The Togruta were a race of beings native to the planet Shili. They were a mammalian humanoid race distinguished by the immense, striped horns—known as montrals—that sprouted from each side of their head. Three draping appendages ringed the lower part of their skulls, with one draping over each shoulder and a third hanging down the back. The coloration of these head-tails—which were similar to the lekku of a Twi'lek—evolved as a form of camouflage, with a striped pattern that confused predators that hunted the Togruta. Unlike the head-tails of a Twi'lek, however, the montrals of the Togruta were hollow, providing the Togruta with a way to gather information about their environment ultrasonically.
Many beings believed that the Togrutas were venomous, a belief that stemmed from the fang-like appearance of their front teeth, but this was not true. This belief was started when an individual first witnessed a Togruta feeding on a Thimiar, which writhed in its death throes as if poisoned after being bitten. However, instead of injecting their prey with poison, Togrutas preferred to consume their prey while it was still alive.
On their homeworld, Togruta lived in dense tribes that had strong community ties. All members of the tribe were expected to work for the betterment of the tribe, including hunting and gathering. This expectation included the youth of each tribe, and any individual who could not pace with the rest of the tribe was left behind to die.
Many xenobiologists believed that the Togruta civilization was an ancient one, as there were records of Togruta being members of the Jedi Order at the time of its formation, some 25,000 years before the Galactic Civil War. The Togruta were believed to have evolved from pack animals, as evidenced by their "survival of the fittest" mentality.