lonelysailings:

headcanon ;; Race characteristics for LotR that aren’t just ‘( short/tall ) human with different ( beards / feet / ears )’ –

• Elves have a second, clear eyelid that gives them the appearance of “sleeping with their eyes open” when they close it in order to rest. They do not often blink.
• While Hobbits are known to have large feet, few them know that they also have disproportionately large and powerful thigh and calf muscles. They can jump higher, in terms of their weight and size, than any other race.
• Orcs and Uruk-hai feel very little pain, and as such, they tattoo and scar themselves in honor of their gods. Sauron is not one of them. 
• Dwarves’ eyes have a very small sclera. Instead, the iris is almost all that can be seen. Their pupils can expand in the dark until their eyes are an empty black, enabling them to see in the dark better than any other race. In some kingdoms, blinding a Dwarf by leaving them in the dark for days before flooding them suddenly with light is used as a punishment. 
• Hobbits have almost twice the number of taste buds as humans. 
• The ears of Elves can move and tilt towards noises, although the range of their movements is limited. 
• Dwarves may often be born with six toes. Those that do are called stone-bound, and are said to have a deeper connection to the earth. 
• Many humans have reported a feeling of being watched when they are with Elves, even when alone with them. This is caused by the Elven fëa / fae / spirit, which is separate from – but linked to – the body, giving some sensitive non-Elves the feeling that there are two people present instead of one. 
• With age, a Hobbit’s hair may become mossy green. This is due to faint pigments in their shampoo that collect, very slowly, over the years. 
• Small sensory organs in Dwarves’ hands and feet help them detect vibrations and minute details in anything they touch. These organs are slightly raised and look similar to callouses.