Tailhopping Sawclaw

The tailhopping sawclaw split from its ancestor the sawclaw. It has gottten smaller and scavenges around eatting anything from dead flora to dead fauna. Its back spikes have evolved into protective plates. Its front limbs have gotten smaller and are only used for digging while the tail has gotten bigger and is used for locomotion. It hops around on this tail. It no longer uses color flashing to communicate because it has developed the ability to hear though its nostrils. These "ear-nostrils" pick up not only sounds but is used like a bat's echolocation. It can make small clicks and see in the dark of night. While the backplates are no longer used for communication they can still changed colors in order to blend in with its environment or flash colors to scare predators when they try to attack them. Like their ancestors jaws and neck muscles are incredibly strong. This helps when biting bones or tough flora fibers. In order to protect their young they dig their nests under the ground and lay their eggs there in the sleeping nests. They will protect and raise the chicks. Females stay with the herd while feeding but aside from the alpha male the males will go off and live a solitary life. Each spring males challenge the alpha male for his "harem" of females. They will fight using their teeth and claws; this can sometimes be fatal since their claws and teeth are so sharp. The winner gets the females. They have lost most of the sexual dimorphism except for a size difference. Males are typically larger and have larger claws and teeth for fighting. But they both have the same colorings.