River Shrew

The River Shrew split from the Stalking Shrew and moved to the banks of the Ichthy River, where the lack of competition allowed them to thrive. Despite their thriving lifestyle, however, the few species residing here evoked this shrewish offshoot to diminish somewhat in size, to better survive off of the prey therein.

This new aquatic habitat has also instigated other evolutions in the species. The skin between their toes on their back legs have grown, creating small webs to allow an increased ability to swim. Meanwhile, the claws on their front feet have become more bulky to allow them to dig. The webbed toes are used to allow the River Shrews to swim below the surface of the water to eat from Runanchor stalks and catch both Fursquids and Bristlesquids, which they will try to hold in place with their clawed front paws while subduing it with a killing bite. Their fur has become brown to help camouflage them against the muddy banks, which helps keep their territoriality down. Despite this color change, they continue to display the sexual dimorphism stripes that their ancestors possess.

While they may hunt in the water, they continue to rest and breed on land. Living in small groups of 5-10 members, made up of a female and her most recent offspring, they will dig burrows into the banks of the river, which may be as deep as 12 feet. This consists of a long tunnel which makes up as much as six feet of the entire burrow, which then opens up into a cave where all members will rest together. They are fairly social animals, and even though older offspring will be kicked out of the den to start their own families once the populace grows to over 10, it is common for them to romp and play together should the two families cross paths again. This is possible due to an increased sense of olfaction, and a similarly increased portion of their brain that stores smell memory.

The pouch now seals tightly against the female's body thanks to powerful muscles attached to it, to make it water-tight to prevent their underdeveloped young from drowning while the females feed. Although the nostrils do not seal up, the River Shrew will expel minor but constant amounts of oxygen from them to keep them clear while diving.