Alright, I've talked about my own head canon for Yautja on other peoples post, so I'm going to build one here - cause, why not!
Before I forget! Some of this comes the Yautja Wiki fan page - I looked up heights specifically for the male's (I had between 7 and 8 ft, but wanted to verify), and ages, some things are from the movies, some are completely made up.
You can also find this on A03 now Yautja Head Canon
Yautja society is a matriarchy
Clans are made up of related families. When the clan gets to a certain size, it is normal for a large family to create a satellite clan, usually using the initial clan name within the new name.
Leaders in clan structures are male, but female Matriarchs have final say in all decisions. Matriarchs will often leave the details of day to day life to males. Ancients, Clan leaders, Elders that are seen on interstellar ships are almost always male led. The Matriarchs are more of an influential powerbroker. If a Clan Leader makes a disastrous tactical error, breaks sacred protocols, or brings dishonor to the bloodline/clan, a Matriarch will step in to strip them of title or veto any decisions. They are the political backbone and power of Yautja society.
Records of couplings and resulting children are strictly maintained in order to avoid any inbreeding. This creates the opportunity to have external clans enter into treaties or pacts even based on the coupling of the least of the clan.
Clans and their satellite clans never war. Ever. It is considered against the code to attack one of the satellites, but it's not unheard of.
All tech and equipment from any Yautja who has died will be recycled/reused by other clan members except for their personal helms/masks and any custom armor.
Clans have various ways of caring for their dead, some have large catacombs where the dead are laid on large slabs of rock, in full hunting armor with special trophies they had hunted laid about them. Some build funeral pyres where the same items are cremated with the warrior. All warriors who have died with honour are shown deep respect in death.
Any dishonoured/Bad blood Yautja who die are left to rot after being stripped of everything of worth or fed to Yautja hounds.
They are carnivorous but will supplement their diet with roots, berries, and other plants. This is partly for flavour, partly to aid in digestion. The older they get, the more plant and vegetable matter they eat. Sidebar - I used to rescue bearded dragons. One of the biggest issues I had was getting beardies to eat fruit/vegetables/greens. People assume lizards are insectivores or carnivores only, this is incorrect. For an adult bearded dragons a healthy diet is 80% plant matter, 20% insects (this is the opposite of baby/juveniles who need 20% plant matter and 80% insects). My theory is that the Yautja who survive to be Ancient eat a lot of salad lol!
They will 100% allopreen - that means, they will bathe in communal areas, help each other clean themselves, etc. Nudity is preferred, though many will wear a loincloth (no embarassing boners thanks).
They evolved into having a mix of reptile and mammalian features.
Their sense of smell is their strongest sense. Next would be hearing, touch, and taste, in dead last is their sight. They evolved on a jungle planet where seeing a heat signature or lack thereof, and hearing/smelling was far more important than seeing. They've adapted their helms to incorporate other spectrums that enable them to see better, but are colourblind without their helms (if a Yautja is complimenting the colour of your eyes, it has a helm/mask on). The more technologically advanced their gear, the better the visual tech is.
Yautja tendrils/dreads are solid flesh. The base at the skull has musculature that allows them to raise up in the same way a dog raises hackles or a cat does - it makes the Yautja appear larger. The base is very sensitive and full of nerve endings. The further down and away from the head you get, the less sensitive they are. very long ones have only a whisper of a sense of touch at the tips. Moving a Yautja's dreads/tendrils can cause various reactions. This is not because you are touching a sensitive area, but because you are moving them, which causes the more sensitive areas closer to the head to move. Think erogenous zone meets tickle zone meets *don't touch me* zone. It all depends on who is moving them and the intent.
Dreads/tendrils will grow back! Unless they've been cauterized. Many will use a styptic type powder to stop any bleeding from a severed tendril as they want them to grow back.
They are incredibly stoic/unemotional in front of all others, unless the other is a trusted family member/friend/mate. On those few occasions, they are just as emotional as any other species.
They absolutely can cry, they can smile (in their way), they do all the things but in a Yautja fashion. Tears are in private, away from any who would see them as weakness.
No PDA. The closest any Yautja would get to PDA is a brush of a finger against the back of a hand or something similar.
Pups and younglings are raised cooperatively. Mothers and fathers each have a say in how a pup is raised. Nursing mothers are deeply cared for by the female Elders of the clan. They are not expected to hunt until the pup is at least 6 or 7, maybe even as old as 10.
Yautja mature far slower than other species. A pup is considered too young to be without an adult until they are about 10 years old. They are completely dependent on others until they are at minimum 5. When they reach on average around 60, they are able to attempt the blood rites, but most wait until they are closer to 100.
They have an excellent sense of balance, proprioception, thermoception, and their nociception is exceptional.
It has varying levels of adherence, the same way humans have varying levels of religious adherence. You have apostates, true believers, literal believers, agnostics, and complete atheists.
Some clans adhere to the code so strictly that they will cull any Yautja who shows weakness (think Njohrr with Dek). These strict adherence consider any clan that does otherwise as bad bloods.
Enforcers for various clans try to avoid making judgements on other clans due to this extreme difference in beliefs.
The more relaxed the clan is surrounding the code, the more likely an external species will be seen either as a slave, friend (think Alex Woods and Scar), or even mate (what we wish happened with Alex and Scar).
This difference in beliefs absolutely will and does trigger inter-clan wars.
They are much larger than the average male, 8 feet+ (2.5 m).
They are very much as predatory, if not more so, than males.
They select mates based on hunting ability and intelligence.
They are the primary caregivers of the pups/younglings, but males are not excluded.
Female mammary glands are small though visually there. When they do get pregnant, the mammaries enlarge in order to produce a milk type substance for the coming pup.
Pregnancies last up to two years. They are a LONG lived species. Every pregnant female is given a place of honor amongst the other females.
First time mothers are especially cared for. They are also encouraged to continue hunting in order to keep their bodies in prime shape.
They have live births, similar to mammals, they grow a placenta in order to grow the fetus.
Male dreads/tendrils grow longer than females and tend to be more dramatic.
Males will hunt on their own in order to prove their worth to females. The more difficult a prey they catch alone, the better their chances of being chosen.
Sometimes males will team up, especially related ones. The one who lands the killing blow earns the trophy, but they both hunt until they both have something of value.
Males always defer to females and are raised knowing that females are the reason their species thrives.
Males will often assist in the raising of their pup (if it's confirmed to be theirs), stepping up when the mother requests him, staying away when told. Younglings are often seen being trained by males and females. There is no separation of the sexes when it comes to training.
Males often take longer to become blooded. This is due to their size and mentality.
Males on average are shorter than females ranging from a short 7 ft (2.1 m) to 8 ft (2.5 m), sometimes more as with Ultimate Predator at 11 ft 3.35 m). Dek is considered a runt at approximate 6 ft (1.8 - 2 m) - being a runt is why Njohrr wanted to cull him.
Males try to keep their dreads/tendrils as long as possible. Think of a male peacock - the bigger the display, the better to attract a mate. A male Yautja's dreads length is a sign of his cunning during hunts. The fewer that cut damaged, the more attractive the male.
The above only shows true intelligence if the male also has many difficult to get trophies. A male with a pile of - say - wolf skulls.
Females are extremely rough during mating. Lots of head canons agree on this one. Males work their asses off to impress and could potentially die during the main event - at least they die happy (?)
It can take several attempts to work. It's not unheard of for a female to have multiple males - uh - waiting on her...
Mating season happens twice a year, almost always at the same time (with few exceptions). No one is forced to go to the main gathering, though it is preferred they do in order to keep the bloodlines tracked better. There are occasions where a couple will mate for life, it's uncommon, but not rare. Each gathering is held by the main clan, meaning each satellite clan returns to the homelands of the mother clan for the gathering.
They have many options for birth control, especially for younger females who are not ready for children but enter their heats. Males are given a serum that usually lasts a year (two mating seasons). These males are paired with females who do not want children or who are not ready. Females are not given the same type of birth control as it is seen as the male's duty to do so. However, females of breeding age who regularly leave to hunt will use devices similar to an IUD (but way less invasive) to prevent any unwanted pregnancies.
Consent is everything and it is sexy as fuck. Females may be rough on the males, but it is consensual or it doesn't happen. Any female or male can say no, even if it is in the middle of the act - though most would never do so. It has happened. If either party still requires - release - another Yautja is paired with the individual.
Clans call an exiled, criminal, or renegade Yautja member a bad blood.
Bad bloods 'crimes' can vary from simply running away to full on murder of their own clan members.
The stricter the clan is to the Code, the less a bad blood needs to do in order to become. What a harsher clan considers a bad blood, other clans will welcome into the fold after a time of 'proving'. Example - say Dek decided to never return to his home clan. Dek is clever, strong, and a far better hunter than many - he would be welcomed by other, more lenient clans, especially any who accept humans but he would have to prove his worth and earn the trust of the clan.
Some bad bloods will join with other races - for good or bad. Some form criminal syndicates, some create clans in safe zones so they can live peacefully. The peaceful clans will incorporate other races so long as they live and adhere to Yautja rules.
Bad blood criminal syndicates vary as much as clans do. Some are murderous and will act very mafia-like - demanding protection money, dealing in drugs, slaves, etc. Some will pair up with human companies like Weyland-Yutani and kidnap their own for the money they get from the company (WY is the biggest one). Some operate as pirates, boarding ships they know have cargo that is worth the risk.
The peaceful bad bloods still adhere to the Code in their own ways, but build up safe zones. They always hunt in a minimum of two, but usually in small packs just in case they come across other Yautja who are not bad bloods.
Some Yautja who are not exiled or deemed bad bloods will leave their clans to join these more peaceful safe zone clans. Especially those who struggle in their own clans (the weakness, less successful, etc).
