The face is relatively elongated with a muzzle extending 3-5 cm outwards and a high forehead. Although the jaws are somewhat short, they are extremely strong, and have enough power to crush the bones. Their heads are surrounded by manes and collars of hair, which varies in color from glossy black to pale yelow. Their skin color ranges from gray to Iight tan. The ears, located high on the skull, are large and flaring at the base which taper up to rounded or pointed tips and stand erect.
Hri have 40 permanent teeth - 12 incisors, 4 canines, 8 carnassials, 4 premolars, and 12 molars. The strongest and sharpest are the four large canines. The teeth are less likely than humans to form dental cavities because of the very high pH of their saliva, which prevents enamel from demineralizing.The tongue surface is covered with dentine like filiform papillae, used in assisting the tearing of eaten meat. Hri have a larynx similar to humans, but rather elongated in comparison.
The legs appear short when compared with the length of the body, but are powerful. Strong muscles produce instant power for leaping or great bursts of speed. The sharp angles of the knee and "heel" of the hind legs also contribute to the power for sudden sprints, for climbing, and for jumping. Due to the lack of a hip joint ligament which keeps the femur held into the pelvis, Hri have less restriction in the movements of their legs than humans..
Hri have five fingers, and a thumb, and six toes. Fingers are slightly lomger and thinner than humans, with four joints instead of human's three while toes are shorter and stubbier. The inner toe is opposable like a thumb. Both fingers and toes have short protractile claws. There is also a highly specialised dewclaw on the outside of each fore-limb, which folds jackknife fashion into a horny covering at the outside of the elbow and the inside of the knee. The retracted claw is held in its "sheath" by an elastic ligament. A muscle in the arm pulls on a tendon, which in turn pulls on the joint to which the claw is attached, and the claw comes out of its sheath.
Hri have a keen hearing and and can detect an extremely broad range of frequencies, with an auditory range from 45-45,000Hz, being most acute in the 500-30,000 Hz range. This sensitivity is further enhanced by the large movable pinnae ("ears"), which both amplify sounds and help sense directioanlity. The ears are able to independently point backwards as well as forwards and sideways to pinpoint the source of the sound.
The Hri's large and prominent eyes are placed well forward on the head. Thus the Hri have binocular vision, permiting a 200 degree field of vision. In bright light the pupils contract to narrow vertical slits. But in the dark they enlarge to round openings that admit a maximum amount of light. The retina has an even balance of cones and rods. Hri have a fovea centralis slightly smaller than humans. Hri are tetrachromats, possessing four different types of cone cells. The basic colors seen are red, blue, green, and ultraviolet There is a choroidal tapetum cellulosum behind the retina, which reflect light back through the retina, increasing the light available to the photoreceptors. These features give a good balance of vision in varied lighting conditions and focus ability. A postorbital closure, or bony cup, surrounds each eye for protection. The eyes are also covered by a nictitating membrane.
Hri have roughly eighteen vibrissae ("whiskers"), nine on each side of the nose., in three rows of three. These thick hairs with deep roots have significant nerve endings, which give extraordinarily detailed information about air movements, air pressure and anything they touch. They also have a number of vibrissae like hairs on other parts of their bodies, especially over the eyes, on the chin and at the back of the legs.
Among the Hri, taste is the weakest sense. Basic tastes detected include salty, sour, bitter, piquance, savoriness ("umami"), fatty acid, metallic and water. Notably, sweet is missing. Generally salty, savoriness ("umami"), and fatty acid are considered pleasant tastes; and bitter, metallic, and water are unpleasant, with sour and piquance being dependant on the individual.
The average lifespan is 120 years. The oldest known natural Hri lifespan is 197 years.