually last three to four months, cubs have thicker fur for the first six months, they reach maturity between two and four years. Armorican Cheetahs live up to 17 years, the older the cheetah the more influence it has in the pack.

Female breed every two to five years, if they have to, they can look for a mate outside of the pack, however, cubs aren't usually treated as well after.

Behaviour:

In general, Armorican Cheetahs aren't that much aggressive, except if you're prey. They like relaxing, they're competitive but in a fun way, they're stealthy and like to observe landscapes and people from afar. They however don't like being disturbed and can be pretty moody.

Variant

A forest variant exists called “underwood cheetahs”, they have bigger horns, no manes, thicker and darker fur and smaller dewclaws but longer normal claws. Their pack system is slightly different, they don't hunt in groups and their packs are smaller with only one elder, they also live up to 15½ years old.


Specie Information

This specie is open, however, the design is mine, if you want to use this specie, refer to it with its proper name, and if you ever want to make a profit with the specie (aka adoptable/commission), don't forget to mention me for the design of the specie (this also applies to hybrids). It is not mandatory but I'd like to register the fursonas of this specie, so if you want you can tell me your Armorican cheetah fursona and I will register it, mentioning you and your fursona.