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Description
Submission to Egg hatching contest!
The egg hatching contest by queenofeagles .

These creatures hatch from leafball eggs.

A quick overview
Shikazas are scavengers the size of a rat. They have very sensitive eyes with pupils that can change size like a cat's. They will eat nearly everything they can find, but they have a preference for meat. Shikazas have semi-retractable long claws and leaf-like structures on their foreheads and tails. The males are slightly stockier than the females. Despite their mammalian appearance, they lay eggs and do not feed their offspring with milk.

Leaves - A
The leaves on a shikaza's forehead and tail are in fact not real leaves, but a bone-like structure comparable to antlers. They can represent the leaves of any (deciduous) tree, and change colour according to the seasons. Opposed to what one might think, these 'leaves' are more like armor than actual foliage, since they are quite tough. The 'skeleton' is never shed and never regrows when damaged, and can be used as rough indicators for the shikaza's age.

Heat sensors - B
The red dots above shikazas' eyes are heat sensors, aiding their fantastic eyesight at night and underground.

Nictitating membranes - C
To protect their sensitive eyes from harm when eating or digging, they use nictitating membranes that can cover their eyes entirely if they feel the need to. These membranes are translucent as to optimise their eyesight even when the membranes are used.

Their relationship with milavis - D
Shikazas live in families underground, often sharing their homes with milavis. The glow of the milavis' wings allows the shikazas to see underground, and in return, the shikazas protect them from harm.

During daytime the two species are frequently seen together as well. Milavis will scout the area for easy prey and carcasses, and the shikazas feed on those. The shikazas also help the milavis slice up fruits so the dragon-like creatures can eat them more easily.

The differences between males and females - E
Although not easy to see at first sight, there are differences between male and female shikazas. Females have a graceful, streamlined build and long, sharp claws that can be used as tools to rip open carcasses, fruits or to get an outstanding grip on tree bark when climbing. Females are often the ones seeking food.

The males are slightly stockier with shorter and more rounded claws. They are fantastic diggers, and unsurprisingly they are usually the ones digging the underground homes for their families.

Description
Submission to Egg hatching contest!
The egg hatching contest by queenofeagles .

These creatures hatch from leafball eggs.

A quick overview
Shikazas are scavengers the size of a rat. They have very sensitive eyes with pupils that can change size like a cat's. They will eat nearly everything they can find, but they have a preference for meat. Shikazas have semi-retractable long claws and leaf-like structures on their foreheads and tails. The males are slightly stockier than the females. Despite their mammalian appearance, they lay eggs and do not feed their offspring with milk.

Leaves - A
The leaves on a shikaza's forehead and tail are in fact not real leaves, but a bone-like structure comparable to antlers. They can represent the leaves of any (deciduous) tree, and change colour according to the seasons. Opposed to what one might think, these 'leaves' are more like armor than actual foliage, since they are quite tough. The 'skeleton' is never shed and never regrows when damaged, and can be used as rough indicators for the shikaza's age.

Heat sensors - B
The red dots above shikazas' eyes are heat sensors, aiding their fantastic eyesight at night and underground.

Nictitating membranes - C
To protect their sensitive eyes from harm when eating or digging, they use nictitating membranes that can cover their eyes entirely if they feel the need to. These membranes are translucent as to optimise their eyesight even when the membranes are used.

Their relationship with milavis - D
Shikazas live in families underground, often sharing their homes with milavis. The glow of the milavis' wings allows the shikazas to see underground, and in return, the shikazas protect them from harm.

During daytime the two species are frequently seen together as well. Milavis will scout the area for easy prey and carcasses, and the shikazas feed on those. The shikazas also help the milavis slice up fruits so the dragon-like creatures can eat them more easily.

The differences between males and females - E
Although not easy to see at first sight, there are differences between male and female shikazas. Females have a graceful, streamlined build and long, sharp claws that can be used as tools to rip open carcasses, fruits or to get an outstanding grip on tree bark when climbing. Females are often the ones seeking food.

The males are slightly stockier with shorter and more rounded claws. They are fantastic diggers, and unsurprisingly they are usually the ones digging the underground homes for their families.