Editing Dentarians (section)

==Physiology:==  
The [[Dentarians]] are a pseudo-saurian race, with characteristics of both mammalian and reptilian species.  They are warm-blooded omnivores, generally humanoid in build.  Dentarians have four-fingered hands and four-toed feet, both with vestigal claws little different from the nails common to humanoid races.  Facially, they have two eyes with slit-type irises set in forward-facing, binocular positions; two ears with jutting, cup-type pinnae, and a subdued nose with two nostrils.  Their jaws are a little heavier than is commonly found in known humanoid races, with dentation comprising the full range of omnivore types, though slightly weighted towards the carnivorous.  Dentarians stand between 1.6 meters and 2.2 meters in height; females tend toward a more uniform height of about 1.9 meters, with the males generally tending toward the extremes.

They are hairless, with a mildly pebbly-textured skin possessing the last vestiges of ancestral scales.  Older Dentarians sometimes produce short, featherlike growths from the vestigal scales in a band of varying width from the occipital region of the head down to the lower back.  Skin coloration and coloration patterns vary, though earth tones predominate.  Most Dentarians have some vividly contrasting color bands or patches, such as white or red or yellow. Sexual dimorphism is also evident in coloration patterns, which vary from region to region across the planet.

Dentarian primary and secondary sexual characteristics are similar to most [[Federation]] humanoid races, though Dentarian females have four mammary glands instead of two.  Dentarians reproduce quasi-oviparously, normally laying small clutches of eggs about two (Federation standard) months after a successful mating.  Clutches normally number from two to five eggs, which need only moderate attention during the remaining gestation period, which lasts another eight months.  Dentarians do not experience seasonal mating periods, and are sexually active from the onset of puberty (approximately 15 standard years/14 Dentarian years) until about age fifty.  Both male and female Dentarians undergo a form of menopause, ending the reproductive portion of their lifespans.  Dentarians have an approximate lifespan of about 70 standard years.

Dentarians are not physically exceptional, unlike, for example, the reptilian Gorn, noted for their great physical strength and slow movement.

The Dentarian diet is full-range omnivore, although they require a certain amount of actual meat consumption to remain healthy.  Their present industrial situation, with a large amount of preserved and so-called "artificial" foods, is causing a variety of health concerns throughout Dentarian society.