The Forest Fiend (Daemonodon sylvanus)

Dasyuromorphia is an order of marsupials that primarily consists of carnivorous specimens. Notable members of this order include the vocal Tasmanian Devil, the insectivorous Numbat, the omnivorous bandicoots, and the large Thylacine. While most representatives of this prolific order are found in Australia (with a few members in Papua New Guinea), Skull Island is home to a handful of them as well (the largest being the Marsupial Jackal, a giant species of thylacine). One of the most common dasyuromorphs on the island is a small but fearsome resident of the lowland rainforests; the Forest Fiend (Daemonodon sylvanus).

The Forest Fiend is a medium-sized marsupial, with the average weight of most individuals being roughly 20 kg. Part of the same family that includes quolls and Tasmanian devils, this animal is a carnivore, feeding mostly on smaller vertebrates and carrion (with the occasional insect or snail being taken as well). This small, nocturnal mammal has a similar body plan to the latter creature, except that its tail is slightly shorter and its fur is a chocolate brown with a beige underbelly rather than the black pelt sported by devils. Like devils, their jaws are impeccably strong, able to bite through bone, hoof, and thick hides (which makes them effective scavengers that can feed on the parts of a kill most carnivores cannot digest). However, one trait that makes them more similar to quolls is their surprising skills at climbing trees, which allows them to be formidable predators of nesting birds.

Forest Fiends are solitary animals, only gathering to mate or when there's enough of an abandoned carcass to go around. Confrontations between individuals are less hostile than their Tasmanian cousins, but fights composed of yowls, screams, scratches, and bites are still reported. A mother Forest Fiend can give birth to up to 10 joeys, feeding them periodically with 8 nipples in her pouch. Until they can eat solid foods, her 10 young will cling to her back (much like new world opossums) to keep safe while traversing their jungle home.

Author's Note: The Forest Fiend is based on a pack-hunting cynodont called the Carver, an animal featured in The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island.