Cavohoe

Splitting from their ancestor,the cavohoe has taken to life underground and has thus evolved accordingly. Due to the cold of the ice age, they have evolved a thick layer of blubber for warmth, as well as an inch-thick layer of skin due to they typically move along their stomachs while going about their tunnels. They have developed a stronger beak to both dig tunnels as well as to eat roots and potentially drag flora underground. Other adaptions for digging include spade-like claws on their forelimbs and bigger, stronger nails on their three-toed padded feet. The thick growths surrounding their breathing orifice are capable of closing in on themselves in order to prevent loose dirt from getting in while digging, though it is not uncommon for them to "sneeze" up clouds of dust every once in a while. Expert diggers, they typically form underground colonies that are miles in diameter and can be nearly 25 m deep underground, though this is not typically the norm due to air circulation deeper into the ground tends to be less efficient. They typically dig several surface tunnels in order to both allow air in as well as to allow for the mating process to occur. During the full moon, hundreds of cavohoes will surface, and during the course of several hours they will display and mate before retreating back underground with the coming of dawn in order to avoid predators. Females will then head for nursery chambers which are located near food storage ones and give birth to several young which she will then "nurse" with pre-digested food. Their mates will care for them until the young are old enough to survive on their own, which is usually within 1-2 months. Because of this, colonies can tend to contain hundreds of individuals who will work together to survive. Their wings have degraded into solar panel-like growths capable of weak photosynthesis, though they are no longer necessary for survival and many can live their entire lives without sunlight.