Yautja is a fictional race of alien beings commonly recognized as the hunter from the Fox hit movie Predator.

They are bipedal creatures, much taller than humans, and they have terrible mandibles. Their eyes see everything in infrared and allow the Yautja to detect prey cleverly hiding in places where others might be fooled. This also explains why the Yautja wear masks during a hunt: The Yautja use their masks not as a means of protection but as a tool to filter out extra information, i.e. they must prevent their own body heat, as well as the climate around them, from giving them false readings and interfering with their tracking of prey. According to Predator 2, the masks can also toggle between modes, allowing hunters to see radiation, shapes, movement, etc.

One of the most fearsome abilities of the Yautja is their power to become invisible at will using light-benders so that they can stalk their prey unnoticed. They also have a deadly assortment of range and melee weapons including shoulder laser cannons, wrist blades, automatic saws, and spears.

Although the Yautja use this type of advanced equipment to enchance their hunting experience, it is not necessary. The moment a Yautja is born he is taught the basics of hunting and killing and only the strongest survive the harsh conditions of their home planet. Those that survive are raised under a tribal system and they live only for honor. The best way to gain that kind of honor, of course, is to hunt. A respected hunter however, can only gain honor by hunting something that is worthy. The Yautja generally take no pleasure in getting the carcass a helpless unarmed creature for their trophy case or stealing a fellow Yautja's kill. By extension, if one hunter fails and dies while hunting, other hunters will likely acknowledge the prey's victory, and may even present a reward as opposed to ganging up in a fit of revenge.

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