Shoveltail
| Shoveltail | ||
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| (Talpasaurus shovelus) | ||
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| 27/167, Replaced by Descendant | ||
| Information | ||
| Creator | Hydromancerx Other | |
| Week/Generation | 17/111 | |
| Habitat | Flisch Savanna, Krakow Scrub, Flisch Temperate Forest, Ichthy Swamp | |
| Size | 70 cm Long | |
| Primary Mobility | Quadruped, Sprawling Posture | |
| Support | Endoskeleton (Bone) | |
| Diet | Omnivore (Inferno Tree roots, Hugograss roots, Violetgrass roots, Bullying Fernt roots, Leafy Palmshrub roots, Cover Plern roots, Scrub Flowerworm 'roots' and larva) | |
| Respiration | Active (Lungs) | |
| Thermoregulation | Mesotherm | |
| Reproduction | Sexual, Lays hard-shelled eggs in burrows, Two sexes | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Kingdom Phylum Superclass Clade Class Subclass Order Suborder Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Carpozoa Spondylozoa Anisoscelida Pentapodes Caudapodia Eucaudapodia Palapusia Talpasauriformes Talpasauridae Talpasaurus Talpasaurus shovelus | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
|---|---|
The shoveltail replaced its ancestor, the pickclaw and has gone through some dramatic physical changes. To better move through the soil its pick-claws have turned into clawed scoops: this helps it "swim" through the soil. Its head is now a wedge shape and it has nostrils and bony eye shields, which protect them from loose rocks and pointy roots. The nostrils and eyes can close up when in digging mode, thus it must take breaks to breathe before it continues.
Its mouth is now in 2 parts: the front set of teeth which are mainly used for digging and biting of roots; then it has lips that can close up tight when digging. Inside the mouth are many grinding teeth it uses to chew up the roots it eats. They mainly feed on roots of the local flora in their biomes, however the scrub subspecies will eat the larva of the scrub flowerworm which will dig through the soil.
It can no longer change colors at all and has brown coloring with darker brown spots. Like its ancestors the shoveltail have evolved sexual dimorphism. The males have white patches around their eyes while the females have none. They have very poor eyesight and must communicate through touch and vibration. They will use their shovel-tail to thump the ground; since they are deaf they cannot hear the thumps but feel the vibrations on their bellies. They sometimes use the shovel-tail for digging backwards but this proves very difficult and is mainly used for communication. They rarely leave their subterranean world and males will tap the ground in a pattern to attract mates. Those with the louder thumps get the most females to mate with.
They will lay their eggs in home burrows. Females will stay with the eggs and tend to them while the male gets food for his family. When they hatch they will raise them as well. After they have grown they will join the colony in digging holes and looking for roots. They stay in colonies in order to fend off velishroots who might want to feed on their eggs, young or weak individuals. There is no single leader of the colony.
Gallery
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Artwork by OviraptorFan
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A close up of a female's head, with her mouth fully open and teeth fully bared. Artwork by OviraptorFan
