Ulru-Ujurrian

Ulru-Ujurrians, also known simply as Ujurrians, are a sapient ursine species native to the cold mountainous planet Ulru-Ujurr. They're notable for their advanced intellect, psychic abilities and playful infantile mindset.

Biology
Ulru-Ujurrians are massive bear-like creatures with dense fur and a greater cold tolerance than Humans. They're facultative bipeds and have no tail. Their paws have seven digits, all equipped with powerful short claws. When standing up, they measure almost three meters in height, and it's estimated that they must weigh at least half a ton. Their fur is mostly brown, sprinkled with black and white splotches. Despite their ursine appearance, they have flat muzzles with a comically small black nose and a pair of large tarsier-like eyes with enormous pupils. Their ears are small, rounded, and located on the top of their heads.

Despite being biologically omnivorous and having sharp teeth and claws that would allow them to hunt prey easily, most Ulru-Ujurrians favor a vegetarian diet of berries, nuts and tubers. When they do eat meat, they prefer fish. They're natural telepaths who can communicate with other species and learn new concepts almost instantaneously by probing the minds of others. Some rare individuals are also capable of teleportation.

Culture and society
At first, the Ulru-Ujurrians might appear primitive to the point of barely being recognized as sapient. They have no clothes, no tools, and an extremely simplistic language that consists of grunt-like vocalizations. Their technology is limited to simple modifications made to the caves they live in, such as using boulders to narrow the entrances or digging deeper to expand the caverns' natural living space. Such impressions are deceptive, as they're extraordinarily intelligent, and natural telepaths. Due to their friendly, playful nature, they will gladly play the role of dim-witted primitives to foolish off-worlders who expect it. They're extremely fond of jokes and games, and devote much of their time to these activities. The rest of their time is dedicated to cave-building, eating, sleeping, and mating.

Appearances

 * Orphan Star, by Alan Dean Foster (1977)
 * The End of the Matter, by Alan Dean Foster (1977)
 * Flinx in Flux, by Alan Dean Foster (1988)