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Habitat |
Caves, grasslands, deserts
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Overview |
Sandshrew live in arid climates, as they hate water. They create burrows underground for shelter. When hunting, they wait near the lips of their burrows, lunging out at unsuspecting prey. Sandshrew can roll up into tight balls when endangered to protect their soft underbellies. Their hides can bounce off many attacks, and are additionally also great shock absorbers. A Sandshrew falling off a cliff, for example, could save itself by rolling into a ball; it would be able to not only survive the impact, but even crawl away mostly unscathed. Their bodies are also configured to live off as little water as possible, since they are extremely weak to the liquid. Sandshrew often curl up into balls on cold nights to prevent dew from building up on their bellies. If wet, they will sunbathe or even travel to volcanic areas to dry off. While rolling up is a sufficient defense against most enemies, Sandshrew can also use Sand Attack and curiously Poison Sting to defend themselves, as their claws secrete a mild poison. Recently, researchers have discovered that their saliva in fact contains the same poison.
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