Tundra gravedigger (SciiFii)

The tundra gravedigger (Decipulaformus borealis) is a species of large, mostly-quadrupedal bird with a gray, black, and white plumage, a yellow throat and nasal area, and a short tail. The tundra gravedigger originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced across the world except the Arctic or Antarctica. The tundra gravedigger is one of the only living members of the Decipulaforminae subfamily, which are most closely related to a widespread subfamily Carduelinae. The tundra gravedigger is about 29-31 inches (73-78 centimeters) in length. Unlike most birds, their flexible weight-bearing wrists with two-clawed fingers replace the rest of their forearms and it lacks the ability to lay hard-shelled eggs, it instead gives true live birth similarly to mammals and some non-mammal synapsids. The tundra gravedigger has been greatly modified physically and somewhat behaviorally from most birds; a stocky animal, about as big as a large bulldog around 65-75 pounds (29.4-34.0 kilograms), it is not a very fast runner, instead built for burrowing and feeding on carrion and small animals found underground. Compared with most other gravedigger species, other than the icefisher (Decipulaformus mareglacius), the tundra gravediggers are adapted to survive a much harsher environment than others of their species, where winter’s harsh chill can last several months of the year, and where productivity of the landscape can be devastatingly poor. The food source for the wild tundra gravedigger is in short supply for all but a couple months annually and many prey species are highly nomadic, forcing the tundra gravedigger to be equally migratory over vast regions and to limit their territories to smaller spaces around themselves that cannot be defined by environmental landmarks. The cold, hostile landscape has forged the tundra gravedigger into a more formidable predator than its relatives. It is on average 30% larger than the gravedigger (Decipulaformus inimucus), with a thicker feather coat to insulate against the polar night and longer legs adapted for long distance travel, though the much thicker pelage can obscure this. The jaw is substantially more robust and the neck muscles are stronger, both adaptations related to being more actively predatory. Tundra gravediggers are not reserved about killing prey with their own jaws, as they cannot wait for prey to be subdued in traps when other starved predators in these landscapes will rapidly come running at the sound of an injured animal. This species is also distinct in pattern, being more white than black, with the orange coloration being replaced by a pale yellow, and the golden eye having faded to a bleached grey-green. The black beak is pale, almost white at the base and the exposed pink skin along the mouth is largely feathered, with what remains being nearly black. Feathers also cover most of the hind leg in the tundra subspecies where other gravedigger species have scales. The tundra gravedigger is sapient like most other gravedigger species and has a wide array of languages, cultures, religions, technologies, etc. The conservation status of the tundra gravedigger is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the tundra gravedigger's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities, including being able to work and live alongside other sapient species such as humans.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii