Great Leotam

The Great Leotam replaced its ancestor and outcompeted the Tyrant Gossalizard and the Woodland Gossalizard within its range, taking over the niche of apex predator due to endothermy making it better suited to the niche. While adults mainly hunt large prey, juveniles are independent earlier and hunt smaller prey, which is why it outcompeted a non-apex large predator as well. It mainly hunts by ambush, and it kills by pinning its prey with its thumb claws and delivering a killing bite with its saber fangs. It is capable of standing on its hind legs and tail to scan for prey further away, or to battle a rival. Similar to its ancestor, it has a shaggier winter coat. It typically sleeps in scrapes in the ground, shallow caverns, or hollow logs.

Great Leotams are generally solitary, and they mainly meet to mate. Rather than just showing off their teeth, rival males will often fight for mating rights, biting each other’s faces and sometimes even delivering fatal wounds. Similar to its ancestor, the Great Leotam has marsupial-like characteristics. Newborns are fetal and reside in their mother’s backwards-facing pouch, suckling milk for the first part of their lives. They eventually leave the pouch and are weaned off milk, and their mother teaches them to hunt by bringing them live small prey. The father does not participate in raising his offspring. The juveniles leave once they can hunt, filling a smaller predator niche until they grow large enough to be apex predators like their parents. The Great Leotam usually has 2-3 offspring at a time.