hexelidae

[hexelidae]

overhauling kali’s body plan. she’s theoretically a hexapod too but i dont know if i want only one set of limbs modulated to fins or all of them. i really want to give her the ecology of an animal with no hands but i want her to be able to run at the same time. i hear you thinking ‘jordan, what about sea lions?’ sea lions look dumb. next

[hexelidae]

hexelis sicarus, or the red hellcat, is a species of carnivorous hexapod that superficially resemble cats. they are not, however, closely related to tetrapod felids.

species in the hexelidae family show sexual morphism on a triple bell curve, rather than a double as most tetrapod mammals. that is to say, they display three common sex morphs that each serve an evolutionary purpose. this individual, Lyn Lisaph, represents the non-reproductive third sex known as amale or the ‘hunter’ morph. this morph is characterized by hypertrophied (but not laterally compressed) incisor and canine teeth, as well as a more gracile body with longer limbs.

[hexelidae]

Kali the southern sea leopard (leptonyx terrera) demonstrating her ability to high walk. though not particularly graceful on solid ground, the southern sea leopard can achieve some impressive sprints when properly motivated, enough to catch most humans over a short distance. they spend very little time on the ice, preferring to ambush their prey from the dark waters below, but sea leopards have been known to chase prey over land and force it into the water, where they are most agile and deadly.

[hexelidae]

the southern sea leopard (leptonyx terrera) is, despite its common name, a large, hypercarnivorous caniform found primarily throughout the antarctic regions. though almost completely aquatic, the sea leopard retains four wide, heavily webbed paws with thin, sharp claws primarily used for breaking ice and digging dens.

the sea leopard can reach impressive speeds both on land and in the water, capable of reaching both sprint an swim speeds of 25mph. its body is long and hydrodynamic and it has muscular, flexible forelimbs and a thick rudder-like tail to aid it in aquatic maneuverability. their counter-shaded fur allows the leopards to stealthily stalk and approach prey at the edge of the water before ambushing with a powerful bite-and-shake technique for dispatch. they have some of the most powerful jaws of any mammalian carnivore, producing up to 1,250psi at the canine points.

while on average males measure about 9’-10’ from nose to tail and weigh in between 700-900lbs, females tend to grow larger, measuring on average between 9.5’-12’ and weighing 880-1,200lbs. the pictured individual, Kali, is an unusually large female. she measures 13.2’ long from nose to tail, and tips the scales at an impressive 1,300lbs.

[hexelidae]

literally cannot overstate the potential utility of a hexapodal body plan, especially for carnivoran mammals.

the one thing that holds back animals like pigs, parrots, chimps, and cetaceans from manipulating their environment the way we do isn’t a lack of intelligence; it’s a lack of dexterity.

these animals have limbs geared toward power and locomotion, not object manipulation (this is also reflected in their neurological layout as well but that’s a whole other can of worms). cetaceans have flippers instead of paws because they need to be able to move quickly in water. parrots have wings instead of hands because they need to fly. chimpanzees, while possessing hands much like ours, have a much higher concentration of fast-twitch muscle fiber and motor neurons geared specifically for power output, which is how a chimpanzee is capable of much more physical strength than an identically sized human.

this modulation of limbs designed for power output comes at the cost of fine motor skills, putting non-human animals at a disadvantage in regards to the minute and repetitive motion required for tool use. simply put, power and dexterity are inversely correlated. in order to increase one, the other must be sacrificed.

so what if an animal had the ability to modulate two separate sets of forelimbs, one for power and one for dexterity? what if an animal could craft spears and swords, but simply didn’t need to?

[hexelidae]

Francis Thyodore, age 23, represents a unique subset of carnivorous marsupials called sparassodontis scimitar, that evolved saber-like canine teeth completely parallel to the machairodontinae and hexelidae lineages. While he appears to be a fearsome predator at first glance, Thyodore is the descendent of a nomadic scavenger group that specialized in processing meat, rather than killing it. While living members of this group are quite rare, their legacy as leather workers and manufacturers of animal products lives on in the sustainable techniques they pioneered long ago. Thyodore himself is more interested in civil infrastructure and engineering, and, despite being an obligate carnivore, states that his favorite food is actually kimchi.

[hexelidae]

Civen, a giant bobtailed hellcat (arthropanthera cruoresatietas). The giant bobtailed hellcat is the largest of the hexelidae subfamily, with Civen himself standing bipedally at 9’10” and weighing 955lbs.

The hexelidae subfamily, or hellcats, are highly specialized populations scaled for efficiency in dispatching large prey. Notably, the saber-like canines of a. cruoresatietas are too thin and fragile to use reliably in combat and are exclusively used for killing strikes. Rather, a. cruoresatietas use their stocky, muscular builds and powerful upper bodies to fight, with the most popular sport within a. cruoresatietas populations being a culturally unique style of wrestling. This combat sport, known as caprinus, is practiced both recreationally and competitively, with nomadic populations occasionally converging to hold sporting events.

The primary objective of caprinus (sometimes called Cruore wrestling) is to pin the opponent and expose the front of their throat for a simulated “killing strike”. This is usually done utilizing the control points of the forehead, front limbs, and shoulders. The sport gets its name from the frequent occurrence of two competitors putting their foreheads together to jostle for leverage, a position similar in appearance to two goats or rams butting heads.

[hexelidae]

Leopard Seals are huge apex predators in the Antarctic and the most vicious of all seals. One notable characteristic of leopard seals are their short, clear whiskers, used to sense their environment.

(source)