Dalek mutant

"Think of your worst nightmare, think of the most repellent disgusting nauseating thing you can possibly imagine, think of pure evil made malignant flesh." "Is that what it's like?" "No, it's a thousand times worse."

- The Doctor describes a Kaled mutant to Charley Pollard.

Kaled mutants are the mutated descendants of the near-human Kaleds of the planet Skaro. Enclosed in protective armour and weaponry, they became the organic parts of the Daleks, mounted in the upper parts of the Dalek travel machines.

Biology
Kaled mutants often varied in appearance, though kept the same basic structure of an octopoid species with a comparatively large brain. Their young were globular, soft and shapeless with several tendrils or tentacles. (DW: The Power of the Daleks, Genesis of the Daleks) Even the young were quite lethal and capable of strangulation with their tentacles, and, in this way, attacked the Doctor. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks) Some mutants were eyeless and green with whip-like tentacles. (DW: The Five Doctors, Resurrection of the Daleks)

The Doctor said these had a deadly sting and during a 1984 incursion into London, one of these creatures, separated from its casing, attacked and killed a Human soldier without difficulty. (DW: Resurrection of the Daleks)

During the Imperial-Renegade Dalek Civil War, the Imperial Daleks commanded by Davros were surgically altered, with their appendages physically grafted into their machines. In this, they differed from their rivals, the Renegade Daleks. (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks)

Others, after the Last Great Time War, were pale blue-green or green-brown with one large functioning eyeball and a small vestigal socket. The remnants of a face could be seen, more clearly on some mutants than on others; as well as the functioning eye and the sealed-up eye, a nose and mouth were vaguely discernible. (DW: Dalek, The Parting of the Ways) The mutants created using Human cells instead of Kaled cells produced small, blue-green creatures, apparently consisting purely of a head, with two eyes and an overall clearer "face". (DW: The Parting of the Ways)

Dalek Sec had tentacles long enough to envelop an adult Human within. This may just be a feature of Sec, or it may be of other Post-Time War Daleks, though Metaltron's tentacles were short and stubby. (DW: Dalek, Daleks in Manhattan)

The mutants on occasion demonstrated an accelerated healing ability in response to localized wounds. One Dalek mutant in particular, while being tortured by Commander Farrow, began to repair its damaged body, its flesh growing over and thereby burning Farrow's hand. (BFA: Jubilee)

The voice of a Dalek is electronic as the actual vocalizations from the mutants amount to little more than squeaking sounds. Without the assistance of their casing, they are unable to produce speech as they do not possess tongues or vocal chords. (DW: Resurrection of the Daleks, BFA: Jubilee)

The mutants have a specific DNA type of 467-989. (DW: Daleks in Manhattan)

History
The Kaled mutants were created by Davros. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks)


 * See creation of the Daleks for an account of how this came about. For possibly apocryphal information about the development of the mutants, see humanoid Dalek.

The Thals believed that the Daleks had not yet fully mutated into their final form. (DW: The Daleks)

As noted above, during the war between the Imperial and Renegade Dalek factions, the two sides had physical differences, with Davros' side now altered into true cyborgs and physically made one with their travel machines. (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks)

Other
Kaled mutants were quite possibly fatal to a Time Lord when eaten. (EDA: The Scarlet Empress) However, their secretions could be ingested with no apparent ill-effect. (BFA: Jubilee)