Stink Shrew

The Stink Shrew split from its ancestor the Opportunity Shrew. Like its ancestor its nose is great for picking up scent and ears for listening. This is important since its main food source are the eggs of apex predators like the Argusraptor Complex. The success of Argusraptor lead to the abundance of clutches of eggs just waiting to be fed upon. However to get to it was hard.

Like it's ancestor it can hear the sounds of saucebacks echolocating, and it uses this in combination with its good sense of smell to intentionally seek out sauceback nests to devour eggs and young--as well as to avoid confrontation with the parents. However if it encounters them it has a new adaptation in its arsenal; anal scent glands that can be used as a defensive weapon.

Like Earth skunks this duel scent glands are found on either side of the anus. These glands produce the stink shrew's spray, which is a mixture of sulfur-containing chemicals such as thiols (traditionally called mercaptans), which have an offensive odor. A stink shrew's spray is powerful enough to ward off Argusraptor and other potential attackers. Muscles located next to the scent glands allow them to spray with a high degree of accuracy, as far as 3 meters. The spray can also cause irritation and even temporary blindness, especially in the Argusraptor's who have "eye-nostrils". Its coloration of yellow stripes are an aposematism to warn against its smelly stink. This helps it not even need to spray in the first place.

Like its ancestor, the Stink Shrew is a burrower. It resides mainly in burrows it made itself, though it may also steal burrows from other species of Shrew, and it may also live inside hollowed logs and other natural cavities. As its diet specifications put it in regular contact with saucebacks, the Stink Shrew is relatively hardy so that it may survive inevitable attacks; for example, it has dense fur and the skin around its neck is thickened, making it more difficult to bite to death. It is generally solitary, but it may also sometimes be found in mated pairs. Like its ancestor, it gives live birth and carries its offspring around in a pouch. There, they are nourished with milk until they are old enough to leave the pouch and go out on their own.