Togruta
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| Togruta | |
| Homeworld | Shili |
| Language | Togruti |
| Average Height | 1.5 - 1.9 meters [1] |
| Skin color | Red, white, orange, blue, and purple [1] |
| Hair color | None [1] |
| Distinctions | Head-tails, Montrals, Sharp Incisor Teeth |
| Average lifespan | Up to 94 standard years [1] |
| Known Members | List of known Togruta |
Togrutas are a humanoid species native to the temperate planet Shili, positioned in the expansion region of the galaxy.
Biology and Appearance
All Togruta have colorful markings on their skin, a genetic trait left over from their predatory ancestors. Long, striped, curved, hollow horns spiral upward from their skull, and three darker striped head-tails drape downward, two to the front, falling over their chest, and one thicker one located in back, beginning at the base of their skull. A Togruta's skin is deep red, and their dark eyes and gray lips are embellished by the white markings that adorn their face. Vertical red and white stripes run down their chest and back, all the way to their toes, thus allowing them to blend into the thigh-high turu-grass that Shili is covered in. While hunting, their montrals aid them by providing echolocation abilities and a finely-tuned spatial sense, allowing them to encircle their herbivore prey.
The pattern of stripes varied from individual to individual.[1]
Togruta were also distinguished by montrals, large hollow horn-like projections from the top of their heads, that gave the species a form of passive echolocation. Their heads bore two montrals, and three, and on rare occasions, four head-tails, whose stripes were darker than those of the montrals. Togruta had the ability to sense the proximity and movement of physical objects around them by means of their hollow montrals, which detected space ultrasonically. Young Togrutas' montrals and posterior head-tail did not fully grow until adolescence, when their montrals become curved and their third head-tail grew to the length of their two main head-tails.[1]
Society and Culture
Togrutas are a peaceful, quiet people who are fierce in combat. Loyal to a cause and happy in larger groups, they work well with others and easily fit into teams of mixed cultures. Most do not like to be alone, however, and will tend to follow members of their group around for companionship.
Outsiders unfamiliar with them might mistake Togrutas as being venomous, as they possess prominent incisors that give the impression of a venom-injecting snake. Sociologists believe this mistaken thought results from the fact that Togrutas prefer to eat small, live prey, and when others watching see the animal quietly go through its death throws it is mistaken for venom-induced spasms. It has become common knowledge, though, that Togrutas are not venomous.
The Togruta are a people who pay a great deal of attention to detail, making them excellent and incredibly efficient engineers. They handcraft almost everything produced on their homeworld and keep with their traditions of near-perfection as a result of personal inspection of each and every item produced.
Togruta had a strong sense of unity and togetherness. On their native homeworld of Shili, they relied on each other and would band together to take a stand against the massive monsters that hunted them, such as the akul. It is said that the creatures of Shili most often attacked in groups, which was even more reason for the native Togruta to work together.[1]
Togruta were known for their habit of not wearing shoes; they believed that the land was spiritually connected to them, and wearing shoes cut themselves from a bond with the land. n the pack, every able Togruta was expected to contribute his or her own share, as any food attained was distributed equally. Togruta were also known for their belief that those who could not keep up should be left to fend for themselves, because that is nature's way. Other sentient species found this particular belief quite barbaric. Those within a pack who led had a difficult time with fulfilling their goals because of the risk of becoming individualistic. As hunters, the Togruta showed off the pelts and teeth of their game as a sign of pride and maturation. Special pride was taken in the teeth of akul that a Togruta had taken down as an individual. These teeth often were made into jewelry such as an akul-tooth headdress or a necklace, which also incorporated metals, stones, and pearls found on Shili.[1]
Togruta spoke the Togruti language, which had a few elements of Basic.[1]
History
The Togruta were discovered by 25,000 BBY. At some point in their history they established a major pacifist colony on the planet Kiros. During the Old Republic era, the species orchestrated the Togruta Uprising, an event latter pacified by Grand Moff Kilran. Togruta as a whole possessed a special affinity for the Force, though they had slightly less than the normal number of midi-chlorians. It was believed that this affinity was produced from their heightened spatial awareness imparted by their montrals and their role as hunters. Their sense of spiritual connection with the land also heightened their connection with the environment, thus leading to a greater ability to feel the Force. The species had contributed members to the Jedi Order practically since its beginning. A majority of the Togruta species within the Jedi Order were females, though males were not unheard of.[1]
