The storutor (Gulo gulo) is the largest land-dwelling species of the ephistid family. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal.
The storutor is primarily found in the tundra of Maria, with the greatest numbers in the alpine slopes of the mountains of Iland and Rinuni.
Taxonomy[]
Genetic evidence suggests that the storutor is most closely related to the living peleons of Poresia than the krini of Hera, suggesting an extinct relative of both, that lived in Maria.
Behavior[]
Diet and hunting[]
Storutors are considered to be primarily scavengers. Storutors may find the carrion themselves or chase away other predators from their kill. Storutors are also formidable predators, being able to take on prey that is much larger than them. They are known to pursue live prey that are relatively easy to obtain, such as animals stuck in traps, newborn animals, and animals that are weakened by winter. Their diets also consist of nuts, berries, eggs, roots, and insect larvae.
Mating and reproduction[]
Successful males will form lifetime relationships with two or three females, which they will visit occasionally, while other males are left without a mate. Mating season is in the summer, but the actual implantation of the embryo in the uterus is stayed until early winter, delaying the development of the fetus. Females will often not produce young when food is scarce. The gestation period is 30 - 45 days, and litters of typically two or three young ("kits") are born in the spring. Kits develop rapidly, reaching full size by the first year of life. The typical longevity of a storutors in captivity is around 15 years, but in the wild the average lifespan is more likely 8 to 11 years. Fathers make visits to their young until they are weaned at 10 weeks old.