Goydeyr

The Goydeyr, often known as Manebacks or Medusas, are a subspecies of humans that inhabit the planet Goyža.

Physiology
The Goydeyr are, overall, extremely similar to humans. They are fully humanoid, and have skin ranging from dark brown color to a lighter brownish-pink, depending on the region. Their faces are constructed only slightly different in a way closer to a racial variation rather than a distinction between species. The main difference is their eyes, which tend to be much more deep-set and of darker colors, either dark brown or black, than Earth humans. Their noses have larger than average tips, and they have high foreheads.

The most prevalent physical difference is their hair. It is still hair, of the nearly the same construction as on Earth (it is able to stiffen or flow normally), and usually straight or wavy and colored brown, dirty blond, or near black. Natural grey colors as common as well, both brownish grey and almost metallic blue-grey. Their hear not only grows out of their heads but also in a line down their spines at the same length, stopping just above their tailbones. When frightened or angry, they are able to stand this hair up to make themselves appear larger and more threatening. Through examining the mechanism used to stand the hairs up, scientists have concluded that the next evolutionary step would be for them to develop quills.

Headsnakes
While not part of their natural physiology, the Goydeyr have developed a strong symbiotic relationship with a species of snake-like reptiles known as Ngii, or headsnakes. At birth, a child is given a baby headsnake, typically the offspring of the parent’s headsnakes, which is attached to their forehead right at the hairline. Once the headsnake is placed, the back end latches itself to the forehead and the headsnake remains there for the rest of the person’s life. The headsnake consumes the any of the many species of deadly, eye-eating insects that approach the human’s head. In return, the human supplies the headsnake with many nutrients that are not as commonly found in its own diet, sustaining it. To a Goydeyr, losing their snake is equated to losing their arms, or half their body.

As they grow up attached to each other, the human and the headsnake form a neural connection, typically as young as 3 weeks old. This link allows the human to influence the actions of their snake, and vice versa, so both personalities influence how both of them act. Also, it has granted the headsnake with an amount of sapience, making it capable of complex thought and grasping abstract concepts, although it is not very advanced in problem solving or creativity.