This is a reference sheet for my recently devised ET species. Though this only depicts the male of the species. I will draw a female later. I welcome questions and feel free to design your own Tarakonan character. Just be sure to credit me. If you have a suggestion to expand the biological or cultural profile of the species, run it by me for approval first. Should I have this marked as mature for the description?

Biology: They have eyes like the mantis shrimp, allowing them to see 16 different colors. Their fur and skin tend to be different colors from each other. Their colors tend to be in the red and yellow area of our spectrum. If there is any blue or green, it tends to be darker. Any patterns are gradient. The only bold contrast in color is ever between the hair and skin. Eyes can be any color. Fur doesn't get much longer than depicted here but can be shorter and better kept. Fur is longer on the tail which the males generally crop short. When un-cropped, the tail generally reaches to just past the heel which is where the fur-line for the legs ends. Green blood which means the inside of their mouth is a dull teal color.

Language is unpronounceable by humans. Consists mostly of growls, hums, and screeches.

Nostrils are on the cheeks.

Two pairs of strong battle arms where ours are. Hip arms are used for more delicate uses. Thumbs are on opposite side from humans.

Mouth is used for eating, breeding, and removing waste. Females have a third pipe in the throat that leads to reproductive tract. A male's reproductive organ is found on the roof of the mouth which retracts into the muzzle of the skull and resembles a second tongue. Babies are born prematurely and deposited into a pouch in the female's tail where it lives off of milk. There is only one teat and they only have one child at a time. Once it develops teeth, the mother removes it from the pouch and immediately begins feeding it solid foods.

Generally eat raw foods. Strictly carnivorous.

Expel waste in mucus coated pellets. Completely sanitary so long as the mucus coating is not penetrated.

Culture: Very aggressive but with plenty of honor to make up for it. Will never kill another sapient species or one of their own if they are not fighting back. Obviously they have the occasional murderer. Any one found guilty of this crime will be put to death immediately.

Organized into three social classes. Superiors, Scholars, and Brutes. Children are put through a series of trials to see which class they fall into. Some do not survive.

Brutes are, as you can probably guess, the strongest of the three. They aren't, however, completely dumb. Their strongest point simply happens to be brute strength. Most numerous class.

Scholars are obviously the smartest of these classes. They excel in military tactics and technological endeavors. Still strong but easily over powered. They are still often able to take down brutes in a fight by outsmarting them. This causes them to rank slightly higher than them socially.

Superiors are a happy medium of the two and the highest rank. They possess the average or slightly above strength of a Brute along with the average or slightly above of a Scholar. They generally hold high ranking positions and their diplomats are almost always one from this class. Military and diplomatic leaders of this class will often have a Scholar adviser.

They eat the flesh of the dead and their fallen enemies. They take only a ceremonial bite from their own kind sense cannibalism is unhealthy. But if they are at war with another species that happens to be tasty, they will eat the whole body.

Battle arms are kept behind back at all times outside of battle or sex.

Will form mated pairs that will occasionally last a life time, however, this is not the norm and by no means expected. Mated pairs will generally last only long enough to raise the child that results from the union. Reproducing with only one individual is generally frowned upon and considered some what taboo. Every individual should try to mix and add to the gene pool. Males will generally only participate in raising the offspring of their current mate, even if some of the children are not his own. The highest ranking Tarakonans are expected to produce many offspring.

They can generally tell if some one is a close relative by smell but, just in case, their name system keeps their genealogy rather clear. Their names are divided into Individual/Maternal/Paternal. Offspring take the Paternal name of both parents. They use the Paternal name sense they are likely to produce more offspring than the females, which makes it more important to keep up with.