Threat Name: Vackta

Type: Animal

Classification: Predator, Pack hunter

Threat Level: Medium (alone), Extreme (pack)

Description: Vackta are easily one of the most dangerous predators in the So'Reya jungles, an animal that can reach at least 3.4 meters (11 ft 2 in) in length, with a skull length of 410 mm (16.1 in), a hip height of 0.87 meters (2 ft 10 in), and an estimated weight of 73 kilograms (160 lb). The skull is equipped with powerful jaws lined with around seventy curved, blade-like teeth. Vackta also possess large "hands" with three long, sharp claws on each forelimb, and each hind foot bears four similarly shaped talons, including a sickle-shaped claw on the second digit, which is used primarily during predation.

Vackta live in packs that can range in number from twenty to as many as fifty animals, and their sociological behavior greatly resembles that of wolves, save that the pack is led by a female of the species rather than a male (referred to as the 'matriarch'). When hunting for prey, vackta tend to travel in groups of six, though as many as ten have sometimes been observed when hunting for larger prey. Hunting behavior indicates a high degree of intelligence, cunning and coordination, displaying abilities that include using ambush tactics and setting traps using bait.

Communication between these creatures includes vocalizations, much like wolves, with different calls apparently carrying different meanings. They also are able to 'imprint' a scent of prey in their brains and pass it along to other members of the pack (much like certain insects are capable of), implying that there may be a crude sort of telepathic ability that has evolved into the species at some point. This allows an individual vackta to go scouting for prey for many miles away from the pack and return to their pack-mates, then lead them back to where the prey was found, thereby increasing the hunting efficiency of the pack.

Image

http://i.imgur.com/bbR2ccV.jpg