Rottingtoe

The rottingtoe split from its ancestor and moved to Slarti Salt Flats to follow its new prey, the urkamen and urshowad. The rottingtoe gets its name from its terrible smell of putrescine and cadaverine. This smell attracts its prey, which eat dead things and is walk towards the smell. When the rottingtoe sees or hears its prey, it runs up to it quickly and attacks it in numerous ways. If the prey is young, it will pummel it with its cloven hoof until it cracks, and then scoop up the remains in its shovel-like mouth. If the prey is older it will try to flip it over with its large thumbnail before pummeling it on its underside. If the prey is particularly tough, it will pick it up in its jaws and try to crush it with its large teeth. Adults will thus often have scarred mouths, but most of the skin in and around the mouth is dead to prevent this from becoming an issue.

The rottingtoe's eardrums have become more disc-shaped to increase efficiency, and are supported by a cartilage frame. The frame now has some muscles attached to it, so it can now move its ears a bit. The rottingtoe's shell has shrunk because it was weighing it down and served little purpose. After copulation, the female will lay the eggs on the male's shell. The shell is black, and thus heats up very quickly and is an ideal for incubation. When the eggs are laid, the shell is covered in a thick slime that quickly dries on the outside, producing a stiff egg case. When the eggs hatch the young will feed with their parents until they get old enough to hunt on their own. When travelling long distances, the young sleep inside the egg case, which usually stays intact on the males back for several months after hatching. The female does not have a part in raising the young. Young will be tan when born, but as they grow they accumulate anthocyanins and melanin in their skin, causing them to be purple.

The rottingtoe is purple because it mimics the greater chumchum. The rottingtoe will often stay near herds of chumchums, as its prey can be found around these herds feeding off of dead chumchums. The rottingtoe will thus seem like one of the peaceful herbivores and have the ability to approach its prey without it noticing. During winter the rottingtoe will often huddle up against the chumchums in efforts to benefit from their warmth.