Tempinoapin and Pooeweehuchuu

Tempinoapin

Tempinoapin (genus saxumvermis, crag worm) are a large genus of beetles descended from darkling beetles. These beetles are found in the mountains of western North America. Tempinoapin is derived from the shoshoni words meaning "rock" and "worm". Tempinoapin measure at about an inch in length.

Biology and Behavior

Tempinoapin eggs are lain in moss that grows on the sides of the mountains. Once they hatch they begin to burrow into the rock. They dig tunnels around the mountain about a quarter inch into the rock to give the larvae safe access to food and water. When they dig into the stone, tempinoapin eat some of the grit left over from their digging to help them grind down and digest their food. Their diet consists mostly of lithophyte roots, but they will eat dead insects when they find them. 

When its time to pupate, they make a small chamber in the rock to stay in until they emerge as adults. As adults tempinoapin only last about two weeks, so they need to mate fast. Before mating, tempinoapin eat carrion. During mating, the female will eat the male before she lays her eggs on moss, starting the two month cycle over again before dying.

Tempinoapin tunnels aren't permenant. They either erode or are filled in with cement that is carried inside by rain.

Pooeweehuchuu

Pooeweehuchuu (genus malleusrostro, hammer beaks) are a genus of birds descended from pileated woodpeckers. They are found in the mountains of western North America. The word Pooeweehuchuu derives from the Shoshoni words translating to "iron" and "bird". Pooeweehuchuu measure at about 20 inches in length with a twenty nine inch wingspan. 

Biology and Behavior

Pooeweehuchuu are dull in coloration as to avoid attacks from aerial predators and blend in with the mountainside. Pooeweehuchuu's diets mostly consist of tempinoapin. They perch up on the mountainside and hold on with their padded feet. Their foot pads provide traction so that they don't slip. They start pecking the rock to find tunnels, if they find a hollow spot, they start pecking into it until the rock is broken open. Pooeweehuchuu's beaks grow back slowly whenever they get dulled by the constant pecking, so the keratinous layer is reinforced by iron, causing it to be a dark orange.

If the bird finds a grub in the tunnel after searching the tunnel with its long tongue, it will pull it out with the barb on the end. Like modern woodpeckers, their tongue wraps around the inside of their skull and acts as a shock absorber.

The species of Pooeweehuchuu depends on the stone in the environment. If the stone is hard, the bird has more iron in its beak, if the stone is softer, it has less iron in its beak. If the stone is darker, it has a darker coloration, if its lighter, it has a lighter coloration. The roughness of the stone in the area will also determine how strong the traction pads on the bird's feet are.

Pooeweehuchuu nest in trees in the valleys and fly back the mountaibs when it's time for feeding. Pooeweehuchuu parents work together and shift between feeding themselves and the chicks and watching. Fledglings will usually feast on grubs inside of trees as their beaks don't have enough iron in them to break rock without causing damage to the beak.