Ahuizotl
Large musteloids with prehensile tails, ahuizotl stalk the rainforests of Ossa, drowning unwary travelers using their vocal mimicry and strangling tail-hands.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Ahuizotl resemble a cross between an enormous badger and a monkey. Their most notable trait is their prehensile tail, which ends in a fifth hand-paw that is just as strong and dexterous as the ones on each of their four limbs.
Their fur, which is usually light to dark brown and streaked with black, except for a white underbelly, is thick and secretes an oil that helps them stay warm when submerged in water. Sharp-toothed with forward-pointing eyes of yellow, the "grin" of an Ahuizotl showing teeth strikes fear into even experienced travellers.
Genetics and Reproduction
Mammalian creatures, Ahuizotl bear live young. A female ahuizotl will usually have one to two kits per year. The siring male generally stays with the young and their mother until the kits can hunt independently, and both parents are fiercely defensive of the kits during this vulnerable period where, without them, the young would likely starve.
Growth Rate & Stages
Newborn ahuizotl kits are small - about the size of large rats, but grow quickly over the first month to about the size of small dogs or domestic cats. They are clumsy with their tail-claws, and must lose their baby teeth before they can properly shred and eat meat. The pups reach maturity after five years, achieving their full size of about four feet from nose to rear, being around three feet from forepaw to shoulder. Adults also have longer, sharper adult teeth, and are, at that point, fully independent hunters.
Ecology and Habitats
Being amphibious, ahuizotl are generally not found far from water. Not having especially long or sharp claws, nor a particularly impressive bite force, these predators rely on their muscular strength to drown their prey. They therefore tend to build their nests near ponds, streams, and other freshwater bodies, for ease of hunting.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Obligate carnivores, ahuizotl can survive on beasts, but strongly prefer humanoid flesh.
Behaviour
Ahuizotl are antisocial creatures, living independently once they reach adulthood, but have been observed engaging in play and even using rudimentary tools. Their intelligence is estimated to be on par with parrots - roughly equal to a four-year-old human's.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Though it is not a magical ability, the azhuizotl's capacity to imitate sounds, including humanoid speech, in a way similar to parrots and some corvids is a trait as famed as their unique hand-tails. Azhuizotl use this mimicry to lure prey, making them effective ambushers who can choose their striking locations with greater freedom than those who rely solely on stealth and camoflage.
Scientific Name
Mendax Submergitur
Origin/Ancestry
Beast
Geographic Distribution