This is my second creation of species.
This time, it is a feline instead of a canine.
Appearances:
The Machungwa (Swahili for "Orange") are a very unusual looking species, having a height and width larger than that of a tiger but resembling a cross between a lion and an ocelot.
Their pelts are a golden orange color with many spots and stripes lining their sides, faces and tails, as well as a bright ochre (or in older specimens, golden with specks of silver) tuft of fur sitting at the tip of their tails.
Females are larger than males and are visibly more muscular, but males are more nimble and have a more graceful gait.
This seems to be their way of evening out the sexes hunting skills, as the females are more able to take down their prey without too much of a struggle and the males are more likely to outrun a fleeing zebra or giraffe and dodge any kicks and jabs thrown at them in defense.
The first thing most say when observing these creatures up close (usually tribal African men out hunting) is that they have bizarre and somewhat frightening eyes. Their pupils resemble a large, black "X" and take up more than half of their eye (even when the pupil is contracted), and the irises are a subtle yet almost glowing golden color.
Their enormous pupils give them terrific vision in almost complete darkness, but they are nearly blind when out hunting in the unforgiving African sun.
They also have three rows of small but highly sharp sets of teeth, used for quickly slicing into their preys skin to get at their muscle and vital organs (particularly their stomach, which is very nutritious for growing Machungwa cubs).
"Duzi" (Male Machungwa) Personalities:
Despite being twice as small, males are far more aggressive than females, often "challenging" their own mates to competitive duals in order to see who will eat first, when mating will occur, and many other things. The females will often get tired of fighting so often that they will simply give in, although if they have the desire to carry on they could quite easily beat their male opponent. This does not seem to occur to the cocky males, who will roar triumphantly and make a distinct purring sound that sounds similar to a dog snarling (this signals to all Machungwa within earshot that they are victorious and basically, not to be messed with).
They are highly territorial towards other predatory animals entering their enormous territories and will hold grudges towards their intruders for as long as they can remember them, attacking anything with a similar scent at a moment's notice. Considering they claim such vast amounts of land, they are constantly battling with other animals over hunting grounds, mating grounds and places to live and raise young, and thus have to live in enormous groups consisting of 30-55 females and 10-15 males in order to fend for themselves and their land.
It is not odd for a male to kill another male, as their similar aggressive, boisterous personalities will cause them to clash, but they will rarely end the life of a female (although they are not beyond attempting to injure them).
Surprisingly enough, they are good fathers and even baby sitters, fiercely defending their cubs and other Machungwa's spawn from predators.
"Kubwa" (Female Machungwa) Personalities:
Larger and more active than males, females spend much of their time out in the night, hunting, avoiding their mates, and spending time with other females.
They are larger and stronger but still, far more laid back that their male counterparts, and will only put up a fight when they consider it necessary, such as fighting for their meals and defending their cubs. For example, they are known to let lions and hyenas pass through their territory when they believe the males are not on guard, only attacking wheh they believe a Duzi has noticed the intruders. They will then pretend as if they were going to attack all along, snarling and swatting at the passer-bys until they are some 10 feet away from the border of their lands.
They are not as paternal as the males considering their laid-back nature tends to make them underestimate the true neediness of their young, assuming that what would be no big deal to them is also a minor set-back to their three or four cubs, when in reality they may be facing the dangers of starvation and being killed by hungry lions not in the mood for chasing down enormous water-buffalo or fleet footed antelopes.
Thus, they tend to leave the offspring with their mates during most hours of the day once they are past one month old and are able to go without milk, only returning every now and then to feed regurgitated chunks of giraffe and zebra.
Kubwa are not fond of the males at all, only tolerating them in order to keep peace and spread their genes. They are visibly happier when with their "Mke", or their female mate, whom they hunt and engage in intercourse with.
Natural habitat:
Where exactly the Machungwa originated from is mostly unknown, although the few zoologists who know of their existance have speculated that their ancestors may have come from southeastern Asia, originally, somehow crossing from Borneo to Vietnam, then crossing the rest of south eastern Asia and the middle east to then settle in Kenya.
Their sleek fur and elongated limbs makes them highly suited to hot environments, where they can be comfortable in temperatures past 40 Celsius, not showing signs of discomfort until the temperature rises past 50 Celsius.
They also enjoy hot, muggy weather, such as the kind one may find in a lush rainforest, although they tend to inhabit wide, thick grasslands with many cave-like formations made from eroding rocks, where they can rest until the sun sets.
If there are not already eroding rocks in the grasslands they chose to inhabit, they will resort to digging out large, many-roomed burrows where they may store meals, rest, and keep their growing young. Natural enemies: Females have none, but males have an extreme dislikance of lions--particularly those with brighter, more visible pelts (the reason for this is still unknown, although it is being observed).
They will immediately charge at these lions, baring their fangs and snarling loudly, chasing after the lion if it flees and clawing at its eyes if it chooses to attack. They are for some reason unable to realize that lion cubs are in fact lions, and they will usually ignore a cub unless it is with its parent. Because of this, lionesses have a method of defending their young from Machungwas by leaving it for a short period of time, trying to get the Machungwa to chase after her as she flees from her territory in the same way a killdeer will act as if it has a broken wing in order to lure away predators from her eggs.
Other: Machungwa are very antisocial when dealing with those outside of their own kind, but when they have no choice but to interact with animals such as lions, cheetahs, tigers and so forth, they will do so, still keeping their distance and watching from afar, though. However, after being seperated from their own kind for so long, they will seek to become part of a lion pride, realizing the need for food and shelter outweighs their desire to avoid the unfamiliar.
