Shrootsitter Shoveltail
| Shrootsitter Shoveltail | ||
|---|---|---|
| (Neotalpasaurus amicasorex) | ||
 | ||
 | ||
 | ||
| Information | ||
| Creator | OviraptorFan Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/167 | |
| Habitat | Ichthy Tropical Mudflat, Ichthy Tropical Riparian, Ichthy Montane Riparian, Terra Tropical Mudflat, Terra Tropical Riparian, Terra Montane Riparian, Wright Subtropical Mudflat, Wright Subtropical Riparian, Wright Montane Riparian, Pipcard Subtropical Mudflat, Pipcard Subtropical Riparian, Pipcard Montane Riparian, Kenotai Subtropical Mudflat, Kenotai Subtropical Riparian, Kenotai Montane Riparian, Bardic Tropical Mudflat, Bardic Tropical Riparian, Bardic Montane Riparian, Glicker Subtropical Mudflat, Glicker Subtropical Riparian, Glicker Montane Riparian, Gec Tropical Mudflat, Gec Tropical Riparian, Gec Montane Riparian, Biocat Subtropical Mudflat, Biocat Subtropical Riparian, Huggs Subtropical Riparian, Biocat Montane Riparian, Huggs Montane Riparian, Wallace Tropical Rainforest, Central Wallace Tropical Woodland, Dixon Tropical Woodland, Dixon Subtropical Rainforest, Dixon Subtropical Woodland, West Wallace Tropical Woodland, Raptor Tropical Rainforest, Dixon Cloud Rainforest, Dixon Highboreal, Raptor Highboreal, Central Wallace Highboreal, Darwin Highboreal, Darwin Cloud Rainforest, Darwin Tropical Woodland, Dorite Subtropical Woodland, Darwin Tropical Rainforest, Darwin Subtropical Rainforest, South Darwin Subtropical Woodland | |
| Size | 70 centimeters long | |
| Primary Mobility | Quadruped, Sprawling Posture | |
| Support | Endoskeleton (Bone) | |
| Diet | Omnivore (Clickworm, Berry Arbourshroom, Tropical Crystamboo roots and small saplings, Caprystal roots and small saplings, Leafy Plyentwort, Pelagic Puffgrass, Raft-Building Cone Puffgrass, Mangrovecrystal roots, Branching Qupe Tree roots, Ukback, Gallratworm, Common Fraboo, Hood Plyent, Gargantuan Obsiditree roots, Weird-Boned Twintail, Pewpa, Tlukvaequabora roots, Obsidiroot roots, Borinvermee, Bora Scuttler, Frayedspikes, Swampfarer, Pert, Osziza, Amphibious Twinkoral, Scootatrunk, Mertiprongs, Carnurtain, Gouromb, Cushprongs, Odor-Spray Wingworm, Bonebriar (low growing individuals only), Cardiaflorm, Gec Gigarystal, Salt Buffel, Cocoprong, Arid Plyent, Salt Grass, Shading Slars, Quilbil, Tonsa Krugg, Catch-Me Krugg, Whirlybulb, False-Spinemander Fraboo, Segmented Carnofern, Krugg, Creeping Crystal, Dome Crystal, Quone, Leafcutter Krugg, Spiked Krugg, Egg Krugg, Obsidoak roots, Woodyshroom, Tropical Gecoba Tree roots and fruit, Carnossamer roots and saplings, Hydrabowl, Mainland Fuzzpalm roots and berries, Twin-Tail Orbibom, Carnofern Flugwurm larvae, Hairoot, Madamedusa Vine, Plyentree, Woodland Grovecrystal, Pixy Plyent, Crown-of-Thorns Plyent, Brutishelm Uksip, Lazarus Soriparasite, Scrubland Tubeplage roots, Crystamble, Signpost Crystamboo roots and saplings, Scrubland Quhft roots, Rifamboo roots, Fuzzpile roots and berries, Communal Janit, Infilt Pewpa, Cleaner Borvermid, False Cleaner Borvermid, Nightcrawler Borvermid, Hissing Krugg, Thistle Puffgrass, Clusterblades, Obsidian Shrub, Whiskrugg, Penumbra Fuzzpalm roots and berries, Stowaway Harmbless, Pioneer Quillball, Olshkra, Dixon Olshkra, Lacy-Leaf Obsiditree, Grovecrystal Krugg, Pagoda Crystal roots, Crystal Brambley, Boreal Tubeplage roots, Feroak roots, Gecoba Tree roots and fruit, Bloodsap Melontree roots and fruit, Broad-Trunk Obsiditree roots, Alpfrond, Chitjornacle, Shaggy Volleypom roots, Moleroot, Grub Krugg, Fruiting Grovecrystal roots, Exoskelesor, Tubeplage roots, Quhft roots, Cup Qupe, Perfume Krugg, Pushy Krugg, Poisonglobe Krugg, Bighorn Krugg, Monostage Dirteater, Dense-Carapace Krugg, Toxiglobes, Capped Brystal roots and small saplings, Smirking Soriparasite, Eggslurping Sorite, Bonyfee, Floraverms, Leepi Meepi, Twinkiiros, Chitjorns, Minikruggs, Cryobowls, Vermees, Glaalgaes, Larands, Silkruggs, Gamergate Gundis, Teacup Saucebacks, Stinkers, Hanging Frabooballs, Hollowdomes, Oozocorns, Sunstalks, Neuks, Supershrooms, Sapshrooms, Tamed Berry Arbourshrooms, Mudfish, Yanisflora, Snowflake Obsidioaks roots, Crystal Entourage Swordgrasses, Wallace Puffgrasses, Ferries roots, Crunchy Trufflegrass, Plateland Crystals), Scavenger | |
| 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 Neotalpasaurus Neotalpasaurus amicasorex | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
|---|---|
In the many millions of years the two taxa had been living alongside one another, the Velishroot and Shoveltail developed an extremely strong bond, one that helped the two species survive several massive shifts in climate and even mass extinctions. With such a strong relationship, it made perfect sense that when Fragorishroots, descendants of the Velishroot, would begin to spread out and colonize a wide range of habitats, they would be followed by Shoveltails. These populations in turn would also see some major changes, such as higher intelligence and a more generalistic diet, which among a few other things made them distinct enough to be considered their own species. This species, known as the Shrootsitter Shoveltail, retains its friendly disposition towards shroots, and in fact has taken such a relationship to greater heights.
While the Shoveltails they evolved from made a living by staying mostly underground and eating the roots of flora, Shrootsitter Shoveltails actually spend a good portion of their time outside of these tunnels. During such times, Shrootsitter Shoveltails will usually be with others of their kind and are always near at least one Fragorishroot. Spending much more time outside resulted in the Shrootsitter Shoveltail developing far better vision than their ancestor, helping them better navigate their environment. This includes helping them spot choice bits of flora to munch, detecting small slow moving prey that can provide a nice source of protein, and keeping tabs on where everyone else is. The Shrootsitter Shoveltail's sense of smell also plays a big role, as it can help the dweller with finding a tasty snack that might be hard to spot visually.
The most dramatic change to the Shrootsitter Shoveltail's sense, however, revolves around its senses of hearing. Rather than picking up vibrations through their belly, the Shrootsitter Shoveltail possesses a tympanic membrane that vibrates when sound waves hit it. These vibrations are then picked up by the skull bones of the dweller, which in turn allows it to process these sound waves. Being able to actually hear the world around them is highly advantageous for the Shrootsitter Shoveltail, since this can be used for hearing the calls of their clanmates or detecting the presence of a nearby threat. Speaking of sound, Shrootsitter Shoveltails produce a fairly wide range of vocalizations, ranging from guttural hisses to short grunts and snorts. The grunts and snorts are mostly for peaceful interaction with other Shrootsitter Shoveltails and Fragorishroots, while the hisses and particularly loud barks are more for either warning others of their kind of danger or to show aggression towards threats. They can also still slap their tails against the ground to create a loud thump, which is mostly used for sensing their world when underground.
Being about the shrews for so long has rubbed off on the Shrootsitter Shoveltail in many ways, the first being its general diet. Rather than solely feeding upon roots, this species of dweller is highly opportunistic and will eat nearly anything that is foliage or is too slow to move away. Their front teeth are well suited for gnawing at tough foliage as well as chiseling into the dirt, sticking out of the mouth even when close as the lips close behind them. The back teeth, meanwhile, are flat and molar-like, being adapted for crunching up bits of flora and small fauna into an easy to swallow mush. This adaptable diet means Shrootsitter Shoveltails are able to make a living on a wide range of things, allowing them to live in a wide range of habitats that in turn have different kinds of organisms present in the area.
One interesting change seen in the species is that they have redeveloped the ability to change their coloration. Since they spend a fair amount of time above ground, this ability gives the Shrootsitter Shoveltail various advantages compared to their more strictly subterranean ancestor. For example, Shrootsitter Shoveltails can change their coloration and patterns to blend in within specific habitats, helping them avoid being detected by predators. On the other hand, the Shrootsitter Shoveltail can also change their colors to make themselves look as bright and vibrant as possible to intimidate said threats if necessary.
Shrootsitter Shoveltails are incredibly social creatures, particularly with their own kind as well as Fragorishroots. Living in tightly knit groups of around ten to thirty individuals, Shrootsitter Shoveltails will rush to the aid of a member of the group if it gets attacked, violently facing off against a threat as a formidable unit. This protective behavior applies to Fagorishroots as well, with the shrews also rushing to the aid of the shoveltails if an individual is attacked. The two species also work together in other ways, sharing burrows and gathering food for shared food stores. The varied diet of both species allows them to make the most of the food stores, allowing them to get by when times get tough.
Fragorishroots and Shrootsitter Shoveltails also help rear each others young, with Shrootsitter Shoveltails having developed a pretty unique adaptation in response. Adults will produce a slurry of fat-rich cells from the lining of their throat, which they then vomit up for either a shroot pup or a shoveltail hatching to consume. With this adaptation, being the Shrootsitter Shoveltail equivalent of milk, the dwellers are able to more effectively rear the young of their shroot companions while also aiding their own young by providing them a source of food. On the flipside, young Shrootsitter Shoveltails can also feed on the milk of Fragorishroots, meaning they could be reared by the shrews in the absence of adult Shrootsitter Shoveltails. As the species have grown to depend on each other greatly, dispersing Shrootsitter Shoveltails and Fragorishroots will almost always travel together.
With such widespread success, the Shrootsitter Shoveltail has made its direct ancestor comparatively rare, since their much stronger relationship with the shrews and their generalistic diet gives them a competitive advantage. Because of this competition, Shoveltails across most of their range have been forced to double down on being subterranean feeders of tree roots, though those around river systems now spend more time around water as Shrootsitter Shoveltails don't like getting their feet wet.
