Yautja
The Yautja commonly known as Predators; are a sapient, spacefaring species of seemingly extraterrestrial looking humanoids: a race of hunters that continuously seek Human and other exotic prey. That said, the Yautja have also shown to greatly respect Humans, and have had several occasions where they bore no ill-will toward them. The Yautja originate from the Urbane Jungle.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Predators are physically distinguished from Humans by their greater height, arthropod-like mandibles and long, hair-like appendages on their heads that are set into their skulls. Their bodies are resilient to damage, capable of recovering from multiple arrow wounds and magic blasts which would be fatal to Humans. They are much stronger than Humans, being easily capable of outmatching a conditioned adult Human soldier and shattering solid concrete with their bare hands. They are also skilled climbers, and will readily move through trees or across rooftops and trees in pursuit of prey.
Biological Traits
Blood: The Yautja blood is easily recognizable as a luminous phosphorous green fluid: a trait they share with other creatures which are presumed to have a close evolutionary relationship to them, such as the Predator Hound. Yautja blood is actually capable of enhancing the lifespan and health of beings like Humans exposed to it.
Dreadlocks: The dreadlock-like head tendrils are an iconic physical feature of the Yautja. Speculated to represent thermoregulatory or sensorial organs; it's also possible that they serve primarily for display. It is theorized that the Dreadlocks could be a form of antenna. The first step towards becoming a warrior amongst the Yautja is the agony of the plaiting of these locks, a process that can take months of ritual and scalp pain, performed in public sessions. If there is any sign of tears or even the tiniest voicing of pain, then the intricate weaving will be undone, and the candidate has to start from the beginning. When a Predator's dreadlocks are shot off, they bleed profusely. Variations in their dreadlocks have been shown to exist.
Skeleton: Not much is known about the Yautja skeletal structure, as their remains are hard to come across and a full skeleton has never been seen, as far as it's known. However, a Yautja skull was present in a Super Predator trophy-site. Their chest cavities are protected by a ribcage, probably similar to a Human's.
Vision: The Yautja naturally see on the infra-red bandwidth of light, most likely exclusively. This has been shown to be both a strength and a weakness, and has been exploited by some Humans. The Predators' vision can be altered or augmented with their masks. It should be noted that, when the Jungle Hunter removed his mask, his vision changed greatly, but the same hasn't been observed with other individuals. There are numerous theories as to why this is, the predominant one being that the relative temperatures of the jungle were very high and his mask aided in filtering them.
Genetics and Reproduction
oung Yautja are called Sucklings, Pups, or Younglings. Unlike Humans, Yautja have a breeding season, in which the females go into estrus and select the strongest and bravest males to sire their pups. Females do not generally pay any attention to youngbloods or unblooded. It is only when a male reaches Blooded status and has worthy kills to his name that a female desires to share his company, particularly if he has performed feats of exceptional bravery or skill. Such males never lack for female attention.
Reproduction is pleasurable for both males and females, though potentially dangerous for the males, reflecting a common reproductive goal in male's of the species to leave behind as many offspring as possible.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Predators' dietary habits are not clearly established, but it is suggested it´s a mainly carnivore diet.
Behaviour
The Predators often ritualistically mutilate their prey and usually claim a trophy from their kills.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Most Yautja dedicate their lives to hunting, and seeking out "worthy" opponents, singling out the most potentially challenging species of each biom they visit. They're also known to abduct members of other species and bring them to other bioms to be hunted.
When they successfully take down a strong creature, they generally take some trophy, and an experienced Predator will have a whole trophy room in his ship to display those. They frequently employ a particularly brutal practice of killing by ripping off the victim's head along with parts of the victim's spine.
As a principle, a Yautja hunter will usually ignore those who are weak, pose no danger to them, and have no means of offering a fair fight. However, there have been exceptions to this general rule.
According to some reports, Yautja motivations for hunting are not just for sport, but rather for honor, with the species having developed a whole tribal culture around their status at the top of the food chain, as the ultimate Predator. Their code of honor dictates what makes a worthy adversary, and thus will make a Predator or clan more respected.
Yautja clans have been known to be governed by a Council of Ancients, which consist of the oldest of the race. Their word is considered law and they ensure that the many clans follow the law. Inter-clan warfare is watched over by the Ancients and they decide matters such as which is considered a clan's hunting ground. For example, a high born Yautja was encountered by the Iron Bear mercenary Vassili Rykov who believed the hunter to be a "Prince" among his race which suggests a possible royalty among their species.
A Young Blood (Young Predator) must pass a series of tests from several Elites to become an Elite Hunter.
Average Intelligence
Despite their brutish and violent demeanor, Yautja intelligence rivals and possibly exceeds that of humans. They demonstrate the ability to learn and adapt to a prey's habits and behaviors, frequently spending time observing and studying them under the cover of their active camouflage to both identify worthy prey and formulate a hunting strategy.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Though capable of surviving exposure in Antarctic temperatures for an extended period of time, it is believed that Predators have a preference for hot equatorial climates.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
The Yautja society appears to be a heavily gendered one; even the names of the Predators tend to have masculine and feminine connotations, similar to many romantic language such as spanish. Male names often end with 'e' (i.e: Dachande, Tichinde, Skemte, Nakande, ect.) while female names tend to end with 'i' (i.e: Vagouti, Hashori). Dachande even nicknames Machiko Noguchi "Da'dtou-di", which is the feminine form of that name.
Some names, such as Lar'nix'va, Bakuub, and Warkha do not fit into this naming trend however. This could be because the names are unisex or that different clans have different naming conventions.
Gender Ideals
Some Predator females (called "Brooders" in the Hish tongue) have been known to be larger and stronger than males along with having spikes on the elbows and back in some cases, Hashori being one such female and sporting more prominent mammary glands (like human females). Other Predator females have been witnessed who superficially show little distinction from males in size. Big Mama, a female predator, has been seen in the nude, the image suggesting the female predator reproductive anatomy and female human reproductive anatomy do not differ, at least superficially. Male predators have comparable anatomy to a male human, or at least both are phallic and designed for penetration. Male predators also have visible gonads, again comparable to most mammals, who have exterior testicles.
There may be variants between clans and Predator sub-species, as the clans do not often interact with each other. Some clans might have females that are larger and stronger than the males and in other clans, the opposite may be true. Both genders give off a strong musk to signify aggression, while females can also emit it when in estrus. The musk encourages males to attempt to mate with the females. Among males, to claim a male is emitting this musk is a derisive insult. This musk can be detected by other Predators and canids, though it is imperceptible to Humans.
There are apparent behavioral differences between male and female Yautja as well. Females are never explored, but young males are known to be impulsive, violent, and overzealous in their need to prove themselves (often to the annoyance of their assigned teacher). Dachande, a Leader Yautja, was able to determine Machiko Noguchi was a female based on her behavior alone, commenting that the males of his (and any) species tended to be rather unwise in comparison to the females. This may imply that female predators intrinsically lack the drive and aggression that turns violent males into seasoned, methodical hunters and thus explain why the male/female sex ratio in the hunt is so heavily skewed towards male Yautja.
The Hish are unique to the Yautja in that their sexes are fluid. An individual randomly and unwillingly shifts back and forth between "receptive" and "generative" breeder anatomy, although they may psychologically identify with one of the two and resent being the other when it's time to shift. Female Hish, much like avians and reptiles, are more colorful than the males, with mottled purple around the jaw and colored banding on the dreadlocks. They also possess a roundness that males lack (and that none but other Hish would find easy to spot).
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Human Language, Draconic, Orcrun, Bestial, Yautja
It has been known for humans and Yautja to successfully communicate using sign language.
There is evidence that Yautja understand the concept of humor. Laughter is universal, even in their species and the Predators equivalent of a belly laugh is the rapid clicking of tusks.
When given a compliment from a higher authority, similarly ranked Yautja will touch the hair of the complimentee in acknowledgement.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Clans: Yautja are clearly shown to be organized into groups; which are generally referred to as clans. These clans seem to be somewhat familial, with clear hierarchical structure and leaders, and each seems to have distinct technology and customs, although the fundamental bases of their culture are still largely the same across the species.
Hunting Culture: Yautja culture centers on the ritualistic hunting of other dangerous lifeforms, and this practice appears to be the foundation of their very society. Predators will travel huge distances in order to face opponents they consider a worthy challenge, and may also kidnap and transport prey across similar distances to bring such victims to a hunting ground of their choice. Defeat in a Hunt is apparently a cause of great shame to the Yautja, and often leads to the individual committing honorable suicide. The Yautja have a Code of Honor during the hunt that it expects all members of the species to adhere to on pain of not being seen as a "true Yautja" and therefore subject to being destroyed. Therefore, most Yautja are moulded around that code, being ruthless but honorable, with the exception of Bad Bloods. Aggression and arrogance seems to be innate in Hunters, especially young males.
Common Myths and Legends
The Predators are polytheistic, and their equivalent of the Grim Reaper is the so-called "Black Warrior", who is seen as an eternal adversary who eventually wins all battles. They also have a warrior god, called Paya, who is godlike in their hunting and fighting abilities. They are also called "The Conquering Warrior".
They also believe in a Warrior god who can wield bolts of lightning and those who honor him mark themselves and their helmets with thunderbolts. This god has no name and is simply referred to as a "warrior god" and an "untouchable fox".
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Yautja generally don't interact with other intelligent species outside of hunting purposes, and even then, there are strict rules on how to go about doing this
Despite being significantly smaller and weaker than them, all wise Yautja consider certain humans to be dangerous game. 'Oomans' are reputed less for their physical strength, and more for their cunning and craftiness, feats that were not to be underestimated by even the most prolific of hunters. Humans seem to be the basis of scary stories told to youngsters, with at least one Un-Blooded, Gkyaun, growing up frightened of the species; his eventual encounter with humans was rather anticlimactic, as he was shocked at their feebleness.
It is likely that views on humans vary from clan to clan, though it is seemingly unanimous that they are considered worthy game and a formidable threat, in spite of their perceived inferiority.
Yautja are generally not physically attracted to humans, to the point a naked human female would not even arouse a young male. In fact, the idea of doing anything sexual with a human is disgusting, if Shorty's reaction to Machiko sarcastically telling him she wishes him to father her children is anything to go by. That reaction, however, could be credited to their mutual hatred of one another.
The Chopper Predator was fascinated with humans, particularly their self-destructive nature. This, however, is rather odd, as Yautja themselves can be fairly self-destructive when it comes to restoring lost honor.
Furthermore, despite being much weaker, Humans have been noted by the Yautja as being respectful warriors in their own right. This shows the behavior of the Yautjia when dealing with warriors not of their own kind and when recognized, a notion of respect is given. Yautja are naturally driven to hunt for the most dangerous, cunning and challenging prey available in whatever biom they're in, they opt to hunt Humans. Some Humans have been able to defeat the Predators, even in spite of the latter's clear biological superiority.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Predator, Hish-qu-Ten, Hunter
Lifespan
Over 1.000 years
Average Height
2.0 m - 2.8 m
Geographic Distribution
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