Pink Scrambler

The pink scrambler split from its ancestor. It is a nocturnal burrowing generalist. It is named for the peculiar champagne coloration of its western population, which allows it to blend in with pale soil and dry grass. Its eastern population is golden yellow in color, more like its ancestor, but the name remains the same.

The pink scrambler is more genetically stable than its ancestor, as its duplicate genes have been gradually repurposed. For example, the extra copies of genes controlling development have been altered so that they activate when a body part is lost or severely damaged, allowing it to regrow. If a body part is partially detached but still intact, a new one may still grow, resulting in some pink scramblers growing extra tails and limbs. This differs from the duplicate paws and tails of some of their relatives in that these are traits acquired throughout their lives, rather than ones that they are born with; therefore, they are not passed down to their offspring. "Scrambling" mutations are nearly nonexistent. Accessory organs still appear with some frequency, and accessory lungs are generally more functional than they were in its ancestor.

The pink scrambler sometimes inhabits the nests of shrogs, as shrog food stores are like an all-you-can-eat buffet to the smaller shrew. As it breeds frequently--as often as 6 times a year--populations inside shrog nests can grow rapidly and make it unlivable to the shrogs inside, causing them to ultimately abandon the nest if they cannot find a way to remove the scramblers.

The pink scrambler is generally solitary. Like its ancestor, it has marsupial-like reproduction. It breeds 6 times a year and gives birth to 5-12 joeys at a time. Newborns are helpless and spend the first few weeks of their lives in a pouch.

The pink scrambler caused some flora to spread into Dixon Dunes. Flora not well-adapted for shifting sands make their homes in small patches of stability, such as near oases. The flora that have been spread are the Desert Carnofern, the Sandy Orbibom, the Coastal Goth Tree, the Yuccagave, and the Bristlepile. It also indirectly spread the Arid Plyent due to spores landing on its fur; the Arid Plyent then further also spread itself to Blood Tropical Riparian. Certain predators of these species, in turn, also spread; this includes the Xatazelle, the Pickaxe Tamow, the Desert Tilecorn, the Undergroundi, the Briarback, the Sabulyn, the Mothhead, the Skewer Shrog, and the Argeiphlock.