Ekaltadeta (SciiFii)

The killer rat-kangaroo (Ekaltadeta roufus) is a species of marsupial of the family Hypsiprymnodontidae that originally lived in Australia during the Oligocene and Miocene as an extinct species of Ekaltadeta and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the modern rainforests, wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across Australia to help boost biodiversity. The killer rat-kangaroo is an average-sized marsupial, growing to be about the size of a large house cat and weighing around 5 and 10 kilograms. A usually solitary animal that is only active during the day, distinguishing them from the nocturnal habits of the rat-kangaroos in the Potoroidae family. It is most active in the morning and afternoon, retiring to their shelter during the middle of the day. They are mostly terrestrial, foraging at the forest floor, although they are able to move through the branches of the lower vegetation. The killer rat-kangaroo is almost exclusively carnivorous, hence its name, and primarily feeds on any animal smaller than itself, using its sharp teeth for sheering through chunks of flesh, although it is known to occasionally feed on fruits and seeds to supplement its diet. A nest is roughly constructed at a site where the animal shelters while sleeping. The use of a thread, lightly glued to the animal and fed from a spool, allowed the activity and range of males and females to be more accurately evaluated. The individual ranges overlap in both their both foraging and nest site. Males may venture out in a range from 0.8 to 4.2 hectares, while females are recorded foraging over a smaller sized area of up to 2.2 ha. Although they are usually solitary in the activities, several may occasionally gather to feed at fallen fruit. Aggressive behaviours between males may be displayed during the austral spring and summer months, vigorously pursuing each other for around 30 seconds. The male's encounters, sometimes in competition for fruit, increase in frequency during breeding months; physical interactions between the males are restricted to striking with the front paw. Reproductive activity is mostly from October to April, the usual litter size is two offspring. The newborns travel in the pouch of the mother for about 21 weeks, and then are left at the nest while the mother forages until the juveniles are fully weaned. Regular activity is conducted on all four limbs, but unlike the bettongs and potoroos, the killer rat-kangaroo bounds using all its paws when moving rapidly. This resembles the characteristic hopping of a rabbit more than that of its macropod relations. It moves by extending its body and then bringing both of its hind legs forward, and uses an opposable toe on the hind foot to climb trees. The conservation status of the killer rat-kangaroo is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the killer rat-kangaroo's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities, unlike some of its relatives.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii