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Twi'lek
Languages Ryl, Lekku, Rarely Basic Skin Color Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, white, and dark gray Notable Members Bib Fortuna, Alema Rar, Aayla Secura, Orn Free Taa, Mission Vao, Yuthura Ban, Nawara Ven

Twi'leks, (pronounced /'twiː.lɛk/) were an omnivorous humanoid species originating from the planet Ryloth. They tended to eat cultivated molds, fungi, and rycrit meat. Their distinctive features included colorful skin, which varied in pigment from individual to individual, and a pair of shapely prehensile tentacles that grew from the base of their skulls. The tentacles were called lekku, or head-tails. Twi'leks possessed a fairly standard humanoid vocal structure and were capable of learning most alien languages; however, they usually preferred their native language of Twi'leki, which incorporated subtle movement of the lekku. The beauty of female Twi'leks was well known throughout the Galaxy, and as a result many were sold into slavery, becoming dancers or status symbols, most notably by Jabba the Hutt, while the usual ugliness of the males was also well known.

[edit] Characteristics

Twi'leks have skin that comes in a vast variety of colors, and two tentacles called lekku (singular lek) protruding from their heads. The name "Twi'lek" means "twin lekku." Part of the brain grows into the base of the lekku, and the width of the tails is proportional to the girth of each Twi'lek. Often the lekku will sport a pattern of spots, circles, or stripes in a different color from that of their skin, though these could be tattoos. Such "head-tails," or "worms," as they are called by others, are used for thinking and communication as well as sensual pleasure. Twi'leks are naturally completely hairless, except for their eyebrows. Known Twi'lek skin colors include white, green, blue, gray, red, orange, brown, yellow, and purple. The rarest are the red-skinned Lethans, followed by the blue-skinned Rutians. Green is the most common skin color.

Twi'lek females are prized for their natural beauty and gracefulness. They are frequently sold into slavery as dancers for crimelords, while others take jobs to dance at cantinas.

Both males and females have human-like ears , but females typically wear elaborate caps or head-bindings fitted with ear coverings made of bone or other material, leading to the belief among some casual observers that the coverings are actually their ears. Their language is a combination of vocal speech and lekku gestures. Twi'leks live in a clan-based society.

See Also: Category:Species