Beachcomber Snoot

The beachcomber snoot split from its ancestor the needlewing and took on a niche of scouring in debris and loose soil or sand for food. Their typical method of seeking out prey is either visually finding a small burrow and chasing after its denizens with their beak, or sticking their beak into the ground and tasting for any signs of prey items. They live in loose groups, members numbering from tens to hundreds depending on the quality of the environment that they find themselves in.

Like several other relatives of it it has lost its front limbs entirely. It's hind legs have elongated thus giving it a wider stride, and it uses these legs to rapidly cover ground as it moves about. The wings on its back have narrowed notably, and are used as a single unit flicking up and down to communicate with one another. They also as a side effect act as a display of emotional states, periodic flicking up and down is a signal of being calm. Rapid flicking signifying interest or curiosity. Standing erect represents alertness and the main purpose is to make others aware that they need to be paying attention. Being lowered signifying fear, derived from hiding among things.They have lost their spines around their nostril due to increased reliance on fleeing and hiding from predators.

Although most descendants of the needlewing have a well developed pouch for carrying young in the females only, with their males developing only a vestigial narrow cavity, the beachcomber snoot has the pouch fully developed in the male as well. During their breeding season two individuals will pair up and copulate, the female briefly holding the developing embryos in herself until they reach a point at which they are able to be transferred to a pouch. From there she will meet with her mate and rather than transferring them into her own pouch, she will transfer them into his instead. From this point the female will abandon her mate and find another unpaired male.

The developmental period for the embryo inside the female is a rather short one relative to the developmental time that they spend inside their sires pouch. Because of this, females are able to breed with multiple partners and produce multiple clutches of offspring. While males, on the other hand, are only really able to produce one clutch of offspring during a breeding season.

The carrying male will provide the majority of catches to the offspring being carried, relying mainly on energy stores and minor sugar production from photosynthesis. Once they are developed enough and large enough to be able to move around the offspring will be evicted from their father's pouch. They will follow him, both relying on him for safety as well as learning to refine the behaviors typical of their species. Once fully grown, which takes about a year, they will leave their little family cluster in order to be a member of the larger group. They can live for about 7 years.