Stripe-nosed viscacha (SciiFii)

The stripe-nosed viscacha (Lagostomus minor), also known as the North American plains viscacha, is a species of viscacha that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the forests, open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, scrublands, and alpine habitats across North America to help boost biodiversity. The stripe-nosed viscacha is almost identical to the plains viscacha of South America in size, appearance, vocalization, and behavior, weighing up to 9 kg. It has an average head and body length over 500 mm, with the tail usually a little less than 200 mm long. The dorsal pelage ranges from gray to brown, depending upon soil color, and the belly is whitish. Its head is bulky, and the face is black and white with stiff whiskers on the front; males have distinctive black mustaches over their muzzles, hence their names. Their fore feet have four toes, and the hind feet have three toes. Soft dense fur covers its body, from the tips of its ears to the end of its long, curled tail. The forelimbs are relatively short, while the contrastingly long and muscular hind limbs enable it run and jump with ease. The colour of its fur varies seasonally and with age, but generally the upperparts are grey to brown, with tints of cream and black, while the underparts are pale yellow or tan. Stripe-nosed viscachas live in communal burrow systems in groups containing one or more males, several females, and immatures. Stripe-nosed viscachas forage in groups at night and aggregate underground during the day. All members of a group use burrows throughout the communal burrow system and participate in digging at the burrows. Alarm calls are given primarily by adult males. The long-term social unit of the stripe-nosed viscacha is the female group. Resident males disappear each year and new males join groups of females. Stripe-nosed viscachas live in colonies that range from a few individuals to hundreds. To keep up with the colony chatter, they have acquired an impressive repertoire of vocalizations that are used in social interactions. Dominance is absent among females. Members of a social group share a common foraging area around the communal burrow system, and feed on a variety of grasses and forbs, occasionally browsing on low shrubs. They collect branches and heavy objects to cover the burrow entrance. When they live close to and live in human settlements, tend to hoard brooms, tables, garden tools, firewood, trinkets, pieces of concrete, and many human-made objects to cover the burrow. The conservation status of the stripe-nosed viscacha is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the stripe-nosed viscacha's wide range and its tolerance to most of the human activities.