One of the closest relatives of humans is unsurprisingly the dwarf, with a large disproportionate head and relatively short limbs. The dwarf weighs on average almost 150 pounds, with males being slightly larger than females at 165 pounds. Which is very surprising considering most dwarfs are in the range of 4ft and 5 inches tall. This is because dwarfs are very compact creatures with large muscles and fat, this makes dwarfs incredibly strong for their size.
Dwarfs are adapted for the cold and for cave living, which has led towards both sexes being capable of growing beards in equal length and thickness, at first glance it's very difficult to tell the two apart. A dwarf’s beard is incredibly unusual in its morphology, each individual hair can move independently and sense the area around it like the tendrils of a star-nosed mole. Because of the advanced nature of the beard there are millions of complex tiny nerves in each strand of the beard which act like an individual, when the beard is pulled, cut, or twisted it causes considerable pain to the dwarf.
Many dwarf rulers prove their toughness by completely shaving off their beards, in some cases the beard may take decades to grow back and may not even grow back at all. But even with the drawbacks this ability gives dwarfs an advantage over other species in caves. As the dwarf can live and work in complete darkness with no problems because of the hairs sensory capabilities.
Dwarfish spit can harden once it leaves the mouth, the spit itself is a wonder of nature and can be as hard as concrete. Many structures are completely made out of their own spit, this ability is also quite useful for sealing cracks in crumbling cave walls. Dwarfs are capable of interbreeding with humans, but much like a mule the offspring will be infertile.
