Harndsum Prickleshrew

The Harndsum Prickleshrew is a split from the neoshrew that specializes in eating Entomocarcinians, Optidorsalians, and other small invertebrate-like organisms. It has also grown much bigger than its ancestor as then it can push aside most of its potential competition and better defend itself from predators. Indeed, a good portion of its hair has turned into sharp quills along the back and flanks to prick at predators that try to take a bite. These quills are somewhat like those of the tigmow and may indeed partially originate from the quills of those shrews, though they are much smaller and more numerous to be more effective at deterring bites. These quills are also found on the otherwise hairless tail, which in turn means the tail can be used to smack at threats or competition and cause some damage. If a predator keeps up an attack, however, the Harndsum Prickleshrew will quickly rush in and lash out at the other creature. In these charges, the Harndsum Prickleshrew is focused on convincing the threat that it is too aggressive and dangerous to tackle and thus scare it off, though it can also use its massive claws and strong teeth to show that these threats are not mere bluffs.

While the massive claws can indeed gut an adversary, they did not originally evolve for such a reason. Instead, these were originally evolved for the purposes of foraging, as Harndsum Prickleshrews took their ancestral behavior of digging in the ground or in tree bark to make their homes and used it to find prey. The Harndsum Prickleshrew will use its large nostrils to pick up the scent of prey, indeed being able to smell food from up to 5 miles away if the wind is in its favor. Tracking down the origin of the smell, the Harndsum Prickleshrew can use its decent vision and sharp hearing to detect movement once it gets close. If it's a small krugg or sapworm, the shrew will merely smack it with its forelimbs to stun or kill the victim so it can then be caught and eaten. While it can subsist on such prey, the Harndsum Prickleshrew will have to spend a good portion of its day foraging for food to find enough food to sustain itself. There are ways around this issue, however, as some types of prey are either bigger or not found alone. An example of the former are the several species of fraboo that can be found in their range, which are fairly large but usually either contain toxins or utilize the smell of feces to deter threats. Developing a resistance to these toxins as well as not caring about the smell of feces meant they could tackle such prey, with their teeth being well suited to crunching through their usually armored or spiny prey. There are occasions where a young Harndsum Prickleshrew might mistake actual dung for a dungshell fraboo, which means they can often ingest it and get infected by microbes. As this could lead to dangerous outbreaks among the species, the Harndsum Prickleshrews had to develop a powerful immune system to neutralize any pathogens as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

Another option to find a large meal aside from tackling the fraboos is to seek out prey that live colonially. These can either be things like the several species of eusocial nodents to the hives of xenobees and their descendants the xenowasps. Both kinds of prey can be hard to get to, with both types often putting up a fierce resistance while the former is usually found underground or in tree bark and the latter is usually found high up trees. This is where the Harndsum Prickleshrew’s larger size and adaptations to the forelimbs truly shine, as the greater bulk means the shrew will not be overwhelmed by the defenses of its prey and thus not get killed itself. The forelimbs, meanwhile, could be use to either dig out the colonies of Undergroundis or Gamergate Gundis from their hiding areas or to dig into tree bark to climbing up a tree to get at the hives of Xenobees (as while they are relatively slow moving and clumsy when climbing, they can capable of at least doing it). Once they do get to the colonies, the Harndsum Prickleshrew will scarf down as much as it can, with individuals sometimes even using their claws to rip the Xenobee nest off the tree and have it fall to the ground so it can feed on the ground. The thick skin present on its face and limbs provide some protection against the stings and bites of the colonies defending themselves, but after a few minutes the Harndsum Prickleshrew will have to retreat though by that point it will likely have had a big meal.

Similarly to their ancestors, the Harndsum Prickleshrew is a solitary creature, only coming together with other individuals to mate. After copulation, the two will depart and return to their respective turf. The species still digs out burrows, which are much larger and deeper to accommodate for their increased size, and it is here that females will give birth. She will give birth to about four to six young at a time, with the mother still providing them milk to aid in their growth while they are in her pouch. During this time, the pups lack any spines, since they are protected by their mother and having them at such a young age means they would only prick the skin of their mother. Once the young are old enough to venture into the outside world, their spines begin to grow while they follow their mother to learn where the best food sources are. In areas where there are not many predators, the Harndsum Prickleshrew mother will actually tolerate her young for much longer than in areas where predators are abundant. While the pups are driven away at the age of about four to six months in areas of high predation, those in areas where there isn't that much to worry about may actually stay with their mother for years, breaking the general trend of Harndsum Prickleshrews being solitary. In those areas, the young will mainly leave their mother on their own terms, usually to find a mate and breed.