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Description
These are the sentient inhabitants of Lyell3, the Skull Cats. Of all discovered sentient forms they are the least evolved, with intelligence similar to chimpanzees. They use dried plants or tree shavings as tools to cut food and dig up food within the bark. Hence their names, they are the same size as a large domesticated cat, and even share interesting features with them. Sensitive whiskers and the flexible spine enabling them to always land on their feet is a few examples.

They only have three digits on each of their hands and feet so it makes it hard to manipulate things. However, the design of their tail is similar to that of a lizard and an elephant's trunk. It is flexible enough to coil around objects, and the tip is muscular enough to grab things.

Males have a larger snout than the females (as seen in the original sketch) because they use it to track down a female's strong feromones. Both genders also have scent glands near their lips that they rub on the trees to mark their territory. Like all animals on Lyell-3, Skull Cats are not immune to the eyeless design. This sacrificed enhanced their other senses, allowing them to smell a tree's leaf platform nearby or hear the static of the floating electric jellyfish, enabling them to take cover.

Their most interesting design is that Xenomorph like head (from the movie Alien). Looks can be deceiving however. It is true that a portion of that is an extension of the skull to house the animals large mass of its brain proportion to body size. But most of it is actually a large third ear. Like owls on Earth, one of the Skull Cats sensory organs is fixed in place: the two main ears. They are fused in place to focus on sounds ahead of it, while the larger ear picks up whatever lurks behind it. To make full use of this design, the Skull Cat can rotate its head nearly 180° Hair at the tip of the ear help keep dust out, preventing infections.

Due to their limited evolution, Skull Cats have a straightforward clan structure. A single male, or sometimes a few brothers, are at the head of a group of individuals consisting of both males and females. Only the leaders can mate but are also responsible for coordinating attacks on other animals. If an attack fails, the leader has to prepare to fight for its position as other males will immediately challenge it. The structure is evident when the animals rest as well. All females rest on a high platform, the leader(s) directly below them, and at the bottom all other males. That way, if a male tries to sneak up to "investigate" females, it has to pass by the keen hearing of the dominant male first.

Skull Cats have been observed to communicate with singing using their vocal sacks. Evidence suggests they sometimes sing for the sole pleasure of it.

Description
These are the sentient inhabitants of Lyell3, the Skull Cats. Of all discovered sentient forms they are the least evolved, with intelligence similar to chimpanzees. They use dried plants or tree shavings as tools to cut food and dig up food within the bark. Hence their names, they are the same size as a large domesticated cat, and even share interesting features with them. Sensitive whiskers and the flexible spine enabling them to always land on their feet is a few examples.

They only have three digits on each of their hands and feet so it makes it hard to manipulate things. However, the design of their tail is similar to that of a lizard and an elephant's trunk. It is flexible enough to coil around objects, and the tip is muscular enough to grab things.

Males have a larger snout than the females (as seen in the original sketch) because they use it to track down a female's strong feromones. Both genders also have scent glands near their lips that they rub on the trees to mark their territory. Like all animals on Lyell-3, Skull Cats are not immune to the eyeless design. This sacrificed enhanced their other senses, allowing them to smell a tree's leaf platform nearby or hear the static of the floating electric jellyfish, enabling them to take cover.

Their most interesting design is that Xenomorph like head (from the movie Alien). Looks can be deceiving however. It is true that a portion of that is an extension of the skull to house the animals large mass of its brain proportion to body size. But most of it is actually a large third ear. Like owls on Earth, one of the Skull Cats sensory organs is fixed in place: the two main ears. They are fused in place to focus on sounds ahead of it, while the larger ear picks up whatever lurks behind it. To make full use of this design, the Skull Cat can rotate its head nearly 180° Hair at the tip of the ear help keep dust out, preventing infections.

Due to their limited evolution, Skull Cats have a straightforward clan structure. A single male, or sometimes a few brothers, are at the head of a group of individuals consisting of both males and females. Only the leaders can mate but are also responsible for coordinating attacks on other animals. If an attack fails, the leader has to prepare to fight for its position as other males will immediately challenge it. The structure is evident when the animals rest as well. All females rest on a high platform, the leader(s) directly below them, and at the bottom all other males. That way, if a male tries to sneak up to "investigate" females, it has to pass by the keen hearing of the dominant male first.

Skull Cats have been observed to communicate with singing using their vocal sacks. Evidence suggests they sometimes sing for the sole pleasure of it.