Tuskbilled Snort

Trunkos get their name for the superficial resemblance to the trunk of an elephant, but the two appendages differ in only that of the pachyderm being connected to the nose. Trunkos can't use their trunks to smell or to siphon water, as their nostrils are high on the snout, so that the trunk is purely a manipulator. This was how it was for a long time, at least, until the evolution of the snorts. A group of large snifflers found across Serinarcta, the sinuses of these species extend partway down the trunk, lowering their nostrils to the soil to greatly improve their sense of smell as they hunt for food.

An especially sensitive spade-shaped trunk is used to dig through loose dirt, and as it does so the nares press into the ground to pick up subtle scents of hidden prey. Snorts primarily are predators of slugs and earthworms, and most species dig them out once located with their sharp claws. Tuskbilled snorts, though, have evolved protruding beaks to make the job easier, one of only a few trunkos with such an adaptation, as most species benefit from the cheeks that obscure their mouths and keep food within the mouth. The bills of these upland birds are now pointed and narrow, shaped like tweezers or a pair of chopsticks, and serve to root into the earth snatch worms from their tunnels. The visible portion of their beak has no bony core and grows indefinitely from the base, compensating for wear as it grinds down or even breaks in half from heavy use; in the case of such damage, it will grow out and return to normal in a matter of weeks.

These trunkos, which range from 30-50 pounds, are among the biggest of all snifflers, even though they are small by the standards of the trunko clade as a whole.  They are strongly gregarious and frequently root through forest leaf litter and the grass of the plains in bands of a few dozen, relying on many eyes to spot hidden dangers. Groups communicate with low, constant grunting noises from which their name originates, though their alarm call is a shrill bark, and young chicks squeak plaintively. Like most social trunkos, snort childcare is a communal activity, and the whole band protects the chicks which are kept in a group between the adults so that they are not ambushed by predators. While their first instinct in response to danger if alone is to bolt and run, snorts with accompanying young will fight to the death to protect them, working together to beat up even significantly larger carnivores. Their primary weapon is a long spur which grows on the ankle, sometimes reaching 5 inches long, with which they can shank aggressors, preferentially aiming for the eyes. Wariness and a defensive attitude make them difficult prey for hunters in their size range, while their speed and cunning, and tendency to vanish into tall grass, double back on their tracks, and play tricks on pursuers helps them avoid larger and less agile enemies. They can, however, fall prey to spireclimber repanthors and cookiecutter kittyhawks, ambush hunters that can quickly attack a youngster by surprise and escape up a tree with their prize.