Lost World Reborn: Pseudopardus velocis

Pseudopardus velocis (Swift Pseudo-Leopard)

Habitat: Jungle canopy.

Size: Up to 5 feet long and 35 pounds.

Diet; Carnivore; birds, lizards, primates, arboreal mammals and reptiles.

Lifespan: Up to 20 years.

Sociability: Solitary.

Breeding: Female gives birth to up to four cubs and rears them for two years.

Status: Threatened.

    The Pseudppardus velocis is part of a once common family of derived cynodonts that are much more mammalian then their ancestors. They could almost be called true mammals, with full covers of fur, external ears, fully erect limbs, live birth and milk, endothermy and mammalian jaw and ear bones. The Pseudopardus has evolved convergently with the clouded leopard, with a very feline-esque body and lifestyle. It lives mostly in the tree canopy and hunts mainly arboreal prey like birds, lizards, primates, reptiles like the "Snake Monkey' drepanosuar and various other animals, as well as sometimes attacking prey on the ground from the branches. Its clouded leopard-like spotted coat give sit good camouflage in the canopy. This family of therapsids has been forced into decline since the Jurassic as other predators have evolved and taken over. The Pseudopardus in particular has been out-competed in most of its range by the Jurassic mammal descendent known as the "Serpent Tiger". It is currently a threatened species, but hope for saving the species from extinction is not totally lost.
(Bird seen in the background is Pteroglossus platensis, the Plateau Aracari).