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Description

Leonatars are and always will be an open species, so anyone can create one; I won't be policing your characters, but I would appreciate it if you stuck to the rules in the reference sheet. Additionally, feel free to comment your design down below, I would love to see them!

I might be creating adoptables in the near future, so stick around for those.

Leonatars are a part of a fictional world called Renovamen. It was a world similar to ours until a string of natural and extraterrestrial disasters made the land completely unlivable. All life, Leonatars included, was forced to move into the seas and the air. The inhabitants of the new world have nicknamed the catastrophe and its consequences the Rebirth.

There is some additional info about this species, but you don't need to wade through this to create one yourself (it's mostly for fun and anyone who wants to dive deeper into this species):

Here's a small animation to give you an idea of how they might swim: link

I also did a small sketch of what their skeleton might look like: link

ANATOMY: Leonatars are aquatic mammals. The average length snout to tail fin is 2,5 m for females and over 3 m for males and average weight between 350 to 500 kg. They can achieve speeds above 50 kmph when hunting, but usually travel slower at only 20 to 30 kmph. Leonatar population is surprisingly small when compared to the size of the oceans they inhabit – a result of how much their numbers suffered when the Rebirth first started – which makes meeting between individuals rare.

The most notable features are a Leonatar’s fins, powerful tail and feline-like front legs. The back and head fins are covered in a thick layer of keratin and have bones and many blood vessels inside; these not only stabilize a Leonatar while swimming and protect the melon (echolocation organ), but when an individual is in colder waters, they can sun themselves on the surface and the fins will catch plenty of the sun’s rays thanks to their wide surface. The Leonatar’s tail and legs are optimized for swimming; while the tail propels the creature forward when needing speed, the legs help them take turns and stay afloat with their head above water.

A fascinating feature is the presence of scales on some Leonatars. They aren’t born with them and it’s not a genetic phenomenon. When a Leonatar receives a lethal injury and survives, scales will grow to cover the scar and other places on the creature’s body, seemingly as a defense mechanism. The colder the climate the Leonatar is in, the more sever the changes.

GENDERS: While defined males and females exist, many cubs can be born or develop outside these criteria. Females are bigger, more muscular than males, while males are sleek and have longer more powerful tails. Males also have a strange slit in the sides of their back fin for strictly aesthetic purposes. Females are built for brute force and males for speed.

SENSES: Leonatars have a weak sense of smell and despite the size of their eyes, their sight is poor – prior to being forced into the ocean, it had been close to excellent. They heavily rely on their sharp-tuned hearing and echolocation to navigate and hunt. Additionally, their skin is very sensitive and can sense when the water currents change, alerting the Leonatar to approaching threats or prey.

DIET: Leonatars are carnivores with a wide range of possible prey. They lack the teeth necessary for grinding food, so they only hunt animals small enough for them to swallow. Shoals of small fish are the main force of their food, but they will also dig through sand or coral reefs in search of rays, eels, coral reef fish and larger invertebrate like crabs or octopuses.

While usually alone, they sometimes hunt with other Leonatars they happen upon or even other predators.

HABITAT: Leonatars life all over in the oceans. They mainly stay in moderately warm waters, but their bodies can handle much colder as well and some migrate closer to the poles. They spend most of their time in deep water, though they don’t dive too far down, and away from any coasts, but after fruitful hunts, some seek out lagoons or coral reefs to relax. These creatures don’t claim territory and never stay in the same area for long.

IDENTIFICATION: Leonatars identify one another through the sound of their voice either above or underwater. A striking identifying feature for sight-reliant beings is a Leonatar’s tail. The shape and color of the flukes at the end are never the same from one Leonatar to another (though blood-related ones can have similar) and the size relates directly to the creature’s age.

COMMUNICATION: Leonatars have two main ways of communicating. The first one is a spoken language that they can only speak when above water. This used to be their only language when they were only semi-aquatic, but it is slowly fading as the species spends most of their time underwater. The second has no words, only feelings and impressions; they send out sounds using their echolocation organ (the melon) that only other Leonatars can understand.

BEHAVIOR: Leonatars are predominantly solitary creatures, but are not aggressive to each other. Cubs leave their parents’ side before their first decade and wander from then on for the rest of their lives; when more than one Leonatar is born in the same litter, there is a good chance they will stick together for most of their lives. When two Leonatars come across each other, they can sometimes be social, but they will only ever really interact when they are both hunting the same prey; they will team up to corner and disorient whatever they are hunting and once all are fed, they will go their separate ways. Pods (excluding mated Leonatars or siblings), though uncommon, will form every now and then from Leonatars that are often unmated and have no siblings.

Leonatars have strong parental instincts; they will care for any cub they come across whether they know it or not, to the point that their bodies will start producing milk if the cub is small enough. Though parents are generally protective of their cubs, if a lost cub is found with an unknown Leonatar, they will intervene and take their cub back immediately, but not be aggressive beyond that.

PLACE IN THE FOODCHAIN: Though they don’t predate on large prey, Leonatars themselves are big enough that very few predators hunt them.

MATING: Leonatars mate for life, though they aren’t averse to finding a new mate when their dies. Some Leonatars accept more than one mate and even mated ones don’t always have young; additionally, a significant number of them never find a mate, even when others attempt to court them. Mated Leonatars don’t always travel together, but seem to always know where the other or are and will intentionally alter their course to meet up with each other every once in a while (both do this within a few days of each other as if they could communicate even when apart). Mated Leonatars that travel together are very affectionate and protective of each other and will care for their mates when they are hurt or sick.

YOUNG: Cubs are born few and far between, a combination of the small number of Leonatars alive, their loner lifestyle and their long lifespan. Females carry the cubs for a half year before they’re born. Up to three cubs can be born in one litter and for the first month or two, they rely on adult Leonatars to produce milk for them (yes, any Leonatar can produce milk, though it’s usually the mother or father that feed the cubs). They are born without their tail fluke so they can’t swim fast when too young, though it starts growing as soon as they are born. Cubs also have soft back and head fins and no markings on their bodies. Markings can appear as early as two months of age and as late as a year. The first year of life is an important milestone for Leonatars, as that’s when a cub biologically becomes an adult: they stop growing, which means they can easier grow scales when injured, their back and head fins start hardening (which takes over a year) and their markings stop changing. However, cubs will stay with their parents for at least six more years, if not more.

A cub rarely leaves its parents’ side, following them and learning from their actions. A cub that finds itself without parents (whether they are lost or dead), will emit a high-pitched frequency from its melon in a distress call that only few species can hear. It attracts all Leonatars in a wide radius and whatever adult finds the cub will take to looking after it.

LIFE SPAN AND AGING: Leonatars live for several centuries, a few ancient ones reaching close to eight or nine hundred. They grow rapidly for their first year of life, then only their fins continue to grow slowly until the back and head ones completely harden. After that, a Leonatar’s body will very slowly keep growing in size, but it’s only visible in more than a hundred years. Their tail fluke, on the other hand, starts growing and doesn’t stop for the duration of their life; the truly old Leonatars have problems with swimming because it became too big for them to properly use it. Other than that, Leonatars seem to be in their prime for most of their life, until it suddenly takes a nosedive at the end of their natural life. A Leonatar has at most ten years once they start losing physical strength and endurance.

ANCESTRY: Before the Rebirth, Leonatars lived on land more than in water, though they were excellent swimmers and often hunted in the water. They were better adapted for their dual lifestyle with a second pair of legs, smaller back fins and better sight yet no echolocation. They lived in warm climates, situated in small archipelagos of volcanic islands where they had no natural predators. In the few centuries before the Rebirth, they had started building tribes and creating a spoken language for their civilization.

NOTICE: Don't try to take ownership of this species or copy any adoptables I create without paying for them.

Already existing Leonatars include: Emil and Asdall belonging to and Ivory belonging to

Description

Leonatars are and always will be an open species, so anyone can create one; I won't be policing your characters, but I would appreciate it if you stuck to the rules in the reference sheet. Additionally, feel free to comment your design down below, I would love to see them!

I might be creating adoptables in the near future, so stick around for those.

Leonatars are a part of a fictional world called Renovamen. It was a world similar to ours until a string of natural and extraterrestrial disasters made the land completely unlivable. All life, Leonatars included, was forced to move into the seas and the air. The inhabitants of the new world have nicknamed the catastrophe and its consequences the Rebirth.

There is some additional info about this species, but you don't need to wade through this to create one yourself (it's mostly for fun and anyone who wants to dive deeper into this species):

Here's a small animation to give you an idea of how they might swim: link

I also did a small sketch of what their skeleton might look like: link

ANATOMY: Leonatars are aquatic mammals. The average length snout to tail fin is 2,5 m for females and over 3 m for males and average weight between 350 to 500 kg. They can achieve speeds above 50 kmph when hunting, but usually travel slower at only 20 to 30 kmph. Leonatar population is surprisingly small when compared to the size of the oceans they inhabit – a result of how much their numbers suffered when the Rebirth first started – which makes meeting between individuals rare.

The most notable features are a Leonatar’s fins, powerful tail and feline-like front legs. The back and head fins are covered in a thick layer of keratin and have bones and many blood vessels inside; these not only stabilize a Leonatar while swimming and protect the melon (echolocation organ), but when an individual is in colder waters, they can sun themselves on the surface and the fins will catch plenty of the sun’s rays thanks to their wide surface. The Leonatar’s tail and legs are optimized for swimming; while the tail propels the creature forward when needing speed, the legs help them take turns and stay afloat with their head above water.

A fascinating feature is the presence of scales on some Leonatars. They aren’t born with them and it’s not a genetic phenomenon. When a Leonatar receives a lethal injury and survives, scales will grow to cover the scar and other places on the creature’s body, seemingly as a defense mechanism. The colder the climate the Leonatar is in, the more sever the changes.

GENDERS: While defined males and females exist, many cubs can be born or develop outside these criteria. Females are bigger, more muscular than males, while males are sleek and have longer more powerful tails. Males also have a strange slit in the sides of their back fin for strictly aesthetic purposes. Females are built for brute force and males for speed.

SENSES: Leonatars have a weak sense of smell and despite the size of their eyes, their sight is poor – prior to being forced into the ocean, it had been close to excellent. They heavily rely on their sharp-tuned hearing and echolocation to navigate and hunt. Additionally, their skin is very sensitive and can sense when the water currents change, alerting the Leonatar to approaching threats or prey.

DIET: Leonatars are carnivores with a wide range of possible prey. They lack the teeth necessary for grinding food, so they only hunt animals small enough for them to swallow. Shoals of small fish are the main force of their food, but they will also dig through sand or coral reefs in search of rays, eels, coral reef fish and larger invertebrate like crabs or octopuses.

While usually alone, they sometimes hunt with other Leonatars they happen upon or even other predators.

HABITAT: Leonatars life all over in the oceans. They mainly stay in moderately warm waters, but their bodies can handle much colder as well and some migrate closer to the poles. They spend most of their time in deep water, though they don’t dive too far down, and away from any coasts, but after fruitful hunts, some seek out lagoons or coral reefs to relax. These creatures don’t claim territory and never stay in the same area for long.

IDENTIFICATION: Leonatars identify one another through the sound of their voice either above or underwater. A striking identifying feature for sight-reliant beings is a Leonatar’s tail. The shape and color of the flukes at the end are never the same from one Leonatar to another (though blood-related ones can have similar) and the size relates directly to the creature’s age.

COMMUNICATION: Leonatars have two main ways of communicating. The first one is a spoken language that they can only speak when above water. This used to be their only language when they were only semi-aquatic, but it is slowly fading as the species spends most of their time underwater. The second has no words, only feelings and impressions; they send out sounds using their echolocation organ (the melon) that only other Leonatars can understand.

BEHAVIOR: Leonatars are predominantly solitary creatures, but are not aggressive to each other. Cubs leave their parents’ side before their first decade and wander from then on for the rest of their lives; when more than one Leonatar is born in the same litter, there is a good chance they will stick together for most of their lives. When two Leonatars come across each other, they can sometimes be social, but they will only ever really interact when they are both hunting the same prey; they will team up to corner and disorient whatever they are hunting and once all are fed, they will go their separate ways. Pods (excluding mated Leonatars or siblings), though uncommon, will form every now and then from Leonatars that are often unmated and have no siblings.

Leonatars have strong parental instincts; they will care for any cub they come across whether they know it or not, to the point that their bodies will start producing milk if the cub is small enough. Though parents are generally protective of their cubs, if a lost cub is found with an unknown Leonatar, they will intervene and take their cub back immediately, but not be aggressive beyond that.

PLACE IN THE FOODCHAIN: Though they don’t predate on large prey, Leonatars themselves are big enough that very few predators hunt them.

MATING: Leonatars mate for life, though they aren’t averse to finding a new mate when their dies. Some Leonatars accept more than one mate and even mated ones don’t always have young; additionally, a significant number of them never find a mate, even when others attempt to court them. Mated Leonatars don’t always travel together, but seem to always know where the other or are and will intentionally alter their course to meet up with each other every once in a while (both do this within a few days of each other as if they could communicate even when apart). Mated Leonatars that travel together are very affectionate and protective of each other and will care for their mates when they are hurt or sick.

YOUNG: Cubs are born few and far between, a combination of the small number of Leonatars alive, their loner lifestyle and their long lifespan. Females carry the cubs for a half year before they’re born. Up to three cubs can be born in one litter and for the first month or two, they rely on adult Leonatars to produce milk for them (yes, any Leonatar can produce milk, though it’s usually the mother or father that feed the cubs). They are born without their tail fluke so they can’t swim fast when too young, though it starts growing as soon as they are born. Cubs also have soft back and head fins and no markings on their bodies. Markings can appear as early as two months of age and as late as a year. The first year of life is an important milestone for Leonatars, as that’s when a cub biologically becomes an adult: they stop growing, which means they can easier grow scales when injured, their back and head fins start hardening (which takes over a year) and their markings stop changing. However, cubs will stay with their parents for at least six more years, if not more.

A cub rarely leaves its parents’ side, following them and learning from their actions. A cub that finds itself without parents (whether they are lost or dead), will emit a high-pitched frequency from its melon in a distress call that only few species can hear. It attracts all Leonatars in a wide radius and whatever adult finds the cub will take to looking after it.

LIFE SPAN AND AGING: Leonatars live for several centuries, a few ancient ones reaching close to eight or nine hundred. They grow rapidly for their first year of life, then only their fins continue to grow slowly until the back and head ones completely harden. After that, a Leonatar’s body will very slowly keep growing in size, but it’s only visible in more than a hundred years. Their tail fluke, on the other hand, starts growing and doesn’t stop for the duration of their life; the truly old Leonatars have problems with swimming because it became too big for them to properly use it. Other than that, Leonatars seem to be in their prime for most of their life, until it suddenly takes a nosedive at the end of their natural life. A Leonatar has at most ten years once they start losing physical strength and endurance.

ANCESTRY: Before the Rebirth, Leonatars lived on land more than in water, though they were excellent swimmers and often hunted in the water. They were better adapted for their dual lifestyle with a second pair of legs, smaller back fins and better sight yet no echolocation. They lived in warm climates, situated in small archipelagos of volcanic islands where they had no natural predators. In the few centuries before the Rebirth, they had started building tribes and creating a spoken language for their civilization.

NOTICE: Don't try to take ownership of this species or copy any adoptables I create without paying for them.

Already existing Leonatars include: Emil and Asdall belonging to and Ivory belonging to