Sklithraderm: Difference between revisions
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When the [[Argusraptor Complex|argusraptor complex]] evolved, they were superbly effective predators that effectively caused a minor local extinction event. For the [[snowplower]]s, these new predators would lead to their rapid decline, being pushed out of the Dixon-Darwin Boreal biome and into Alpine areas. While some responded by becoming semiaquatic, leading to the [[mudplower]], another lineage of snowplowers would respond to these new predators by developing more dramatic adaptations. This included the development of a fuzzy coat, which among other features led to these populations splitting off and evolving into the '''sklithraderm'''.
The
The smaller size of the sklithraderm means they require less food to survive, while their woody filaments means they can have less blubber and become slimmer. This allows the sklithraderm to adapt to running away from danger such as the short-necked shrew or montemsnappers. The carotenoids present in their skin and plates give the sklithraderm a yellowish coloration, allowing them to blend in with the golden soil in the alpine regions they call home for most of the year. Their beaks, claws, hooves, and butt-nostril spines have a modified form of lignin within them that makes them stiffer and stronger than normal wood. This has resulted in its beak being as hard as chitin, similarly to the [[gryphler]], allowing the sklithraderm to expand its diet on the kinds of flora it can feed upon. They will use their snowplow-shaped beak to push away snow and uproot roots and tubers, but will also use their beak to feed on lower growing flora such as [[Crystal Swordgrass|crystal swordgrass]]. While they primarily get their energy from eating flora, the
The large amounts of snow and the intense cold of the winters means sklithraderms will head down the slopes and out of the alpine biomes they typically live in before entering the Dixon-Darwin Boreal habitat. Here, their patterns help them partially blend in by resembling large rocks found in the area, but they still are easier to spot than in the alpine biomes. This puts them at a higher risk of predation from things such as the argusraptor complex. Out in the open areas of the alpine biomes, few things would kill a sklithraderm because their sharp senses usually meant the potential predator would be spotted way before it could actually attack. In the dense [[obsidoak]] forests, however, predators have the advantage. Because of the higher risk of attack, the herding behavior of sklithraderms means more pairs of eyes and ears to detect predators before it is too late to escape. If an individual is cornered, they can use the redeveloped horns on their beak to gore an attacker. Despite their best attempts to watch each other's backs, the winter months are when the mortality rates of sklithraderms skyrockets.
To counter this, the sklithraderm breeds much more frequently than their ancestor. The males use their beaks in shoving contests as a test of strength. The
[[File:Sklithraderm Rooting About.png|thumb|A sklithraderm with its beak point down towards the ground, likely to shove snow aside to feed on flora.]]
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