Arrhenius Ketter

The arrhenius ketter replaced its ancestor. It adapted to Truteal in order to feed on the plentiful acidfruit megaplage. Because of the high acidity of the soil and water, their skin and digestive tract have evolved to cope with, and in some cases even neutralize, the acids. Running on all fours like its distant ancestor the diamond-leaf ketter, it moves from megaplage to megaplage, feeding on their fruit while at the same time pollinating them. They also use them as nests, raising their young amongst the roots where they are safe from most predators. Climbing comes easily to them, a necessary skill considering the great heights of their homes/food sources. They are also capable of swimming short distances, such as when water levels rise due to floods, with their young resting on their backs. Living typically seven years at most, they become sexually mature near the end of their first year. They will usually produce half-a-dozen offspring with each mating, the young gestating for about five months and then being raised by the adults for roughly one more. Mating occurs year round and with great frequency, leading to huge populations of arrhenius ketter on Truteal. This, however, can lead to great swarms every couple of decades that devour all the fruit they can eat, after which great die-offs occur when the food is used up, returning their numbers to their original populations. While seemingly detrimental, these actually help to spread the acidfruit megaplage throughout its range.