I'm a dumbass with a degree in natural sciences and this is what I like to do with my time. So this is a thread to analyze the evolutive process and adaptative significate of all the moorbounders traits 1/?
@CriticalRole

No tail: considered the importance of the tail in maintaining equilibrium, expecially with climbing, this means that, contrary to a lot of other felides, they probably can't climb trees and aren't probay as agile 2/?

That is probably true if we consider also the particular profile of the body, that is probably a sign of a spinal cord not as flexible as it usually is in other felides.
So: good for running on flat surfaces, but probably bat at climbing and agility stuff 3/?

Also a lot of felides use their tail as a mean to communication. Clearly the moorbounders can't do it, so they need another way.
Fur: the color of the fur usally have a mimetic function (i guess the desolate flats of Xhoras are greysh/purplish?) 4/?

Now an interesting point. In the show is repetedly said that moorbounders eat meat. BUT. If we look at the placement of the eyes on the skull (at the side of the head) we can see that this kind of placement is typical of prey animal 5/?

Side eyes give the animal a better peripheral vision, useful to spot predators while foraging. Also the upward canines are particular, for a predator, as I don't think that they make the task of biting in a prey very quick or easy. 6/?

The closest example we have in nature to the moorbounders tusks are probably in warthog or boars, so probably their function is to serve as a defense from predators, possibly to dig in the earth (to find roots, insects and other food) 7/?

And if we can notice a sexual dimorphism (difference in male and female individuals) they can also probably have a sexual and reproductive mean (either to fight with other males or as simple origin of fisherian runaway) 8/?

Fisherian runaway: an animal, usually the male, evolve a characteristic that the other sex find attractive. So the trait evolves and become more prominent. And the other sex keep choosing the partner with the more prominent trait, that in this way keep growing

Getting back to the moorbounders the eye position on the skull and the tusks make me think that they are probably omnivorous, as we know they eat meat, but the traits are typical of herbivores.
Now back to the eyes (this thread is confusing, sorry) 9/?