Malladact

While the leemallas do resemble Terran koalas in many respects, their occasional foraging of fruit gave them a source of easy energy not seen in their Earthling counterparts. Those that ate even more fruit did not have to waste as much energy digesting tough, nutrient-poor foliage, allowing them to have more energy for reproduction and fast movement. Eventually, this population became so different that they were no longer able to mate with other leemallas, resulting in the speciation of the malladact.

Physiological adaptations
Compared to their ancestors, malladacts are quicker and more nimble, owing to their higher metabolism and loss of the large gut that their ancestors needed to digest leaves. This not only makes them better at avoiding predators and competitors, but also allows them to supplement their diet with small, fast-moving fauna. Their jaws have become longer and less robust, helping them snap up fruit and ‘bugs’ instead of masticating leaves.

Since malladacts spend most of their lives in the canopy, a climbing mistake can be very dangerous, resulting in injury if not danger from predators. Because of this, malladacts have evolved many adaptations that help them with climbing. Their longer limbs and digits help them reach food and climbing surfaces from further away, and their sharp claws help them cling to branches. They also have two opposable digits on each front paw and one opposable digit on each back paw, allowing them to grip more firmly. Additionally, malladacts’ tails also aid in gripping branches, as they are somewhat prehensile and bear a claw-like tip derived from the vestigial keratinized paddle of their ancestor. Because the tip of the tail-claw points dorsally, the tail grip is actually most effective with the underside of the tail facing outwards.

Behavioral adaptations
Unlike the more helpless offspring of their ancestors, baby malladacts are able to cling to their mother after leaving the pouch, staying with her and learning to forage for a short period before being able to forage on their own. Because of this, baby malladacts are no longer restricted to a nest, prompting significant changes to their mode of parental care. Malladacts no longer build nests, with solitary malladacts of any age using abandoned leemalla nests as shelter or using no nest at all. Adult male malladacts are now polygamous, forming loose groups consisting of one male and a small harem of females. The larger number of females allows a given male to sire more offspring than he would otherwise be able to, and also protects the group as a whole from threats via the principle of safety in numbers.

While malladacts aren’t vocal outside of their mating calls and don’t usually need to communicate, they are able to move their ears as a limited form of nonverbal communication, especially during a conflict between two males. These ear gestures are made more apparent by the large white tufts running down the upper edges of the pinnae. When being aggressive or asserting dominance, the ears flare out to the sides, with the tufts pointing laterally. When displaying fear or submission, the ears point backwards, the tufts pointing towards the rear. When relaxed the ears point in a direction intermediate to these two extremes. Malladacts also possess a small dewlap on their neck. In mature males, this dewlap is larger and has a more apparent red marking than in females and juveniles.

Malladacts are not fond of swimming, but they are able to paddle around should the only escape from danger be through the water. The proximity of mangal reefs to the shore and the frequency of water-related mishaps on wooded beaches means that malladacts often form semi-isolated populations in offshore mangal forests.