River Hikahoe

The River Hikahoe split from its ancestor the Hikahoe. It has become amphibious and lives in the waterways of Dixon-Darwin, except for Blocks. Those that live in Dixon-Darwin Boreal mainly live by small ponds. Most of the species live in rivers and wetlands. It has developed a longer streamline body for swimming. Its back feet now have webbing which it uses to swim with. Their tail has also gotten long and is used as a rudder. On the end the butt-nostril no closes air tight so it can holding its breath underwater without water leaking in. Its light golden coloration help it blend in with both the white Dixon soil and the Golden Darwin soil. Their beaks have become more duck-like and help it both eat aquatic flora but also sense small aquatic fauna that hide in the muddy river bottom. Unlike their ancestors they no longer climb trees but they still burrow underground for their dens. These dens are made in the river banks and are hidden underwater to hide from predators. Mating pairs will share these burrows. Their front claws are mainly used to dig these burrows but can also be used as a defense against predators. Like their ancestors they have slit pouches on either side of their torsos. They have one to two offspring at a time because of this. Only the males have pouches. The pouches are not water tight so the male must stay in the burrow and depend upon the female to get food for him and the babies. Only males have brightly colored beaks and females will choose those with the brightest beak to pair off with. Females and juveniles have brown beaks. Juvenile males do not get brightly colored beaks until they reach sexual maturity.