The Bug;
The Fox that moved south when the ice age occurred, but moved back north once the Ice age ended and died off due to being adapted to the previous more fertile Tundra. The adaptations that the Fox had included a long, thin snout in which was a long anteater-like tongue. The fox used this tongue in order to suck insects out of rotten trees, ant hills, or termite mounds. The need for this adaptation arose from the fact that there was not many animals remaining but insects because of the invading cold climate into a once very hot climate. This caused all present animals to either die off or leave, leaving insects. Therefore, the Fox adapted to eating insects.
Another adaptation was that the Fox, over time, decreased in size. The smaller size allowed the fox to navigate throughout insect mounds without disrupting the nest, causing a deadly swarm that would kill the Fox. This decrease in size also meant that the Fox needed less to survive, meaning that it was able to survive easily, due to the large amounts of insects.
The Bug Fox also adapted into a dark brown fur coat which would help to blend in with insect mounds. The need for this was that over time, the insects adapted to be able to identify the bug fox by its previous grey color, and would then swarm and kill the fox. But foxes with the dark brown fur coat were able to survive due to the fact that the insects were unable to identify the dark coat in contrast with the dark soil of their dirt mounds.
Another adaptation of the Bug Fox is that, once its body shrank, its tail elongated. Because of the fox's decrease in size, it slowly lost balancing capabilities. Therefore, the cause of the elongated tail was the fact that the fox shrank in size. Also, this tail contributed to the fox's sleeping ritual. When the fox would sleep, it would climb high into a tree and cling to the branch with its long tail. But, as referred to in the evolutionary tree, the Bug Fox became extinct due to a lack in insects when they migrated back north with the shrinking tundra, which was the only part of their diet other than water.
Another adaptation was that the Fox, over time, decreased in size. The smaller size allowed the fox to navigate throughout insect mounds without disrupting the nest, causing a deadly swarm that would kill the Fox. This decrease in size also meant that the Fox needed less to survive, meaning that it was able to survive easily, due to the large amounts of insects.
The Bug Fox also adapted into a dark brown fur coat which would help to blend in with insect mounds. The need for this was that over time, the insects adapted to be able to identify the bug fox by its previous grey color, and would then swarm and kill the fox. But foxes with the dark brown fur coat were able to survive due to the fact that the insects were unable to identify the dark coat in contrast with the dark soil of their dirt mounds.
Another adaptation of the Bug Fox is that, once its body shrank, its tail elongated. Because of the fox's decrease in size, it slowly lost balancing capabilities. Therefore, the cause of the elongated tail was the fact that the fox shrank in size. Also, this tail contributed to the fox's sleeping ritual. When the fox would sleep, it would climb high into a tree and cling to the branch with its long tail. But, as referred to in the evolutionary tree, the Bug Fox became extinct due to a lack in insects when they migrated back north with the shrinking tundra, which was the only part of their diet other than water.