The Splintercat:
With a range covering much of North America, the Splintercat
(Felynx arbordiffisus) is by far the most common of the Bad
Critters featured in this series. Their preferred habitat is near
the top of heavily forested hills.
Somewhat smaller than a Bobcat, this animal is a true oddity in
the feline family. Unlike most in the genus, the Splintercat has a
stiff muscular neck, broad head, and flattened face. But the most
outstanding feature of the beast are the bony skull plates that
protrude from the brow line, far harder than Ram horn.
A Splintercat’s main prey consists of chipmunk, squirrel,
and opossum. Since these food sources often hide in tree hollows,
the animal has developed a unique (and highly destructive) method
of retrieving them. This is where the armored forehead comes into
play. When a Splintercat detects prey hiding in a hollow that it
cannot fit into, it quickly climbs to the topmost branches of a
neighboring tree. From this elevated post it then launches itself
via powerful hind legs head-first into the nest it is trying
to breach. After sometimes dozens of attacks in this manner, the
Splintercat will eventually break even the mightiest tree asunder,
after which it quickly consumes the prey, then takes a nap to sleep
off the resulting headache.
Telltale signs of entering into a Splintercat’s range are
trees that have been shattered and/or uprooted. This is especially
obvious during mating season, when males will pummel the
surrounding woods to demonstrate their prowess. For reasons unknown
Splintercats usually mate during windstorms, so it is not uncommon
to see several downed trees after severe weather events. The
uninitiated normally attribute such destruction to the gales, but
those familiar with local wildlife will quickly recognize
‘Splintercat sign’ for what it is.
Since they are nocturnal, there is little risk of encountering a
Splintercat during daylight hours. Should you stumble across one,
however, be wary. A head butt from a pouncing Splintercat is enough
to break the bones of anyone unfortunate enough to be in their
path. To avoid attack do not stand still when you spot one
of these bad critters, but instead stay in constant motion (flail
your arms, jump up and down, etc.), so that you are not mistaken
for a tree and busted open to see if there are any squirrels inside
of you.
With a lot of skull and not much brain, the Splintercat
isn’t one of the brightest creatures on the
planet....
Cache Notes:
Container is a larger sized Lock N Lock with themed camouflage. The
final approach will require some bushwhacking, and the signal at
the hide is bouncy. Even after prolonged averaging over two visits
my read at GZ randomly jumped between 1' and 35'. I have adjusted
the Difficulty Rating to reflect this.