Feluks

Feluks split from their ancestor and became ambush predators, using their upper pair of limbs to snatch prey and pierce them with their tooth. Despite their spider-like face, they are not venomous; instead, they cut their catch to pieces with the serrated edge of their tooth and stuff the chunks into their enlarged mouth to process. They notably appear to have three teeth now—but in reality, they are all a single tooth. During embryonic development, they attack part of their tooth with their own digestive enzymes to make three cuts. This is certainly not the most efficient way to free their mouth, but it works.

Like their ancestor, the Feluks can and do use their tail as a leg. However, they do this in a different way—they stand on the back of the tail hand and use it as a foot. They use this and their lower pair of limbs together to quickly pounce on prey. They retain parental care and have been known to stare down fauna much larger than themselves and pounce on them to frighten them away if they wander too close to their eggs; though they’re unable to outright kill fauna significantly larger than themselves, those small enough to be an intentional threat to their eggs will still be left with a nasty cut if the Feluk bites them.

There are many species of Feluk. Some specialize in consuming specific kinds of fauna, while others are generalists. Some larger species of Feluk will eat smaller ones. Species in colder climates commonly reside in leaf litter, where they are insulated from wind and snow, and many hibernate over winter. A handful of oceanic species exist, residing inside the floating nests of creatures such as Marine Tamows and Seashrogs and laying their eggs in water captured by the nest material during storms; no species which can reproduce in saltwater exist, as the adults are strictly terrestrial. They do poorly on ice, and as such no species reside in ice habitats. Desert species are common, despite their ties to water, though they are generally only active at dawn or dusk. Their coloration generally matches the local soil or leaf litter colors.