Mudplower

The Mudplower split from its ancestor the Snowplower. It has moved to the rivers in which it feeds on aquatic flora. It is larger than its ancestor and is adapted more to a semi-aquatic lifestyle. Its back feet have webbed toes and its front hooves have widened to help it not sink in the muddy banks. Its skeletal structure has changed to raise its "butt-nostil" can sit above the waterline when wading in the shallows. However it can seal shut when going deeper in the water. Like its ancestor it has thorns around the opening to help protect it. Its eyes also have developed see-through eyelids to help it see underwater. Its photosynthetic plates are thicker and more woody. They are heavier so it can walk on the bottom of the river. Its body colors are either golden or white, depending upon the river they live in. The splotchy pasterns resemble the mud and help it keep camouflaged underwater. The photosynthetic plates help it get an energy boost from the sun during the day. They use their beaks to push away the mud to uproot flora. It can also be used to clear snow or break ice like their ancestor. In higher elevations they will have thicker blubber like their ancestors did to help keep them warm. They will typically migrate upstream in the summer to cooler temperatures and then downstream in the winter to warmer temperatures. Like their ancestors males have pushing competitions where they try to push each other's plow-like beaks against each other. They live in large herds led by a dominant male. Males who are not dominant live in a bachelor herd and frequently challenge the alpha male for rights to take over the herd of females and juveniles. Females will make conical dirt nests on land in which they give birth to their 2 to 3 offspring in. After 2 to 3 months the offspring are old enough to leave the nest. The nesting grounds tend to be in Dixon-Darwin Boreal even if they normally live in other biomes. The Pipcard River population has developed a mixed herd with the Chut Snorkpiper. Since they are larger than Chut Snorkpipers the beachmasters have little choice but to let them graze with them. Both species benefit from the extra eyes and ears around looking for predators.