Dylanusidae (Liera)

Lieran person (Dylanus sapiens). Credit goes to E-R-O-R-O on Deviantart for this artwork.

The dylanusids on Liera are medium-sized to large, sometimes human-like, feliform mammals of the infraorder Carnivora, divided into 3 families and consisting of 7 genera and around 14 existing species. They are native to all of the three main continents of Liera (Neopangea, Novolaurasia, and Agra). Depending on a species, dylanusids are either humanoid, as in the case of the vaguely human-like Lieran people, but many dylanusids are basal and greatly resemble large, long-skulled felids, filling the ecological roles of felids, which are almost completely absent from Liera. Depending on a species, they either primarily live in trees (arboreal) or are as home on the ground as in the trees, and are either active at night (nocturnal) or day (diurnal). The basal dylanusids came to Liera from Earth (more specifically, in North America) during the late Miocene, while the more advanced, human-like members of the genus Dylanus were harvested during the middle Pleistocene through the harvesting by the portals and bringing them into suitable habitats of each continent.

The dylanusids of Liera range in weight from the 11 to 32 kilogram (24 to 71 lb) Lieran tree leopard, to the 59 kilogram (130 lb) (for females) and 77 kilogram (170 lb) (for males) Lieran person to the 306 kilogram (675 lb) Lieran tiger. The dylanusids of Liera share many common dylanusid traits, such as divergent digits on their hands and feet, and, in advanced species, nails instead of claws. However, in members of the genus Dylanus, their brain-to-body size ratio is exceptionally similar in intelligence to a human of Earth and Kaimere, with one species exactly the same size as in Homo sapiens, most likely due to the lack of competition from humans allowing the dylanuses to replace them and become smarter to evolve into Lieran people. Most of the living species of Liera's basal dylanusids are hypercarnivorous and behave very similarly to the small and big cat species of Earth and Kaimere, with the exception of one panda-like herbivorous species, while the advanced members of the genus Dylanus, most notably Lieran people, are omnivorous, social species that live in complex social structures composed of many cooperating and competing groups, from families and kinship networks to political states. Social interactions between Lieran people have established a wide variety of values, social norms, and rituals, which bolster Lieran people society. Curiosity and the Lieran people desire to understand and influence the environment and to explain and manipulate phenomena have motivated their development of science, philosophy, mythology, religion, and other fields of study. Like the Kaimeran humans, the Lieran people have not developed beyond the middle ages-style society and technology, mainly due to the many predators such as tyrannosaurs and abelisaurs around, as well as the many dangerous herbivores, which had prevented the Lieran people's progress further for many centuries.

Example Species

• Lieran tree leopard (Leopardofelis arborealis)
• Lieran ground leopard (Neoleopardus solitaria)
• Lieran social panther (Leocetofelis socialis)
• Lieran tiger (Tigrocetofelis gigantodonta)
• False panda (Proursalomimus giganteus)
• Chimkat (Homodon lierensis)
• Lieran person (Dylanus sapiens)
• Lieran elf (Dylanus dryadalis)