Whirth

The Whirths (//, singular "Whirth") were a sentient species native to Nattirb in the.

Biology and appearance
Vaguely in configuration, Whirths had several distinct physiological differences from s and their ilk. Their mouths projected out from their heads, usually the depth of their heads again in length, in long, rounded jaws filled with sharp, slightly curved teeth. Whirth incisors curved toward the back of the mouth, which supported their tendency to strip meat from a bone by raking strips of it off with their teeth. Whirths had six nostrils; two on the end of their snouts, and two on each side. They were carnivorous.

Whirths had a "mohawk" of spikes on their heads, running from the top to the bases of their skulls. Their fingers had no nails, ending instead in sharp claws. Their irises and sclera were both red, and they saw in the infrared spectrum; Whirth eyes together took up a third of their faces. Each hand had four fingers and a thumb, and each foot had four toes. Nearly all Whirths had either white or very pale skin, much like.

Despite having a number of reptilian characteristics, the Whirths were fully mammals; female Whirths gave birth to live young, possessed breasts, and nursed their infants. Whirths grew black or dark brown hair, which was thickest on their heads. They had small, perfectly circular ears, one on each side of their heads.

Like s, Whirths had a far greater resistance to physical pain than most other humanoids.

Whirth young were born after a gestation period of nine standard months, and grew to maturity in fifteen years.

Society and culture
Whirths were a family-oriented society, but were unusual among sentients in that eating together was uncommon. In most Whirth households, all family members would assist in preparing dinner, eat separately, then reconvene to spend time together afterward. Biological historians believed the discomfort with eating together stemmed from ancient ancestors of the Whirths, who had the instinct to fight for food and defend it from others; Whirths were capable of eating communally when necessary, such as in the presence of aliens, but tended to find it awkward. Due to the Whirth practice of slowly stripping meat from bones, many aliens found the experience distasteful as well.

Because they saw in infrared rather than the visual spectrum, Whirths disliked two-dimensional art, and consequently few cultures or even museums had many examples of paintings, mosaics, or frescos. By contrast, statuary art was very popular, and all but the poorest Whirths had at least one statue in their homes.

The Whirths usually constructed buildings longer than they were wide. As the species expanded over Nattirb, they adapted to space constraints by building up (and down) rather than out.

History
The Whirths were descended from reptilian predators, although they had become entirely mammalian for several evolutionary generations before developing sentience. Xenobiologists believed the abundance of game and prey on Nattirb contributed to the species never developing the need for omnivorousness.

The Whirths had a long and storied (and, to aliens, deeply grotesque) history of torture. Their physical resistance to pain meant that torture techniques which would cause a Human to go into shock or go insane would have less effect on Whirths, and generations of Whirths developed increasingly macabre and brutal techniques to extract information or punish offenders. The Whirths eventually outlawed "torture" on their own, but when Nattirb joined the Golden Empire, a number of remaining techniques were outlawed by the Empire which the Whirths had not considered particularly brutal.

In the galaxy
Due to their resistance to pain and their ferocious appearance, many Whirths were hired as bouncers and security officers, as well as enforcers for organized crime syndicates. Sheqir Kysh was a Whirth political scientist. Rouva Chenchurk was a Whirth Centurion.