Tokka

The tokka has split from its ancestor. It has taken advantage of the newly evolved cover plern that has created quick pathways over the forest, and now spends most of its time on it. The only time in needs to return to the floor is when it needs to drink.

There is a problem however with using the cover plern: the leaves on the top of any branch are encased in a large woody spike that stops anything running along the top. To get past this, the tokka travels on the underside. Its claws are shaped like shovels and can easily dig into the bark. It can now run at high speeds along the branches; to achieve this, it must always have two hands touching the bark at any one time, one on the left and one on the right. When hanging still, it also uses its tail which now has very tough and strong barbs with hooks. The tokka will lounge on top of the branches through the day, feeding on nearby vegetation every now and again. The two top set of eyes are now the most important. The middle is to look ahead, the top is to check down and the bottom set and used for looking up for any danger. Its ears have reduced greatly to give the tokka a more streamlined figure and stops them getting snagged on anything as it runs.

The ability to use the cover plern to travel large distances quickly means that tokka groups can comprise of up to twenty individuals. Tokka society is much more relaxed than their ancestor as there is so much food at the canopy. Individuals leave and join groups regularly.

When a mother tokka gives birth, she will pass her 2-4 young amongst relations. Each will carry one of the babies on their stomachs, preventing to young falling to the forest floor. Individuals communicate with soft 'tok - tokka' sounds, giving it its name.