Tinyknight

The tinyknight, as its name suggests, have adapted to exploit their environment by becoming notably smaller than their ancestors. With new reduced size, they have gained access to new opportunities when it comes to their detritivorous nature, as the relative lack of competition when it comes to other micro fauna in the soil has allowed for the tinyknight population to explode as they take full advantage of this relatively vacant niche.

Tinyknights have undergone several notable evolutionary adaptations that helped to contribute to their overall success. The method of locomotion in tinyknights has changed slightly compared to that of the rolyknights. Evolving a fairly distinct shaped tail, it is utilized in a manner almost akin to that of a "leg", using it to push itself along in a manner akin to that of inchworms of Earth. Using this method has its costs, however, as they have had to sacrifice some of their ancestral ability to roll into a perfect sphere - a defensive measure that is still utilized to avoid predation - for this increased mobility. This doesn't mean that rolling into a sphere has been lost, however. For example, should they have no access to a sufficient hiding spot nor do they have the time to possibly outrun a threat, they will instead curl up like their ancestor when threatened in order to protect their vulnerable soft spots from being targeted. Their eyes have reduced in size, reducing their vision, but to compensate their antennae have increased in size, becoming the default method for navigation. Finally, the way they now deposit their eggs has also changed, for instead of laying eggs in water like their ancestors did, tinyknights now deposit their eggs within moist patches of soil, thus reducing their overall reliance on water and allowing them to thrive under more arid conditions. Like their many kin amongst the rolyknights, tinyknights will begin to spawn after rain or any other large event that creates a reliable source of moisture in the soil.