Dueda & Quada

From left to right: Two dueda and two quada.

Dueda and Quada mean “with two” and “with four,” respectively. These terms refer to the two or four animal legs that people who fall into these species usually have.

Anatomy

Dueda have animal traits from the waist down, usually with two legs that resemble that of an animal, as well as features trailing up their spine. The amount of coverage depends on genetics, but on average, around half of their body is affected. They are bipedal and often digitigrade.

Quada resemble Dueda in their animal traits, but are less easily definable. Their name comes from the fact that they typically have four legs below the waist, but this number is not absolute. Depending on their animal origins, they can have any number of legs. Though very rare, some Quada do not have legs at all! On average, their animal traits are more prevalent than their humanoid ones, due to them being most of their body.

The line between Quada and Dueda is difficult to define. Some Quada technically be bipedal if their lower half is that of a bipedal animal, but may not have wings on their backs as someone who is a Dueda may. They are sometimes not even separated in censuses due to their similar origins and debated definitions.

For both species, their animal traits tend to be strongest on their lower half, but any of their features can be affected. Scales can cause body hair to be less thick and more sparse, whereas feathers or fur can cause it to be thicker and more evenly spread. Other common traits can be claws, changes in ear and teeth shape, or additional limbs/wings, eyes, and horns.

Both Dueda and Quada only mirror traits that real species of animals in the Squish! world have. While they can be of mixed heritage, they tend to strongly mirror the traits of only one animal. In the case of both animals being similar, this line can become more blurred.

Population

These two species are both incredibly widespread as well as the most common around the world, with Dueda taking the lead for largest population, and Quada coming in second place. Since different places may define the two in different ways, it is impossible to find a true number for both. Many different gods have contributed to their population, the most notable being Patience and four of her daughters, Serpentine and his daughter, Passerine, as well as Fate.