Gloaranian

"Some people think that we are a myth. Others, who actually encountered us, say we are demons or something supernatural. But from my point of view, we are just another race of sentient species who evolved in the same galaxy, our home."

- Jeffie talking to Senior Anthropologist Mammon Hoole about his species

Gloaranians were a predatory mammalian species native to the Outer Rim world of Gloarania. The Gloaranians were, as some might say, a primitive race because of their culture and way of life. Little was actually known about the Gloaranians or their daily life on their homeworld. Senior Anthropologist Mammon Hoole once tried studying them with a Gloaranian trader named Jeffie, but he came back later on with not that much information then before.

It was unknown if the Gloaranians would ever came out from their isolation. But their planet, however, was caught in several wars from neighboring planets. One such war was the Ki'long war in which the chicken-like Rillians and all the many other enslaved species battled a minotaur-like species known as the Ki'longs. The war took place from Moaz to Tonneta, Rillia, Engalyrn, and Maran 5. The Rillians chose Gloarania because of its isolation. But the Ki'longs quickly found out their plans from a previous battle, in which they fought the Davians and the Varanians, and quickly set off for the system. The war lasted for a several months on the planet. The Gloaranians, however, helped the Rillians fight off the Ki'longs, due to the Ki'longs being the ones who were responsible for kidnapping the Gloaranians for slavery.

Not many Gloaranians were seen in the main parts of the galaxy however. Those that were seen were only known for their reputation as spies, traitors, conspirators, or even threats. However, not all Gloaranians became spies and assassins. Some became Jedi Knights and masters. A female Gloaranian named Nala was the apprentice to the Mygeetan Jedi Master Falgan Kyo. She was also the girlfriend and later on, the wife to the Gloaranian trader, Jeffie. Sharo, one of the most acknowledged members of the species, was an ancient Jedi Master trained by the legendary Jedi Master, Hanok-Kie. Another well-known male Gloaranian was a friend to Anakin Skywalker and W. Wald when they were young slaves growing up on Tatooine. This Gloaranian’s name, however, was never found.

Biology and appearance
"At first, I thought he was a Togorian or a Trianii. Possibly a tiger trained to walk on its hind legs. But he was really a Gloaranian in his "humanoid" form. Gloaranians can transform their body structure from a quadruped form into a bipedal anthropoid version of themselves. I ought to know this, being a shapeshifter myself."

- Senior Anthropologist Mammon Hoole describing his first meeting with Jeffie



The males resembled tigers while the females resembled wolves. In their two different gender forms Gloaranians had possessed different looks and appearances, though at the same time they still shared many similar features. Gloaranians possessed most of the features that were common among predatory mammalian species, which included: sharp teeth, advanced hunting and tracking instincts, heightened hearing, sight, and smell, claws, padded hands and feet, and a tail. Males, like most felines, possessed many cat-like features, including: a rasping tongue, a muscular flexible body, and slit-pupil eyes. The females also possessed these features, along with their lupine canine features and appearance.

The Gloaranian’s coat was made up of long guard hairs that repelled moisture and a woolly under fur which provided some insulation. Gloaranians also possessed manes. A Gloaranian’s mane increases in size when fighting, helping it look more imposing. It also protected the head and neck from attacks. The crest mane that traveled along down its spine could grow anywhere from 20cm-100cm, 7.9in-39.4in, on both males and females. They would then shed their fur during summer.

The Gloaranians; with their long legs, enormous paws, and great stamina enabled them to cover distances of 32km/h, 20mph. Or 38 to 64km/h, 24 to 40mph, to more at an energy-efficient 10km/h, 6.2mph, trot.

Their tails often served as rudders for swimming or for balancing in high steep areas. In winter, when their tails would become thick and furry with their winter coat, they would curl them around their faces. This way, their nose remained protected, even down to temperatures of -60*F (-51*C). In summer, when their tails become more long and slender due to the shedding season, they would use them for keeping away Vampire flies.

The Gloaranian’s massively powerful jaws could extort a pressure of over 100kg (220.5lb) per spin. Their molars were strong enough to crush the thigh bone of a bison.

Their paws, even though they were very similar to the paws of a tiger or a wolf, were extremely hand-like at the same time. Their pads acted as cushions for the Gloaranian’s feet or hands when landing. The long padded palm and long fingers ending in sickle-shaped claws of their hands would give it excellent grip and defense. The thumb was even opposable. With these hand-like paws not only did they give Gloaranians excellent grip, but also the skill to craft tools.

A Gloaranian’s lifespan could go on for a long length of time; roughly around 300-500 years of age. However, because of their isolation, they did not measure time by the galactic calendar. They also went through a quick process of childhood. A two week year old cub or pup, for example, would be considered an infant, a seven week old cub or pup would be considered a toddler, a three month old cub or pup would be considered child, a 12-16 month old cub or pup would be considered a kid, a two year old cub or pup would be considered a teen, while a six year old cub or pup would be considered an adolescent. When a Gloaranian would reach the total 12 years of age (age 25 to their time), it would then be considered an adult.

Stature switching
Gloaranians were not true shapeshifters, but they did manage an ability that could switch their body’s form and function from a quadruped animal-like formation to a bipedal anthropoid form, still restraining their body’s original mass amount. In their bipedal formation, Gloaranians almost resemble wolves or a tigers standing up on their hind legs. The bones within their skeletal structure appeared to be a mixture between a Human skeleton and a tiger/wolf skeleton. The bones that looked exactly like the ones found in either a wolf or a tiger included the skull, hip, tail, femur, calf, ankle, and toes. All the other bones, which included the neck, clavicle, shoulders, sternum, ribs, chest shape, spine, pectorals (all the way down to the pelvis), thigh, knee, and the arms (humorus, elbow, radius, and wrist) and paws (being more hand-like) were the Human-like ones.

Although Gloaranians still had the longer legs of their bipedal form, since the hand tendons extended, it made four-legged movement possible, though it would still have difficulty walking in this way; running would become easier. In their bipedal form, they would have difficulty standing up strait due to their odd uncomfortable position in their skeletal structure. So, in order to avoid pain while in this form, most Gloaranians preferred to slouch. Since their skeleton was somewhat similar to that of a Human’s, their muscle structure was also similar. Their shoulder construction was slightly different, however, due to it being capable of semi-quadruped movement. While in their anthropoid form the only differences within their features that they still possessed with their quadruped counterpart were faintly bigger muzzles, slightly shorter fur, bigger feet, and vaguely longer ears.

Gloaranians would learn the skill of switching formation when at three months of age. After practicing it a lot they would soon get the hang of it. The more they practiced, however, the more time they spent in these statures. If they would continue on with it, they would gradually loose their quadruped structure and stay in this anthropoid humanoid form for the rest of their lives. In order to prevent this, most Gloaranians would stay away from this skill unless they needed to. The reason why they developed this ability remains unknown. But Mammon Hoole suggested that they started doing it in order to make themselves look more presentable in front of other sentient species. It was still never proven.

Senses
Their senses were also well developed, being a predatory race. Their ears had a keen sense of hearing, due too it being able to hear noises from up to six miles, 9.7km, away. And when prey was far away, and a Gloaranian was still hungry, it could use its highly sensitive ears to search for “humming” Kio berries, a type of fruit often eaten by Gloaranians when meat food was scarce. Gloaranians also had very keen sharp eyesight. Males could see color while the females could not. But not being able to see color helped the females a great deal, usually helping it find its way through snow or when fallowing prey. The Gloaranian's sense of smell was well developed too, being a hundred times better then that of a Human’s. This allowed it to smell prey a mile or more away if the wind and temperature was right.

Other skills
Some other well known abilities that Gloaranians possessed included invisibility (a skill found useful during the Ki'long war) and sonic screaming (a skill similar to Force Screaming). Females of the species also gave a form of milk (similar to blue milk) when feeding their young. Another ability the females possessed was the use of their anal scent glands at the ends of their long brushy tails for a variety of uses. It was often used for marking territories or mating events. But when danger was near, the females could use this anal gland as a weapon; by squirting a foul-smelling liquid from 12 feet right into the threat's eyes. Most dangers that would often threat a female Gloaranian would often be rouge males wanting to kill the female’s litter or poachers hunting for Gloaranian fur. If it missed its target, it could redo it again by repeating it seven or eight times, over and over.

All members of the species appeared to be force-sensitive, however, most never got the chance of becoming Jedi knights. One of the very few Gloaranian Jedi knights was Hanok-Kie’s apprentice, Sharo. Sharo was proven to be one of the most force-sensitive members of the species, discovering a number of various Force powers that had not been discovered yet. She was also the only Gloaranian in history to develop a shapeshifting ability, a skill Gloaranians never possessed. Sharo developed this skill by using the Force to alter her appearance which included height, weight, fur pattern and color, facial features, sex, voice, and body shape; only to the extent of her species and a few similar animals. No other Gloaranian in history was known to have possessed this ability.

Gender Forms
"We might look like separate species, but we are all Gloaranians."

- Jeffie explaining to Mammon Hoole about his species different looks



Males
Male Gloaranians could reach a total length of 1.8m and a weight of well over 300 kg. In their quadruped form, males would often reach up to 4-5 feet. Apart from those exceptional large individuals, male Gloaranians usually had a head and body length of 190–220 cm and an average weight of 227 kg. Their tails were often up to 60–80 cm long.

Most male Gloaranians typically had rusty-reddish to brown-rusty coats, a whitish medial and ventral area, a white "fringe" that surrounds the face, and stripes that vary from brown or gray to pure black. The form and density of stripes differed between subspecies, but most male Gloaranians had in excess of 100 stripes. The pattern of stripes was unique to each male, and thus could potentially be used to identify male individuals much in the same way as fingerprints were used to identify Humans. This was not, however, a preferred method of identification, due to the difficulty of recording the stripe pattern of others. It seemed most likely that the function of the stripes was camouflage, helping them hide from their prey. The stripe pattern was found on a male's skin and, if shaved, its distinctive camouflage pattern would be preserved. Like other big cats, tigers have a white spot on the backs of their ears. There was a well-known mutation that produced the white male, which was quite rare. The white male, known in Gloaranian as a "Kronia", was not a separate sub-species but only a color variation. There were also reports of a “blue” or slate-colored males and largely or totally black male Gloaranians. These were assumed to be intermittent mutations rather than distinct species however. The male Gloaranian’s winter coat lacked the red stripes of others from warmer climates, but its white coat helped it keep camouflage in its snowy habitat.

Because it would have to withstand temperatures as low a -50* F, the male Gloaranian would grow a longer and thicker coat than the others. It also develops a layer of fat on its flanks and belly that helped to insulate it.

A male Gloaranian would have to eat over 20 pounds of meat a day just to sustain itself in the wild. It was even capable of eating over 100 pounds of meat in one sitting.

Similar to other big cats, like the lion, the male Gloaranian had the ability to roar. The roar could be heard up to five or ten miles away.

A male Gloaranian’s teeth were vital to its survival. If it lost one of its canine teeth, due to injury or old age, it could no longer kill prey and will starve to death. Their retractable claws were kept in when resting or walking. When out hunting, fighting, or running; the long, sharp claws would spring out of their paws. The female members of the species also possessed this feature.

A male’s body was large and heavily muscled, giving it great strength. Male Gloaranians were capable of dragging prey that would take more then a dozen Humans to move. The males were also well known for their instinctive ability to land safely on their feet even when they fall from a height. This skill allowed them to climb high trees in search for prey or to escape from danger. If a male Gloaranian slips off a branch, it can right itself in mid-fall and land on its feet. This would protect the male’s head and other soft parts from damage. It would also enable it to survive a fall that would normally kill other creatures.

A male Gloaranian's pricked ears could funnel sounds efficiently to the inner ear. It also had excellent binocular vision. Like most felines, male Gloaranians were believed to have some minor degree of color vision. Its night vision was more then seven times better than a Human’s.

Females
The female's height varied from 1.5–1.8 meters at the shoulder and weight from 32–62 kilograms (70–135 pounds). In their quadruped formation, their height would often reach go up to 3-4 feet. Female Gloaranians were built for stamina, unlike their male counterparts, possessing features ideal for long-distance travel. Their narrow chests and powerful backs and legs facilitated efficient locomotion. They were capable of covering several miles trotting at about a pace of 10 km/h, 6 mph, and have been known to reach speeds approaching 65 km/h, 40 mph, during a chase. While thus sprinting, the females could cover up to 5 meters, 16 ft, per bound.

The female's paws were able to tread easily on a wide variety of terrains, especially snow. There was slight webbing between each toe which allowed the females to move over snow more easily than comparatively hampered prey. They were also digitigrades which, with the relative largeness of their feet, helped them to distribute their weight well on snowy surfaces. The front paws were larger than the hind paws and had a fifth digit, the dewclaw, that was absent on hind paws. Bristled hairs and blunt claws enhanced grip on slippery surfaces and special blood vessels kept paw pads from freezing. Scent glands located between the female's toes leaved trace chemical markers behind which helped the female to effectively navigate over large expanses while concurrently keeping others informed of its whereabouts.

A female Gloaranian sometimes seemed heavier than what they actually were because of their bulky coat, which was made up of two layers. The first layer consisted of tough guard hairs designed to repel water and dirt. The second was a dense, water-resistant undercoat that insulated the female. The undercoat was sheded in the form of large tufts of fur in late spring or early summer, with yearly variations. A female would often rub against objects such as rocks and branches to encourage the loose fur to fall out. The undercoat was usually grey, regardless of the outer coat's appearance. Females have distinct winter and summer pelages that alternated in spring and autumn. Female Gloaranians intended to keep their winter coats further into the spring than the males. Coloration varied greatly among females, running from gray to gray-brown all the way through the canine-like spectrum of white, red, brown, and black. These colors tended to mix in many populations to form predominantly blended individuals, though it was certainly not uncommon for an individual or an entire population of females to be entirely one color, usually all black or all white. A multicolor coat characteristically lacked any clear pattern other than it intended to be lighter on the female's underside. The fur color sometimes corresponded with a given the female population's environments. For example, all-white females were much more common in areas with perennial snow coverings. Aging females acquired a grayish tint in their coats. It is often thought that the coloration of the female's pelage served the purpose of camouflage. This is not entirely correct. Some scientists have noted that the blended colors had more to do with emphasizing gestures, much like eye shadow or lipstick on humans. At birth, female Gloaranian pups tended to have darker fur and blue irises that changed to a yellow-gold or orange color when the pups were 8–16 weeks old. Though extremely unusual, it was possible for an adult female Gloaranian to retain its blue-colored irises. Adolescent females had golden-yellow colored eyes.

The female's long, powerful muzzles helped to distinguish them from Gloaranian subspecies. Females also differed in certain skull dimensions, having a smaller orbital angle, >53 degrees, and a comparatively larger cerebral capacity. Larger paw sizes, yellow eyes, longer legs, and bigger teeth further distinguished adult females from other females, particularly subspecies. Also, procedural glands at the base of their tails were present in females. Female Gloaranians shared identical dentition. The maxilla had six incisors, two canines, eight premolars, and four molars. The mandible had six incisors, two canines, eight premolars, and six molars. The fourth upper premolars and first lower molars constituted the carnassials teeth, which were essential tools for shearing flesh. The long canine teeth were also important, in which they were designed to hold and subdue the prey. They were capable of delivering up to 1500 lb/sq. inch, ~10 MPa, of pressure. The female's teeth were its main weapons as well as its primary tools. Therefore, any injury to the jaw line or teeth could have devastated a female Gloaranian, dooming it to starvation or incapacity.

Early Life and Reproduction


Usually, the instinct to reproduce often drove young Gloaranians away from their birth packs, leading them to seek out mates and territories of their own. Dispersal occurred at all times during the year, typically involving Gloaranians who had already reached sexual maturity prior to the previous breeding seasons. It took two such dispersals from two separate packs for a new breeding pair to be formed, for dispersing Gloaranians from the same maternal pack intended not to mate. Once the two dispersing Gloaranians have met and begin traveling together they would immediately begin the process of seeking out territory, preferably around time for the next mating season. The bond that forms between the two Gloaranians often lasts until one of them dies. Generally, mating occurred between winter and early spring — the higher the latitude, the later it occurred. A pack usually produced a single litter unless the alpha male mated with one or more subordinate females. The pack tension would rise if each mature Gloaranian felt urged to mate. During this time in fact, the alpha male and alpha female would have been forced to prevent other ones from mating with one another. Under normal circumstances, a pack could only support one litter per year. So this dominance in behavior was beneficial in the long run.

A female was only receptive for a few days and mating was frequent during the time period. A pair will copulate frequently and noisily, similar to cats. After mating, the male would return to its home range and would probably mate with another female. It would play no part in rearing its offspring. The gestation period lasted between 60 and 63 days, and could be up to 3–7 cubs and pups.

Juvenile Gloaranians
Young males were about 1 kg, 2 lb, each when born. The females in the meantime are at a weight of 0.5 kg, 1 lb, each. The young were born blind, deaf, and completely dependent on their mother. The females would often rear them alone. Wandering males may kill the cubs and pups to make the female receptive. The young would reside in the den and stay there for no longer than two months. The den was usually dug out on high ground near an open water source and would often have open "room" at the end of an underground or hillside tunnel that could be up to a few meters long. The young begin eating regurgitated foods after 2 weeks (by which time their milk teeth would have emerged) and would be fully weaned by 10 weeks. During the first weeks of development, the mother would usually stay with her litter alone. But eventually most members of the pack would contribute to the rearing of the pups in the some way. The female first suckles them for 8 weeks and then other pack members would start bringing in meat for them to eat as well. During a certain time, the young would eventually become more independent. The male cubs eventually begin to explore the area immediately outside the den before gradually roaming up to a mile away from it at around 5 months of age.

At 8 months the young (including the female pups) are ready to follow their mother out of the den into the pack meeting area. The females would be often moved around so they can stay in safety while most of the adults go out to hunt. One or two adults stay behind to ensure the safety of the females. After a few more weeks the young males and females would be permitted to join the adults if they were able and would receive priority on anything killed. Their low ranks notwithstanding. Letting the young fight for eating privileges would result in a secondary ranking being formed among them and would allow them to practice the dominance/submission rituals that would be essential to their future survival in pack life. During hunts the young would remain ardent observers until they reach about 2 years of age, by which time they are large enough to participate actively. At this time, the male cubs would begin hunt on their own.

The young males would eventually become independent around 12-16 months of age. But it was not until they are around 6½ years old that they would eventually leave their mother. The male cubs and female pups would reach sexual maturity by 12 years of age (age 25 in their measurement of time). Once this happens, the alpha male would chase away the oldest and strongest male cub and banish it from the pack. This is even done to the oldest and strongest female pup. The other female pups would generally own territory near their mother's. Remaining males, on the other hand, intended to wander in search of territory of their own, which they would acquire by fighting and eliminating another male. The remaining male and female cubs and pups would eventually become yearlings.

Over the course of its life, a female Gloaranian will give birth to an approximately equal number of male and female cubs and pups. Captured Gloaranians, often mistaken for non-sentient creatures, breed very well in captivity.

Society and Culture
Gloaranians generally lived in packs or tribes that consist of a male and female, their cubs and pups, and their unmated offspring from the previous two or three years. The two dominant Gloaranians, the top male and female (also known as the “breeding pair” or “alpha pair”), were the leaders. They would let all the other members of the pack know that they were the leaders by holding their tails up and ears erect. They were the ones who would make all the group decisions such as when to hunt and where to rest. They were usually the only ones that ever mated in their pack. They were also the ones that would protect their pack from an attack of either poachers or rival Gloaranian packs. The other pack members would defer to them. The second ranked member of a Gloaranian pack was the “beta”. It would lower its head and tail in front of the alpha pair in order to show them that it would obey them. The “yearlings” were the low ranking members of the pack. Their duty in the pack was to find tune skills so that they will be able to take care of themselves. Most yearlings typically consisted of females, usually up to seven or nine, while males usually numbered up to four. The “scapegoats” were the lowest ranking members of the tribe. They would show their submission to higher ranking pack members by keeping their fur and ears flat, their body close to the ground, and their tail tucked in between its legs. If a Gloaranian pack would take over another pack, the members would first kill the other alpha male and female and then kill all the remaining male cubs except for the youngest one. The female pups would be raised as the alpha pair’s own offspring along with the youngest male. All of the adults in the pack cooperated in caring or feeding their cubs and pups. The size of the pack may change over time and was controlled by several factors, including habitat, personalities of individuals within a pack, and food supply. Packs could contain between two and twenty, though eight was a more typical size.

Lone Gloaranians were usually young males or females that had left their pack or were chased out of their pack by the alpha pair in search of their own territories. They would normally avoid other packs (rarely even howling), unless they were potential mates. If a lone Gloaranian managed to find unoccupied territory, the male would claim it by marking it with its scent. It would then attract a female mate and start a new pack.

Small colonies of Varanians were somehow transported to the planet of Gloarania from their homeworld of Vara 8. But because of the Varanian’s sentient ways they were not hunted by the Gloaranians, who viewed them as family members. Some Gloaranians were even said to have raised young orphaned Varanians as their own offspring. Varanians even did the same thing by raising young orphaned Gloaranians as their own offspring as well.

Dietary habits
A Gloaranian would spend a lot of time hunting because only about one of ten of its hunting trips was successful. Gloaranians feed primarily on medium to large sized ungulates, including goats, pigs, deer, and bison. They also preyed on rodents, game birds, lizards, and other small animals (including insects). Some were even known to pray on pythons, crocodiles, camels, horses, monkeys, peafowl, and hares. A single Gloaranian can eat up to 3.2-3.5 kg of food at a time, though they can eat as much as 13-15 kg when sufficiently hungry. A wolf's yearly requirement is 1.5 tons of meat. Gloaranians can go without sustenance for long periods of time, with one record showing how one specimen survived for 17 days without food. After eating, Gloaranians will drink large quantities of water to prevent uremic poisoning. A Gloaranian’s stomach can hold up to 7.5 liters of water.

Old Gloaranians, or those wounded and rendered incapable of catching their natural prey, have often turned into man-eaters; this pattern has recurred frequently across their native planet.

Gloaranians will on occasion supplement their diet with vegetation, with some of the inhabitants of the settlements on Gloarania reporting that Gloaranians cause serious damage to fruit plantations. Gloaranians will occasionally eat vegetation for dietary fiber.

In certain localities in Coruscant, where there is little natural prey, Gloaranians will forage in garbage dumps, tough there are few cases of Gloaranians relying on garbage for food, though one recorded Gloaranian pack living on Coruscant had been regularly seen in broad daylight at a garbage dump, adjusting their arrival with that of the front-end loader carrying garbage. Gloaranians which feed regularly in garbage dumps often display bolder behavior toward other sentient species than those that hunt game.

Hunting strategies
Gloaranians usually hunted at night. Using both its hearing and sense of smell to track down prey, a Gloaranian would fallow its target all day and night if necessary. Gloaranians often hunted in small packs, usually by thinking up a strategy and then stalk their prey with their bodies close to the ground. Though commonly portrayed as targeting solely sick or infirm animals, there was little evidence that they actively limit themselves to such targets. Rather, the evidence shows that Gloaranians will simply target the easiest options available, which as well as sick and infirm animals, can also include young animals and pregnant females. When their prey is not looking, they would creep up on it with low fast movements. Once they have moved in close enough to attack (often up to 30-80 feet away), it would pounce on the prey and would deliver a fatal bite to the neck (with its feet still planted firmly on the ground) before the victim would kick out, bite back, or escape and run away. This nape bite would kill small prey quickly, but larger prey is brought to the ground before it could be killed by suffocating it by biting it on the thought. When it did kill its prey, the male would drag it over to cover, usably near water. If the prey would kick or bite, the other hunting pack members would close in and try to bring down the prey cooperatively. If it would escape and run away, the females, who were built for speed and stamina, would run after it. They would continue running until the prey is exhausted. After bringing down their prey, the female hunting pack would howl in order to tell the rest of the hunting pack where the kill was. After a kill, they would return to the rest of the pack by dragging the prey and would share it with the others, each member starting with the most dominant which would eat as much as fifth of its body weight. They would even allow the older cubs and pups to feed as well, starting with the heart, liver and lungs. The stomach is eaten, though the contents are left untouched. The leg muscles are eaten next, with the hide and bones being the last to be eaten. Gloaranians of intermediate rank would prevent the low ranking members from feeding until the dominant pair finishes eating. The scapegoats would be given the leftovers. Unlike other predators, however, Gloaranians would often eat meat that was beginning to putrefy.

Other Gloaranian packs would, rather then hunting, take advantage of the summer migrations of fish swimming upriver to breeding sites. Normally solitary, the Gloaranians would gather in groups by the sides of rivers when the fish migration would begin. The Gloaranians would then wade into the shallows in order catch large fish with their teeth or claws. They would then return to the river bank where they skillfully fillet and eat their catch. Some packs were even known to use nets for catching more fish then normal. Gloaranians could also go for days without food and then eat up to 10 pounds of meat at one time.

In some habitats where food was scarce, no part of a Gloaranian pack’s meal is wasted; including skin, fur, and bones. When food was extremely scarce, Gloaranian packs could go on for miles fallowing migrating herds of pig-like bovines known as xyroids.

Solitary Gloaranians often depended more on smaller animals, which they capture by pouncing and pinning with their front paws, though lone Gloaranians have been recorded to bring down prey as large as bison unaided.

Males
Male Gloaranians were normally very solitary and are fiercely territorial, neglecting to share its range with other males. They were often nocturnal. All males marked their territory with strong-smelling urine and also by shredding the bark off of trees with their claws. Male Gloaranians would often occupy very large territories, the biggest on record ranging up to 4,000 square miles. The male could occupy the same territory for many years if food sources were stable within the area. If prey was scarce, it would often migrate for hundreds of miles. Both males and females would mark the boundaries of their ranges with urine, chemical glands, or by scratching trees. But only males would defend their territories against other males, concentrating on the most importing parts, such as the boundary close to a female’s territory or an area rich with food. A male Gloaranian would allow other males pass through its range but would more tolerant of females. Male Gloaranians would often drag the remains of a kill into the brush and bury it loosely with leaves, then return to eat it later on. One Gloaranian male traveled 748 miles in 28 days without rest in search for food.

Females
Female Gloaranians had a cooperative social structure for hunting, communicating, and defending its territory. A female pack member’s territory depended mostly on available prey, but it usually covered up to several hundred square miles. A female Gloaranian would make scent-mark boundaries and howl to other pack members. Rival pack members may even answer the calls as well. Females were mostly accompanied by their young when raising them.

Juvenile Gloaranians
Young Gloaranians, of both genders, were extremely curious and playful. They would often wrestle and chase each other, and even make toys out of anything they could find. As they approached their pre-teen years, they would begin to use these games to assert themselves as dominants to their siblings. Playing could be rough and sometimes could get out of hand, which is why a parent would always remain close by. Gloaranians would remain playful to their own pack members for their entire lives.

Gloaranian cubs are very submissive to their parents, though upon reaching sexual maturity, tensions within the pack increase, resulting in expulsions or revolts in which, on rare occasion’s, daughters kill their mothers and sons kill their fathers.

Language
The Gloaranian’s language, known as Gloaranian, was a primitive form of talking; consisting of noises (growls, barks, roars, snarls, whimpers, hisses, howls, purring), special scents (territory marking or mate attracting), and body language (body positions and movements). They were even capable of speaking Galactic Basic Standard and other languages that were found useful when meeting with other sentient species.

Being wary and shy creatures, Gloaranians generally avoided other sentient beings. Howling was an important vocalization that is done with a lot of caution. The risk of being heard by other sentient species often limits their frequency, but urban-dwelling Gloaranians could be rarely heard declaring their possession over the limited forested and park areas. Rather than howling a single pitch, multiple Gloaranians would hide, making their numbers difficult to determine.

Fashion
Gloaranians often adorned themselves with jewelry that will not break. Gold was never worn; do to them being allergic to it. Tattoos were reserved for places on the body where it does not dramatically touch skin, and body paintings were used everywhere else. Gloaranians typically did not wear clothing; do to their belief of protecting their body from damage, believing that their body is a sacred home to their soul. Covering up their body with any type of clothing would be considered a great offence to the Creator Spirit. However, some Gloaranians were known to wear clothes while in their anthropoid form when with other sentient species; mostly wearing hooded robes, jumpsuits, and shorts. Sharo, the female Gloaranian apprentice to Jedi master Hanok-Kie, was said to have worn the normal robes of a Jedi knight; knowing that it was a privilege for a Jedi to do so.

Religion
"We all live in a circle, as one dies and enters the next world a new one is born and takes its place. When we die, our bodies become the dirt, the dirt feeds the grass, the antelope eat the grass, and we eat the antelope. When the light of day fades and darkness replaces it light is born again. Even though the circles of life stay the same, they still change. Life and Nature always changes. Winter turns into spring, young become old, the moons change shape, the color of the leaves; even our bodies. Cycles and transformations are a part in the universe, created by the Creator Spirit, who loves and protects us all."

- A Gloaranian shaman explaining the universe’s order to a group of young Gloaranian children

The Gloaranians believed that every aspect and thing had a spirit presiding over it, but did not hold a belief in multiple gods. All figures identified as “gods” were simply greater beings in their belief whose names were so great there were no such words for them, and thus they were recognized as 'gods' by researchers. However, the Gloaranians paid direct respect to and worshipped only Yawo, meaning “the great almighty-one”. They held that signs, visions, dreams, and powers were all gifts of the spirits, and that their world was intertwined and presided over by the spirit world.

The Gloaranians venerated the mythical Sun dragon “Gargon”, who appeared to very intelligent and resourceful male youths (although in general Gloaranians, thought that snakes could block spiritual blessings to a den, therefore, it was traditional for Gloaranians to never keep any object made from or resembling a snake, or part of a snake in their den), as well as Ulak' Lust (the spirit of the hunt) and Hiewanoo (meaning "the wise-singing wind", a spirit of the wind). The Anniyunt were people of thunder and lightning, known as the thunder beings. The Anniyunt caused fires in trees. The Anokwi, known as the Thunder Beings of the West, was a thunderstorm spirit, also called Agaya. The Gloaranians held that there were two classes of the thunder beings, those who lived close to their planet, and the holiest and most powerful of the thunder beings that lived in the land of the west beyond the Fral Mountains, and visited the Gloaranians to bring the rains and blessings from the South. It was believed that the thunder beings that lived close to Gloarania's surface could and did harm the people at times. The thunder beings were viewed as the most powerful of the servants of the Creator Spirit, and were revered in the first dance of the xyroid held each year, as they were directly believed to have brought the “raining” luck for a successful hunt.

Common Gloaranian names
Gloaranians had a verity of names in which they gave to their children when they reached a certain age. The cub’s or pup’s name often varied, depending on the cubs or pups behavior, skills and talents, and appearance. For example, a male cub that was strong and handsome, and had blue colored fur, but was no good at swimming would be named "Frag". A female pup that was wise and skillful, was pure white, and attractive among other male cubs would be named "Riau". Other common names among Gloaranians included: "Jenna", "Muk", "Nikki", "Kaltag", "Aleu", "Nava", "Muru", "Aniu", "Treku", "Saba", "Mel", and "Yak"; with each one having a certain description about the individual with the certain name.

History
"Gloaranians, pah! I’ze met some of doze guys, dey’z not’en but trouble. Ugly tiger-like guys dey’z are. Hide’n in their’s animal form’z behind owr ow’n backs. Just where do you’z think dey’z gets dese ideas from? I’d, for’d one, woul’d not like to find owt."

- A old smuggler showing his dislike for Gloaranians



Gloarania had remained unknown to the Old Republic until about 4,981 BBY, discovered by the Jedi Master Hanok-Kie. The Jedi master stayed there for almost two decades, finding a young Gloaranian female known as Sharo, the daughter of a pack chief, and taking her as his apprentice.

The Gloaranians evolved from a species of carnivorous mammalian predators that once lived on their world of Gloarania. The planet was well known for its natural resources. Smugglers would often stop by the planet to collect some illegal rock samples and sell them on the black market. Because of the big numbers of smugglers and traders dropping by, some Gloaranians managed to sneak aboard some of their ships in order to get some food and they were shipped out to other planets and space stations in that sector region. Some Gloaranians, however, managed their way throughout the galaxy, becoming smugglers, traders, and sellers. But, because of their reputation of being “animals”, most Gloaranians living on other planets died off. And because of this reputation, the Human settlers of Gloarania first represented the planet on the Republic Senate instead of the Gloaranians themselves, who the Humans regarded as non-sentient threats. Because of this, the Old Republic allowed the hunting and poaching on them. Gloaranian fur was a common product around in the black markets of Nar Shaddaa, Ord Mantell, and other big planets of the galaxy. Most smugglers took to hunting Gloaranian packs instead of digging for the planets bizarre minerals. Emperor Palpatine was said to have even own a few Gloaranian furs as robes or blankets. This decree continued on until after the Yuuzhan Vong invaded their planet. Because the Yuuzhan Vong saw the Gloaranians as sentient species that had a strong relationship with nature, they did not terraform their homeworld or make them slaves. After the war, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances saw what the Gloaranians were and quickly put a stop to the law of poaching and hunting of the species. Afterwords, a Gloaranian senator named Teran took the office of the planet in the senate and later decreed that they were not to be disturbed from their daily way of life by other sentient species. However, some people that still lived on the planet still poached and hunted Gloaranians, ignoring the law. But because many people did not hunt and poach them as much as before, the Gloaranian population began to grow back and recover their original population number.

Besides their nasty reputation, Gloaranians were well-known for their great courage during the Ki'long war. During the Rillian's slavery rebellion against the Ki'longs, Gloaranian scouts and spies were able to sneak into Ki'long territory and do some sabotaging using their invisibility skill. One of the Gloaranian warriors who fought in the war was Hozan. But because of Hozan's bravery during the war he was renamed "Kre'nar", which in Rillian means "The Fighting Warrior". He earned the name because of his faith in never giving up a fight. After his death, the Rillians named one of their newly discovered constellations after him.

Gloaranians were also known for their reference in the song “Cry of the Wolf”, sung by the Corellian band 10.W.40.

Gloaranians were not the only sentient species that lived on Gloarania, however. The other sentient that shared their homeworld was a botanical species known as the Talking Tree, or “Gano” in Gloaranian. Most Ganos lived on Gloarania, but some were taken off the planet in seedpods that landed in smuggler ship cargo holds and which spread their numbers across the galaxy. The Ganos were often mistaken for Neti, Yarin, or other tree-like sentient botanical species that lived in the galaxy.

Besides their part in the Ki’long War, not much is known about their history. In some of the Gloaranian history notes recorded by Mammon Hoole, one provides the earliest examples of a Gloaranian history. But many other alternative stories have also been told by the Gloaranians, giving a hint that some may have been folk stories or legends. The Gloaranian legend recorded by Hoole told the story of the origin of humanity in the galaxy. According to the story, Humans came in a slave shipment owned by an ancient alien civilization which traveled in trade routs connecting to other distant galaxies. They were kidnapped off of a distant planet in another faraway galaxy. The slave ship in which the Human slaves traveled in was captured by Rakatan pirates and taken to a base over Gloarania. It is believed by some people that the Rakata built a base on the planet as well in order to communicate with the legendary space station, but no evidence was found to support this theory. Most researchers, however, rejected the story due to it contradicting the ever popular theory of Humans originating on Coruscant. Other researchers, however, created a theory that some of the Humans were somehow transported to Coruscant which later mixed with the native species known as the Zhell. However, no evidence was found to support either theory.

Behind the scenes

 * The Gloaranian was made by Endor chicken and is a collaboration with StarNinja99.
 * The idea for the Gloaranian was based on the Werewolf and Weretiger legends from Europe and Asia. As a matter of fact, they were originally going to be the reason why these types of Lycanthropes lived on Earth, until the idea changed later on.
 * Much of the information about Gloaranians is actually based off of actual facts on real wolves and tigers (and a little bit on lions). Wolves and tigers are two of the user’s most favorite animals. The user also hopes that these two amazing creatures will not go extinct.
 * Some of the common names for the Gloaraians are really names for the characters in the Balto movie series, produced by Universal Pictures, while the shaman’s quote is really a combination of the circle-of-life quotes from the Disney movies, The Lion King and Brother Bear.
 * The old smuggler's quote is based off of Bart Rathbone's style of speech from the Adventures in Odyssey radio series.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Story of Hanok-Kie
 * Urchins