Radivorislontus ultradrillus
Due to instraspecific competition and the advent Ventricapillus cellulose Radivorislontus drillus populations were pushed to alternate food sources such as the wood of Ultraplortatus species. This lead to the emergence of R. ultradrillus which feeds on the wood of U. dicaulis, U. stellafrons, and U. firmumsus. While R. drillus lived in the soil, R. ultradrillus lives in the wood of Ultraplortatus species, eating them from the inside out. They will eat dead or live
wood but they’re more commonly found in dead wood as it is easier to drill into. They’re not territorial and can be found in great numbers a single log. The average R. ultradrillus grows to 10 centimeters in length.
When winter comes they will hibernate inside the logs they’re in. R. ultradrillus is very promiscuous and the females may lay anywhere from 30-35 eggs in a chamber inside the wood.
Their symbiont, V. cellulose helps them break down wood using cellulase. V. cellulose lives inside wood and Aveslontid guts decomposing wood in both environments causing V. cellulose to culture in R. ultradrillus tunnels and making the wood easier to digest for R. ultradrillus before consumption. The ubiquity of V. cellulose within R. ultradrillus tunnels makes it easy for young to pick it up when eating.
Their beaks continuously grow throughout life due to a change in beak forming cells in development, Normally the beak forming cells would shut off after maturity but inR. ultradrillus they do not. This helps R. ultradillus because its beak normally is worn down by continuous tunneling.
