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Ancestor: Dash Mouse

Size: Smallest: 15 cm, Largest: 25 cm

Dietary Needs: Omnivorous diet, will eat almost anything. But primarily eats invertebrates from worms to beetles and isopods. Second to this they eat a lot of plant roots and fungal mycelium.

Life Cycle: These mice are far more monogamous than many other mammals on the planet currently, with the exception of the most basal genus where the pair bond breaks down once the winter arrives. Young males and females (or older individuals without a mate) are flirtatious until they bond as a pair, then become hyper-focused on the other within that pair. This is nearly always mutual, and if not, the interested party will move on without the attention of their mating interest.

In a birdlike fashion, the male pig-nose attracts the female with ultrasonic chirping and a well-crafted nest, in this case a burrow or crude tunnel system to serve as a foundation for raising offspring in. The male and female cooperate in finishing, lining and stocking the nest. Then the male will bring the female food for the first couple of weeks when she intensively nurses their offspring. He will continue to be involved with his offspring, teaching them survival and social skills. They only take a month or so to reach a point of maturity where their parents can have another litter (if it is spring to summer).

Other: Their characteristic feature, their nose, has both increased sensitivity to smells and aromas, and increased tactile sensation. The upturned shape helps them shovel dirt around to thoroughly search it for prey or edible detritus. They also use the upturned nose to shovel excavated soil out back out of a freshly dug out area. Although the nose is very sensitive it has almost no movement of it's own, and is instead utilized by moving the head. It can wrinkle the nose and twitch it somewhat, which has more function as communication between others of it's own species rather than utility. The nose is most extreme and prominent in more derived genera.

Their foreclaws have become specialised for digging. They are larger, more muscular and have longer, thicker claws to rake the dirt tirelessly. To protect against soil abrasion the skin has become thick and hardened almost like scales, at the compromise of becoming hairless up to the wrist.

The tail has been reducing due to a lack of use and due to being an obstacle in burrows. These mice usually lack much fine motor control of their tail, though they can suddenly flick their tail in one single aimless movement, which can serve as an annoyance against rivals or offspring in need of discipline. It can also momentarily deter a predator if they don't know what hit them, though some predators remain completely undeterred.