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Description
The mesosaltators may resemble primitive metapods with their leg arrangement, but are actually close relatives to the centaurs. They are mostly nocturnal or crepuscular, live in the plains and halfdeserts of the Northern Continent and rarely reach bigger sizes than a cat. Their powerful middle legs are highly adapted to a jumping locomotion, with a solid leg rib belt, a lung basket connected to the legs, muscles that developed into spring-like structures and an additional controlling core in the motoric brain that allows synchrone movement of the legs while jumping. Mesosaltators can be separated into the fairly large kangalopes, the higher evolved fleamice and the basal, carnivorous spearcats.
Spearcat: these basal mesosaltators consist only of few species, but are fairly successful in their habitat. Their front legs, which are used for grasping by the other species evolved into stabbing weapons with a single claw as the tip. Should the claw break off or getting severely damaged, the finger next to it will grow a replacement claw while the old one falls off. Spearcats have well-functioning hind legs and are usually walking rather than jumping. They use their middle legs to jump their prey and to pin it down while they use their front legs to kill it. Another species, the fishing spearcat, will just use the front legs to hunt.
Common leaper: A small, desert-dwelling species that spends most of it's time on the middle legs and uses the hind legs only for resting. It is nocturnal and feeds on small tentaculopods, sandworms and plants.

Description
The mesosaltators may resemble primitive metapods with their leg arrangement, but are actually close relatives to the centaurs. They are mostly nocturnal or crepuscular, live in the plains and halfdeserts of the Northern Continent and rarely reach bigger sizes than a cat. Their powerful middle legs are highly adapted to a jumping locomotion, with a solid leg rib belt, a lung basket connected to the legs, muscles that developed into spring-like structures and an additional controlling core in the motoric brain that allows synchrone movement of the legs while jumping. Mesosaltators can be separated into the fairly large kangalopes, the higher evolved fleamice and the basal, carnivorous spearcats.
Spearcat: these basal mesosaltators consist only of few species, but are fairly successful in their habitat. Their front legs, which are used for grasping by the other species evolved into stabbing weapons with a single claw as the tip. Should the claw break off or getting severely damaged, the finger next to it will grow a replacement claw while the old one falls off. Spearcats have well-functioning hind legs and are usually walking rather than jumping. They use their middle legs to jump their prey and to pin it down while they use their front legs to kill it. Another species, the fishing spearcat, will just use the front legs to hunt.
Common leaper: A small, desert-dwelling species that spends most of it's time on the middle legs and uses the hind legs only for resting. It is nocturnal and feeds on small tentaculopods, sandworms and plants.