Small, spiky insectivores, Spike Walkers crawl using their front limbs. They are both arboreal and terrestrial, with smaller species preferring life in the tree tops. The tongues are short and stout, used to peel bark from trunks. The teeth are tough and fused together, similar to that of a beaver, used to chew through and digest wood. When pestered, harassed, or threatened, the Spike walker will stand on its wrists and thrust its spine upwards in a display of aggression. Spines are not projectiles, but the individually modified hairs may stand on end in certain subspecies. The feet have two toes, each capped with a hoof-like nail. The tails are prehensile, and used to grip around branches, and to balance. The eyes are poorly developed, and the Spike Walker relies mostly on smell and hearing to maneuver. Two sets of eyes are vestigial, and the other is essentially one large pupil.
The mating season is in early winter, in which the males stand on upright and stretch their body upward, similar to a threat display. The young are born live, partially developed - blind, earless, and deaf. Their spikes develop around two weeks. The total lifespan is around 5 - 6 years on average.
