Daxu

Strange quadruped vertebrates which look like they could be Terran but aren't, daxus are a distinct alien species which convergently developed both an internal skeleton vaguely reminiscent of Terran vertebrates, and a quadrupedal body. Their overall near-Terran appearance makes many think of them as animals, even more so than with other alien species like the dho'gii. As a result, daxus tend to be pretty rare in the galaxy, most preferring to stick to their homes, where things aren't build centered around (often humanoid) bipeds, and where they aren't looked down upon like they're animals.
Young daxus are infrequently kidnapped and sold into the black market as smuggled animals, as they're more animal-like (and completely incapable of speech) before their metamorphosis.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Adult

Fully grown daxus are impressively large beings, with powerful muscular bodies, built like an apex predator. Their four legs are moderately long and bulky with muscle, ending in paws with four toes and an opposable thumb. Each digit ends with a sharp, lightly curved claw. Both front and back paws are identical, and are equally capable of grabbing onto things.
While daxus have paws with fully opposable thumbs, more often they use their long prehensile tails to carry things. These long, thick tails contain powerful muscles, but are capable of gently holding things nonetheless. For precision work, a daxu is more likely to use their paws than their tail, however.
Daxus have short, almost cat-like faces, though the resemblance is generally lost on a closer look. They have no real noses, only an opening directly to the nasal cavity, appearing like a slit in the face rather than distinct nostrils. They have small triangular ears, and keen eyes. Their sclerae are black, with colored irises, and narrow oval pupils, though they can dilate into circles.
Though their lips cover most of their sharp teeth, some are visible at all times. Daxus have three sets of tusks, two set in the upper jaw and one in the lower jaw. Both sets of canine teeth are enlarged into tusks, forming the front two tusks, with the lower jaw set slightly larger than the upper jaw set. In addition, they have an extra pair of tusks set further back in the mouth, growing from the upper jaw. They originally evolved for intra-species combat as juveniles, but adult daxus retain them for their use weapons and defensive measures.
In addition to their tusks, daxus also have a sturdy crest-like structure known as a crown on their heads. These crowns vary highly in shape and size, but are made primarily of keratin with a bone core, much like horns. They often have a raised base, which spans part of the skull, with one or more sets of horn-like structures growing off of it. The entire crown is one connected structure, visible above the skin and fur of a daxu, and often colored brightly and contrastingly against the body.
Daxus appear bald, with thick skin, but are in truth covered with fine hairs, which makes them feel extraordinary smooth and silky to the touch. They have thick furry manes around their entire necks, which also feels very soft to the touch. In a well-groomed daxu, at least.
All daxus, regardless of age, are mostly gray in color, with darker stripes, though patterning is often sparse. Juvenile daxus lack bright colors altogether, with silver irises and silvery keratin, but adult daxus may develop bright markings (often in red), and warm-toned eyes (yellow, gold, orange, or red). Their crowns are typically golden yellow in color.

Juvenile

Prior to their metamorphosis, young daxus look only passingly similar to their adult forms. Though they share similar anatomy, with the same bone structure and organ layouts, they visually appear quite different, even aside from their smaller size.
Juvenile daxus have differently developed brains, and prior to metamorphosis have intelligence much closer to an animal than a person. Their advanced thinking and language skills naturally lag behind to other, physical skills, and don't develop until metamorphosis. Additionally, juvenile daxus straight-up lack the ability to speak, with simpler vocal cords and less control over lips and tongue to form the right sounds.
Though at a glance they may appear similar, juvenile daxu paws are structurally quite different. They only count four digits, lacking the thumb, but each digit is slightly longer, and they can be spread further apart. In addition, the claws are larger and more heavily curved, more useful for catching prey.
The tails of juvenile daxus are likewise less prehensile, being much stiffer, and thus can't be used to pick up or hold items either. Instead, they have sharp spikes growing in pairs on the end of the tail, similar to the thagomizers of some Terran dinosaurs, which can be swept around with devastating effect thanks to the muscular tail.
Juvenile daxus may have a small bony crest on the head, the start of their crown, but lack the horns. Their tusks are proportionally larger than those of adults, and are frequently used while hunting, as well as for intra-species combat to establish dominance in packs of daxus. They also grow ridges on their spines, rooted on each vertebrae but curving partly around the sides of the body almost like external ribs, each ending with a spike on the top.
Daxus in this stage of their life lack the fine hairs adult daxus have, and are actually bald, with thick pebbly skin. They also lack the thick furry mane adult daxus have, though some may have a horse-like mane running along the top of the neck.

Growth Rate & Stages

Daxus undergo metamorphosis to develop from their juvenile stage to their adult stage. They build a cocoon-like structure to undergo this process in.