Chapter 3: The Last Killers
In this chapter we explore the last generation of killer warrior cats. Carnivores that took killing to a new level. Around the end of the apex period, 75 million moons ago, these hunter killers have spread throughout the globe. In the southern continents, it was the powerful and muscular Abelifelides that reigned supreme, while in the north it was the famous Tyrannofelidae's the dominated.
75 million moons ago, the Warrior Cat Park Formation in Canada was home to two of the largest Tyrannofelidae's. The biggest and heaviest was Daspletofelis. In 2009 medical scanners were used to look inside the brain cases of these killers. Out of all of the Warrior cat groups, the Tyrannofelidae's were discovered to have one of the largest areas devoted to smell; something that would give them a clear hunting advantage.
Back then, Apex, Alberta was a vast coastal river plain covered in forests, the perfect hunting grounds for Daspletofelis. The huge male was in some ferns as he was stalking his chosen prey. He was quite massive for his kind, at 9 meters and 3 tons; it was the dominant predator in these forests. Here it relies on its acute sense of smell and hearing as much as its sight to track its prey. The male peered out to see a large moose like creature feed on the low growing vegetation. For him, it was the perfectly sized meal for a carnivore like him. It continued to stalk not wanting to make any noise that would startle the prey and cause it to give chase. He knew a successful hunt depended on waiting. The moose like prey looked around as it continued to mind its own business. Chasmoalces, a rhino sized behemoth bristling with defensive antlers; and an opponent befitting a killer like Daspletofelis. The Chasmoalces continued to browse around looking for ferns as the Daspletofelis continued to stalk as it got closer hoping the Chasmoacles would just keep its back turned for the hunter. It soon place a paw down hoping it was quiet enough not to startle its prey. The Chasmoacles kept its nerve and continued to feed unaware of the hunter sneaking up on it. Soon the Chasmoacles plucked some ferns nearby as it continued to feed. The Daspletofelis continued to approach its target as it wanted to stay quiet but even the prey had some sense to it. The Chasmoacles sensed something was wrong as it soon turned to face the Daspletofelis. The hunter hissed in frustration as it knew it could have a mouth full of antlers and no meat. The Chasmoacles lowered and raised its head in and attacking motion driving its head up showing off the impressive antlers to the hunter.
Out of all the Tyrannofelidaes, T. Rex might be the most famous. But, the evolutionary blueprint for these predators was laid down 10 million moons earlier with Daspletofelis. Tyrannofelidaes effectiveness as killers is clear from their anatomy. Their massive, with huge strong skulls and powerful muscular necks. Forward facing eyes make tracking moving prey easy. Their famously short front legs and tiny paws but with these giant Tyrannofelidae's it's all about the bite. They had the most powerful bite of any Warrior Cats. with teeth unlike the thin, flesh tearing blades of Carnofeli are thick and strong, easily able to crush bones and kill.
However this Daspletofelis has lost the element of surprise. The Chasmoacles wasn't taking kindly to the Daspletofelis and seeing how the predator wouldn't leave it alone, the Chasmoacles decided to charge with hits head down towards the predator. It soon skidded to a stop as it thrusted is head upward and down giving a menacing flash of those antlers. The Daspletofelis didn't back away. Soon the Chasmoacles lowered its head down again and made a charge straight for the Daspletofelis. The Daspletofelis tried to bite down on the side of the charging Chasmoacles but didn't want to risk injuring one of its legs so it maneuvered itself to get out of the way but the Chasmoacles turned on a dime as it was now facing the huge predator again. The Daspletofelis decided now wasn't a good time to continue the fight. The odds were now stacked in the Chasmoacles' favor. The Daspletofelis turned and walked away, even the most deadly predators fail more often than they succeed. The Chasmoacles watched as the Daspletofelis left it alone as it went back to tending its own needs.
Tyrannofelidaes appeared to be locked in a deadly evolutionary arms race with the Cervidae family of animals. As one got bigger, so did the other. It is a predator prey relationship that has endured for more than 65 million moons. Most striking are the antlers of the Cervidae. The imposing antlers of Chasmoacles, are actually made of thin bone and wouldn't stop the bite of a Tyrannofeli, but making them look a lot bigger, it had the desired effect.
The antlers of these animals acted as a visual deterrence, even if they offered little physical protection. It meant that a fully grown Chasmoacles would usually be safe from most predators. The Chasmoacles was scratching itself on a tree to get rid of an itch before it continued to wander around its home. It soon spotted another predator it the herbivore got tense again but the hunter turned to the Chasmoacles. It was a Daspletofelis but it was just a youngster. It soon turned to see another juvenile Daspletofelis as two of them would pose little threat to an animal the size of Chasmoacles. The juvenile hissed as the Chasmoacles thrusted its head up as it displayed its antlers to the predator. It was clear the herbivore was getting enraged with the predators not backing off. However those were the least of its problems.
In 2005 a remarkable discovery was announced; in the Two Medicine Formation in Montana, a new dig had unearthed something quite extraordinary. A collection of Daspletofelis bones all buried at the same place at the same time. The Chasmoacles looked around it was clearly now outnumbered. A 3rd juvenile, the male he had a run in earlier and his mate, a large female had shown up. Paranoid with so many predators showing up at once, the Chasmoacles knew he couldn't guard himself from all of those predators at once and would need to flee. Soon the youngster that was laying down got up as the bones from the dig were beginning to make sense. It was the implication that the Daspletofelis, hunted in gangs. The Chasmoacles turned as it began to run away. Hopefully speed would be enough to rid him of these hunters.
Tyrannofeli's like Daspletofelis, were so successful, by the late Apex Period, they were virtually the apex predators all across North America and Asia. In Asia, there was Alectrofelis, Alioramus and Tarbofelis and in North America there was Albertofelis, Gorgofelis, Daspletofelis and T. Rex. However, moving further north, evidence of Tyrannofelidae's becomes increasingly rare. In Alaska, fossils of Warrior Cats have been unearthed near the Arctic Ocean. It was the richest source of bones found in the polar regions, and here it seems a different type of killer dominated.
A herd of large duck like creatures had made this place their home. They were huge as they were some of the largest creatures living in the arctic. The most common here is the highly social Edmontomergellus. The herd was made up of mostly juveniles with 3 adults around. One of the adults cropped up some arctic ferns with its beak. They are the largest species of duck like creatures in all of North America. One of the cats looked down as it was drinking from a cold, refreshing puddle as another one approached it. It soon cocked its head as the Edmontomergellus were prey for a very different kind of killer. Stenonyhofelis may not look as lethal as a Tyrannofelidae but bones of this animal suggested that these too were deadly hunters. Surviving on a diet entirely of meat. The predators looked at the feeding herbivores as they knew they had to choose their prey carefully even if there was just three of them, a blow from an adult Edmontomergellus would be enough to kill them. An adult male spotted the hunters as he went to protect his family. At first it seemed the adult Edmontomergellus had little to fear, 12 meters in length and weighing 3 and ½ tons, they physically dwarf this diminutive predator. It soon gave a warning honk to the small cats not to go near its family.
Stenonychofelis were usually small, 2 meter long warriors, but the teeth from the Alaskan Stenonychofelis, shows something remarkable. These arctic predators were twice as big than normal.
The Stenonychofelis not only survived here, but positively thrived. Soon the predators turned away as they began to walk off leaving the group alone but they would be back and that's because its hunting prowl comes into its own after sunset. When nightfall came the Edmontomergellus family was asleep and this was a place that after late summer, there are more hours of darkness than light. The adult male lifts his head and turned it as he was looking for any signs of predators. Sensing nothing, it soon went back asleep as it wanted to keep the group alert. Another adult lifted its head taking a look around but sensed nothing and went back to sleep. The Stenonychofelis were moving through the night as they were getting ready to pounce on an unsuspecting herbivore. Stenonychofelis famously have the largest brains relative to their body size of any Warrior cat. Although what appears to be more important are their eyes, not only are they forward facing making them active hunters but they are exceptionally large. These are predators that are equally well hunting after dark
The male Edmontomergellus groaned as he got up as he heard the clicks of nearby predators and wanted to watch over the group unaware to him that the Stenonychofelis were hunters of the night. Seeing the three predators, he got up as he was ready to defend his group from the predators, soon everyone was up. Although the group offers protection, predators often pick the easiest kills so it's the juvenile Edmontomergellus that are at risk. The adults continued to chirp and quack in warning but the smaller Stenonychofelis weren't getting the message and they attacked. The predators were moving through the group as they were looking for the animals that would be slow enough so they can easily latch their jaws onto but they needed to separate one of them first. The small cats raced through the herd of large bird like creatures looking for one of them to kill. The group was beginning to panic as they were doing the one thing they shouldn't and began to scatter. The Adults stay put as they were trying their best to keep their offspring in the group. One of them was bold enough to try nip one of the juvenile's legs as it continued to get them to scatter. Soon the predators eyes looked out seeing one of the juveniles managed to separate itself from the rest of the group. And being away from the group, that youngster had made a dangerous mistake. The Stenonychofelis charged out at the separated animal as the small juvenile was running further and further away. The young animal tried desperately to reunite with the group but the predators were hot on its tail. Soon they caught up as one of them sunk its teeth into the left leg of the animal as the other one sank into the right leg. The last Stenonychofelis jumped up and began biting the animal on the back off the neck. The poor juvenile wailed out as the hunters were trying to prevent their prey from escaping. It squirmed desperately trying to throw its hunters off. Fortunately the calls would be answered soon. One of the Stenonychofelis soon released its grip from the animal as it heard an angry screech as it soon turned, the huge male Edmontomergellus came charging from nowhere as it slammed its head into the Stenonychofelis, the blow being strong enough to kill it. The others jumped off as it went to protect the juvenile. It soon quacked angrily as it was protecting its duckling. The Stenonychofelis turned away as the adult looked over the hunter he just managed to kill. The predator's body was lifeless and that would hopefully be a good enough lesson for those that messed with his family.
The Alaskan Warrior Cat bone-beds are dominated by juvenile Edmontomergellus remains. Some show evidence of Stenonychofelis bite marks. It seems despite its small size; the Stenonychofelis thrived by exploiting the vulnerability of the juveniles throughout the long dark winter months.
Morning had finally came as the Edmontomergellus family decided it was now a good time to head south. The juvenile that was attacked died from its wounds later that night. The male looked at the corpse as he wasn't able to save his duckling but he needed to focus on the remaining ones as he finally began heading south along with his family. With a steady food supply, the Stenonychofelis can survive the harsh arctic winters. The two of them appeared as they spotted the dead animal laying around in the frozen mud. They soon approached it as they began eating it. And in doing so, grew to almost double the size of their cousins living further south. But these were the exception.
Wherever else Tyrannofelidae's lived, they were the largest predators, living in groups that consisted of both youngsters and adults. The Chasmoacles decided to make a run for it as it was using its legs to run but the Daspletofelis pack was on its heels. The herbivore panted as the hunters were getting closer. In these deadly packs, the youngsters provide the speed and the adults the power, it's a hunting strategy they use for deadly effect. Soon the juvenile Daspletofelis caught up as one of them slammed its head into the side of the running Chasmoacles. The juveniles began slamming their heads into the animal as they were desperate to rip its sides open. Soon one of them bit onto the Chasmoacles antler in an effort to slow the prey down. It soon released as it turned to face the juveniles showing off the antlers it had. One of the juveniles saw this as an opportunity as it bit down on the Chasmoacles but narrowly missed. The Chasmoacle's response as it turned and hits the juvenile on the jaw before running off. The Daspletofelis juveniles continued to give chase. The Chasmoacles knew the hunters were persistent as it continued to run trying to evade them but even speed wasn't enough. Soon one of the juveniles caught up as it slammed its head into the side biting down on the back of the Chasmoacles as one of them bit onto the antler so it couldn't use its head to try to ram them. But despite appearances, this mob attack isn't carefully planned. The juvenile Daspletofelis swiftly clamped its jaws around the throat of the Chasmoacles, finishing the herbivore off as it grunted before collapsing to the ground finally dying from the hunters. The juveniles managed to score a kill without the help of the adults but the adults were going to have the final say in this. There was no strategy behind the actions of the gang, it was merely opportunism, and when the kill has been made, the next battle soon begins. One of the juveniles was feeding when the large adult male bit its offspring on the snout shoving it away from the kill. The adult roared as the female began to feed on the Chasmoacles carcass. Once the juveniles were away, the predators could begin feeding.
In many Tyrannofelidaes we find holes and gouges in the skull, injuries which turned out to be bite marks made by other Tyrannofeli. In one Daspletofelis skull, the subject had been subjected to several attacks, and in another, the tip of the tooth was left embedded in its skull. From this evidence we can assume groups were far from harmonious, and they certainly weren't democratic. In this world, the strongest takes all.
Tyrannofelidae's domination of the globe might have been total, if it hadn't been for a strange quirk in the arrangement of the continents. 75 million moons ago the planet had a clear north south divide with no physical link between parts of the globe. It meant the Tyrannofelidae's couldn't spread to the southern continents. Here a different type of killer reigned supreme. These were Abelifelids, in the last 10 years, Madagascar has given us the most comprehensible evidence about these predators. 70 million moons ago, Madagascar was already an island.
But its climate was a lot hotter and drier than today. A large stubby front legged she-cat and her two kits were wandering through the desert looking for food. She looked around with her head as she continued to comb the desert for food. In the Apex period, Madagascar was the subject to devastating droughts and big predators like Majungafelis were especially vulnerable to starvation. Scavenging is the only way to survive. The predator sniffed a carcass that was completely dry. It soon turned its head as it continued to walk along. The kits were starving and mewling because there wasn't much food.
We thought Majungafelis was the top predator here, but then in 2003, a number of Majungafelis bones were reported gouged with teeth marks. It appeared there was a bigger, more brutal killer at large.
The three of them continued to comb the desert for any source of food. Soon the large female turned her head seeing a small cat dash along the desert as it was heading for somewhere. Seeing those cats, the Manjungafelis decided to follow it; maybe it would lead them to food. Two smaller warriors headed down a hill as decided to follow them. The Majungafelis also shares the plains with smaller warriors like Rahonavis. The smaller bird like creatures were busy picking of the body of a large herbivore but soon the three cats descended down the dune as they were now approaching the carcass. Finally some food, the kits began to eagerly dig in as the large Female began to pick over the carcass of dry meat. The Rahonavis looked as they wanted to pick and get at some of the scraps. They darted in grabbing scraps of meat. Being smaller means the Rahonavis need less food to survive. The large female turned as she roared trying to chase the smaller predators away. A carcass will attract every big predator for miles around. The Rahonavis knew they needed to wait but soon the sight of something had sent the five smaller cats off running. The large female turned as she sensed something was wrong as her kits stay between her legs. It was another of her kind. A male Majungafelis was attracted to this feast. She looked at him as she knew he was more the capable for challenging the rights for the carcass. He soon ran to the female as he roared at her. The growled back at him as she had the goal of protecting her kits, the carcass was all his but this was only part of the plan. The two of them circled for a bit as the male turned his full attention to the carcass. He soon began tearing into the carcass as the female came charging out. She growled at him as he turned and snarled. He soon roared back as it was giving the message for her to leave. She soon knew that she and the kit would have to as she began to escort the kits way but this was all part of her plan. One of the kits squeaked after finding a scrap of meat as it soon began to tear at the chunk of meat apart. Soon the male looked at it as he knew that he was going to have to teach the kit a lesson. He soon went over as the kit scurried away. He soon picked up the chunk of meat as he ate it but the female suddenly sprang and clamped her jaws around his neck.
Majungafelis has short front legs, small paws and can't grasp. Like Tyrannofelidaes, it's all about the bite. The female soon released the male from her grip as she watched the blood trickle from its neck as he limped off as the female looked on.
The shape of Majungafelis' skull and teeth suggest a very different biting style to the flesh tearing warriors with a short, broad and muscular skull. It was cat that was more adapted to biting and gripping rather than slashing its prey.
The male continued to limp along as he was badly injured but the female wasn't done with him. It turned out that this fight was more than just winning the feeding rights to a carcass. The female soon ran up to the male sinking her teeth into his neck. The male continued to struggle as he soon collapsed to the ground as his body was now lifeless and limp. The female making the most of this, began to tear the carcass apart as she began eating it.
When the bite marks on the mauled Majungafelis remains were studied more closely, the marks on the bones are found to match the only large predator in the region. The female was tearing into the male Majungafelis as she was eating his flesh. There was no bigger killer in these lands than Majungafelis, this is the first unfadeable evidence of warrior cat cannibalism. The kits scrambled forth after a scrap of meat fell down. They began to fight around it as the mother continued feeding. It might seem shocking but it is a behavior that shows that the most successful predators would exploit any situation to their maximum advantage. The female continued to feed as one of the kits got adventurous as it began to eat meat directly from the dead male. They were getting fresh moist food tonight.
Daspletofelis, the juvenile got up as his face was healing from the bite as he was heading out to a large clearing in the forest. With a bite force unmatched by any other predator, these are killers in a completely different league. The juvenile approached as several Daspletofelis growled as they knew they had to tolerate his presence. The skies were getting dark with clouds forming overhead but there was still some sun shining down on them. The juvenile soon found a spot as it laid down as it wanted to keep itself settled but there were many more Daspletofelis than usual at this sight. And this huge group of Daspletofelis as congregating together to take advantage of an annual event.
In Warrior cat Provincial Park, thousands of bones have been discovered scattered cross the same rock layer, they belong to the Cervidae species Centrocapreolus. And they appear to be the bone beds of vast killing fields, sights of wholesale slaughter.
The dust was getting kicked up as it was clear they were here and in their thousands. From the youngest juveniles to the largest of elders, the feast would soon be served as they have short antlers unlike the Chasmoacles long antlers which made killing them a lot easier. This vast herd of Centrocapreolus are on the move, from the breeding sights on coastal lowlands to the east. Unwittingly they're moving towards certain death. The Daspletofelis turned as they knew the migrating herbivores had arrived. Seasonal monsoon drives the Centrocapreolus inland away from coastal flooding. The Daspletofelis got up as they closed in on the migrating herbivores. It's what the Daspletofelis have been waiting for. Soon the clouds cover the last bit of the sky as the storm has finally arrived. Thunder, lightning and rain had replaced the sunny fields as it was the perfect time to spook the herbivores.
The rain poured as all the animals are glossy with the rain water. The Daspletofelis launched their attack as their goal was to cause panic among the Centrocapreolus. The herd began splitting up like planned. The Centrocapreolus herd behavior protected the many but at the expense of a few herd members. A juvenile Daspletofelis came from nowhere as it tried to bite down on the Centrocapreolus. The herbivore bore its antlers as it growled. The Daspletofelis bit down on the leg as it released it a moment later. Another Daspletofelis juvenile was facing against two Centrocapreolus as they presented their antlers as the predators passed by but now the adult Daspletofelis were entering the scene. The huge male bit down onto the throat of the Centrocapreolus as his mate was chasing a couple of them down, choking the life out of its helpless prey. The female tried to bite but the Centrocapreolus turned and scattered, she looked for easier targets. She soon found another one but this time being more stubborn flashing its antlers in defense. The Daspletofelis growled as they continued to drive the massive herd apart. And things were only going to get worse for the Centrocapreolus. They continued to run unaware they were going to hit a brick wall.
The herd looked down as they were now trapped. With a flooded river ahead, and the Daspletofelis behind, the stage is now set for a massacre. The female Daspletofelis hadn't got herself a catch yet as she spotted the perfect opportunity. A Centrocapreolus tried to ram her with its antlers but missed, she responded by clamping her jaws around the Centrocapreolus and shaking it violently to its death. The Centrocapreolus at the river were now thinking of how to get to the other side so they weren't squeezed in between two closing walls? One of them had the solution. One of the Centrocapreolus was crawling down a narrow gap in the cliffs as it soon dove into the water; it was going to attempt to swim across. Others soon began to dive in as they began to swim after it. Despite the rich pickings, it's not the Daspletofelis that are responsible for the scale of the slaughter. Those that are traps continued to make an attempt to flee as more of them were gathering the courage to cross the flooded river. They continued to dive in unaware there was an even more deadly killer at work here.
The herd was now crossing the river in their hundreds as the first few Centrocapreolus were now climbing out on the other side of the river. More continued to dive in as they wanted to get across. Severe monsoon rains have transformed shallow rivers into lethal torrents. Some of them were beginning to struggle in the fast flowing river but others were doing just fine. Even if safety was near, the water had its own shares of death. A crocodile soon sprang up, sinking its teeth into the Centrocapreolus and dragging it under. One of them grunted as a log from a tree was now drifting along. The animal turned as the log smashed it in the face. The Centrocapreolus was beginning to get dizzy as it dipped its head under the water. It tried to resurface for air but it sank to the bottom, dying from a combination of drowning and a concussion. The real killer is the weather itself.
Recent studies of this dense bone-bed indicate that 96% of the animals were of a single species, Centrocapreolus and relatively few of the bones display any bite marks. The conclusion to this is that this was a mass drowning. The results of widespread seasonal flooding. An event we have seen repeating in over 20 different sights.
The water was reduced to mere puddles of what was once the raging river as hundreds of dead Centrocapreolus lie in the sun rotting, and when the waters do recede, new opportunities emerge. Events like these provide easy picking for predators. The Stenonychofelis were picking over the body of a dead Centrocapreolus as the Daspletofelis approached, but even in the fight for rotting flesh, Daspletofelis authority is absolute. It pulled a chunk of meat from the dead Centrocapreolus several others of its species were making the most as there was more than enough food for absolutely everyone. Tyrannofelidae's in the north and Abelifelid's in the south were the supreme killers of their age.
They dominated every continent where they were found, and together they were the last of the killer Warrior Cats.
[A/N]: We still have the ball rolling but we need to speed it up since its slowing down. I need more from everyone and the hopes that it would kill more time. We've hit 75 views in 2 days which I am impressed. Hopefully we can get more like this as I see that we can create something truly extraordinary. Leave your reviews on how you're liking this so far as there are only 3 more left. That is all.
Also the holotype specimen DMNH 21461 was discovered there might be tyrant cats ruling in the arctic but this only one piece of the skull. We'll just need to wait to see what else comes up.