Kakonat

The Kakonat split from its ancestor, making its way to beaches and coasts adjacent to its previous riparian home. Its “wool” has straightened to be fur-like and it has regained a nearly full coat, as small creatures cannot regulate their body temperature without insulation even in warm environments. It has become a pest of Seashrogs, sneaking into their nests during construction and feeding from their food stores, though it also eats some of the on-board parasites. Because of its tendency to stow away in Seashrog nests, it has spread through the Seashrog’s entire range. It has developed petrolignin (calcified cellulose), convergent with the Stonebeak Phlyer, to replace the material of its fangs so that it may use them to cut food and deliver nasty bites. The Kakonat’s fangs are mobile and are designed to close sideways to cut. When eating, it will use its prehensile tongue to pull food partway into its mouth and then bring its fangs together to snip it. It can snip flora and fauna alike; when eating the Stowaway Harmbless, for example, it uses this strategy to cut it to pieces after it has paralyzed it with an electrical shock from its tongue. It will sometimes do this with Seashrog joeys as well, but very rarely as the parents will likely try to kill it in response. This feeding strategy allows it to eat food much larger than what it can normally fit in its mouth, though bite-sized food is swallowed whole. Its fangs are strong enough to cut its own tongue off, but it instinctively avoids doing this for obvious reasons. Like its ancestor, the Kakonat engages in intraspecific combat when selecting a mate. These battles are usually between males, but females may also fight one another or, occasionally, males that are too persistent. Unlike its ancestor, it does not have a breeding season and will mate 5-6 times a year; as such, competing for mates is less aggressive and thus its dome is smaller. Still, two competitors will puff up the longer pelage around their necks and down their backs and headbutt one another, much as its ancestor did. It can form mating groups as its ancestor did, though this usually happens on the beach rather than inside Seashrog nests as they typically disperse every landfall to avoid overcrowding. They produce 2-3 offspring per breeding and provide parental care. Like most Plents, they mate mouth-to-mouth.