Qarasht

The Qarashteel (singular: Qarasht) are a sapient, spacefaring race of strange-looking creatures.

Biology
They bodies are covered in thick fur, pale blue in color with narrow black stripes. Their hands have eight fingers and are described as "skeletal", but also "stronger than they look".

Instead of a head, they possess a retractable sense cluster, which consists of a long stalk equipped with a pair of black bubble-like eyes, between which is a pink blossom-like structure which serves as the ear. Growing along the stalk there's also a tuft of fine whiskers used for sensing smell and taste. On top of it there's a shiny ruby crest; the function of which hasn't been described. When the cluster is retracted, the Qarasht becomes blind and deaf, and mostly lost in its own thoughts. However, it's still capable of detecting the approach of someone, probably by sensing vibrations in the air.

Qarashteel live longer than Humans and are known to artificially prolong their lifespan. They consume a beverage known as Demerara Sour, which is also consumable for Humans.

History
Qarasht ships passing through the Sol System first detected signs of Human activity on Earth in the last years of World War Two, in the 1940s. They sent saucer-shaped atmospheric probes to record the conflict and were fascinated by the violent wars being fought; and eventually edited the footage into a highly-profitable documentary for their people.

Decades later they managed to bring and install expensive recording devices on Earth, hoping to film more documentaries, but were disappointed by the fact that Humans seemed to have quit warring after making official first contact with an alien race.

Appearances

 * "War Movie", by Larry Niven (1981)
 * "One Night at the Draco Tavern", by Larry Niven (1991)
 * "The Missing Mass", by Larry Niven (2000)
 * "The Flare Weed", by Larry Niven (2011)