Rootnibbler Shoveltail
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As the shrootsitter shoveltail capitalized on their relationship with the fragorishroot, they proved to be quite competitive and forced the shoveltails they evolved from to double down into the role of subterranean feeders of tree roots in areas outside of watersheds. This in turn would result in the evolution of the rootnibbler shoveltail, who has replaced their ancestor in any habitats the two overlapped.
The rootnibbler shoveltail can be best described as a shoveltail further adapted for digging and living underground. As the species spends almost all of their lives underground, their eyesight has become even worse, with the species being only able to detect vague shapes and differences in light and dark, the latter one being quite useful for telling when they have accidentally or intentionally dug themselves to the surface.
The species accomplishes their digging habits in a similar fashion to other shoveltails, using the frontmost claw on their forelimbs as a pick, before using their front teeth to chisel out the dirt even further before then pulling the limb back so the other claws can push the dirt behind it. To make all of this even easier, the forelimbs of the rootnibbler shoveltail have become much bigger than their ancestor or relatives which in turn resulted in the rootnibbler shoveltail having a sprawled stance rather than holding itself erect. The frontmost teeth have also seen some changes, never ceasing growth to combat the constant wear of chiseling dirt and rock. The teeth are also harder on the outside, meaning the inner sides of the teeth wear down faster as the teeth On the upper and lower jaw rub against each other, keeping the whole set sharp so that digging is more effective. The hindlimbs are also pretty useful for digging, mainly pushing the dirt dislodged by their forelimbs and teeth further behind it so that other rootnibbler shoveltails behind it can then move it behind them. Indeed, digging is often a communal effort amongst the species, with the whole group often forming long chains that lead to a hole that opens up to the surface so that excess dirt can eventually be shoved out. Rootnibbler shoveltails also still seal their nostrils and close their eyes when digging to avoid dirt getting lodged in there, but this does mean they do need to take breaks from time to time so they can breath, although they have adapted to go for longer periods without oxygen compared to their ancestor.
In a place where sight is useless and they often can't smell due to sealing their nostrils, rootnibbler shoveltaills have gone on to rely upon hearing and touch to sense their world. Being closely related to the shrootsitter shoveltail, this species does share one very important adaptation, the presence of a tympanic membrane. This membrane vibrates when sound waves hit it, which then get picked up by the skull bones of the dweller, which in turn allows it to process these sound waves. This in turn means the rootnibbler shoveltail can utilize sound for communication in their dark tunnels, utilizing clicks, grunts, and snorts to share information amongst the whole group. These only travel so far in the winding tunnels, however, so their ancestral ability to detect vibrations is also quite important. Rootnibbler shoveltails still slap their tails against the ground to create a loud thump, which both creates a loud nose for everyone nearby and creates large vibrations that travel throughout the tunnels. These in turn can be felt through the bellies of the dwellers in a similar fashion to their ancestor, helping share information to individuals at opposite sides of the tunnels. The rootnibbler shoveltails will also slap their tails in specific patterns, helping to convey different messages through the patterns of vibrations they create, whether it may be that they found food, a different group of rootnibbler shoveltails, or a threat.
While the shrootsitter shoveltail has expanded its diet to that of a generalist, the rootnibbler shoveltail feeds only upon the roots of various flora in their range. Their front teeth, while mainly used for chiseling dirt, are also well suited into gnawing into any roots they come across, still sticking out of the mouth even when closed as the lips close behind them. The back teeth, meanwhile, are flat and molar-like, being adapted for crunching up their food into an easy to swallow mush. Rootnibbler shoveltails don't consume the entire root of the flora they come across, instead they only feed on small portions of it, to ensure that they do not kill the flora and thus have a reliable food source. Of course, this food source is aggressively guarded from potential thieves such as the gnarbolonk and the tierracolmillos, but their main enemies are other groups of rootnibbler shoveltails. The vibrations groups leave by thumping of their tails also serves as a sort of territorial marker, which helps groups coming across one another. If they do meet, however, it often results in a violent clash where the dwellers from the two groups biting and smacking each other until one of them retreats, often sealing up that particular tunnel behind them to prevent their aggressors from moving deeper into their tunnel system.
Rootnibbler shoveltails are also fairly aggressive towards potential predators, often gathering together into groups to block off a tunnel and prevent a threat from going deeper without having to face their gnashing teeth and strong clawed limbs. This kind of aggression is even extended towards the fragorishroot, as this species of dweller has cut off their relationship with the shroots and now only sees them as a potential threat. Even though the dwellers see it as a threat, the fragorishroot's close relationship with the related shrootsitter shoveltail means it does not see the rootnibbler shoveltails as potential prey and are instead left confused by why their "friends" act with such hostility.
Rootnibbler shoveltails mate in around mid winter or near the end of the dry season, so that by the time they lay their eggs conditions will be improving for them. Females will form temporary mating pairs with males so that they can take turns between foraging for food and guarding the eggs. This lasts for about a month until the five to ten eggs hatch, with the pair still sticking together for about another month to rear the chicks. Once the chicks are old enough to fend for themselves, they will stay with the group they hatched in for about a year, aiding their elders and siblings with normal tasks like expanding tunnels, maintaining food sources, and fending off intruders. After this, however, the now-subadults will leave behind their home tunnels and head to the surface, one of the few times rootnibbler shoveltails deliberately leave their tunnels. As the subadults from the whole area will leave at around the same time, there will be more of them than there are potential predators waiting for this opportunity. Those who do not fall victim to predators will either search for a tunnel system of a different group of rootnibbler shoveltails, or find an individual of an opposite sex to create their own territory and their own group.
Joining a pre-existing group or making their own group has their own separate benefits and drawbacks, and so are equally viable. Rootnibbler shoveltails that join a pre-existing group must survive the perils of the initial introduction. The pre-existing group will treat them as an intruder and as such will violently attack them. For this new arrival, all they can do is take the bites and smacks and act as submissive as they can, for any form of retaliation will simply escalate the aggression. If they can take the onslaught, they will be smothered in the scent of the group which causes them to calm down and tolerate the newcomer. Even then, however, the newcomer will be at the bottom of the group's general pecking order and it will take some time before they rise up the said pecking order; usually either by older individuals dying, other dispersing newcomers joining the group after them, or through the individual earning their keep by doing various tasks. As they rise through the ranks, the individual will have more and more chances at mating with other members of the group and will have the benefit of a stable community and tunnel system to maximize the chances of their young surviving.
Individuals that start their own groups will not need to deal with being bitten and smacked around, and they will have the additional benefit in that they will have first pickings in terms of mates since it will initially be just the founding pair. The main drawback to this, however, is that the two rootnibbler shoveltails will have to build everything from scratch, such as building their own tunnels and finding their own roots to feed on. Starting off as a pair also means they have far less protection against potential threats of their young or even to themselves, so they often have a higher death rate than individuals that already joined long established groups. If they last long enough, however, the pair will likely be joined by dispersing rootnibbler shoveltails of the next generation which in turn will provide them with extra assistance and thus make things easier.