Dusty Spelunkhoe

Splitting from its ancestor, the dusty spelunkhoe has expanded the spelunkhoe family range throughout eastern Barlowe and Dixon. Smaller than its ancestor in order to better exploit its diet of various roots and young shoots, the dusty spelunkhoe has powerful claws to dig through the soil and a strong bite to tear into its food. They are nearly blind, but retain some sight. It instead relies more on its large ears and a pair of tiny sensitive barbels on the sides of its head. Dull colors rule their pigmentation, though during the breeding period that occurs during the full moon, the "beaks" of males develop yellow patches of coloration. Those with the brightest coloration will often get the most mates. They spend most of their lives underground, save for during the mating period. This offers them much protection from would-be predators who cannot reach them. For extra safety, they have continued their colonial lifestyle, and these colonies can be miles wide in diameter and densely populated. Most often, however, colonies that approach these sizes quickly break up into several smaller ones. Overall they have not changed much from their ancestors.