The Splintercat was a Fearsome Critter that lived in all forests across the United States, but had the largest population between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. The critter is described as being nocturnal and about the size of a cougar, it also has a very bad attitude. 

The Splintercat’s favorite food is reported as being raccoons and honey bees which it searches for every dark and stormy night. The way the critter searches for its food is by either charging at, or jumping down from a tall branch and slamming its head and face into random trees with such force that it breaks them open or knocks them down. The Splintercat will repeat this process over and over again until it finds a hollow tree that contains either a raccoon or a hive of bees that it can quickly devour. While this process of hunting for food is effective, it leaves the critter with a terrible headache which in turn puts it in a terrible mood. After the Splintercat has finished searching for food for the night, it returns to its den to digest its meal. The trees that were destroyed end up looking as if they were struck by lighting and toppled by high winds.

“In early lumberjack folklore, fearsome critters were mythical beasts that were said to inhabit the frontier wilderness of North America. The critters were a part of lumberjack downtime and were often used to welcome and haze newcomers to the camp. Lumberjacks who would go from camp to camp would bring their entertaining stories with them and they would slowly spread as tall tales across America.”

- The Pine Barrens Institute

*Image Credit: Public Domain Image