Much of a Dormema Ventreto’s life is spent hanging from tree branches and sleeping most of the day. These solitary creatures rely heavily on avoiding detection to protect themselves and employ a strategy of slow, steady movement in order to remain hidden. An additional benefit to their sluggish movement and ample sleeping habits is a low metabolic rate that perfectly complements their herbivorous diet. Juveniles sleep even more than their mothers, resting most of the day nestled on their mother’s stomach and waking long enough to feed—either on her milk or by licking food particles from her mouth. Whenever a Dormema Ventreto needs to descend quickly, it will detach from its perch and spread its limbs wide, catching the air with its patagia and gliding. Despite their rotund appearance, they are actually quite light under all their fur and can glide for great distances, depending on obstacles. While they will often grab and cling to other branches on their way down, they will occasionally drift all the way to the ground to relieve themselves before making the arduous climb back up—a process that can take hours.

The creatures that dwell in this rather desolate world still display some diversity in appearance, eating habits, and social behavior. Whether they have fur or feathers, skin or scales, their unique genetic makeup allows for a variety of colors and markings within each species. Despite limitations in food sources, herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores are all present in the food chain, and each species requires specialized care within a laboratory. Although the artificial setting of housing units and breeding pods precludes most opportunities to study true interspecific behavior, the interactions within and between species has been studied extensively in the wilderness by scientists daring enough to venture beyond the outpost’s walls.