The Sangheili (Latin Macto Cognatus meaning "I glorify my kin") (Second Human Empire: Aiooi'kiu Erui'uui) are a saurian species of strong, proud, and intelligent warriors, as well as skilled combat tacticians. The Sangheili are named after their home planet, Sanghelios. They are known to the UNSC as Elites. Due to their skill in combat, the Sangheili have formed the military backbone of the Covenant for almost the entirety of its existence. The Sangheili are named after their planet, Sanghelios. Due to their skill in combat, the Sangheili have formed the military backbone of the Covenant for almost the entirety of its existence. They had a fierce rivalry with the Jiralhanae, which finally boiled over into open hatred during the Great Schism, and the conclusion of the Human-Covenant war.
Originally a founding member of the unified conglomerate of races known as the Covenant, their entire species later led the breakaway faction known as the Covenant Separatists, who sided with the humans and the Alliance of Nations against their former allies due to the fact that the Prophets of Truth and Mercy had ordered the genocide of the entire Sangheili race. This was established after the assassination of the Prophet of Regret at the hands of John-117, as it was the Sangheili who were ultimately held responsible for Regret's death, and they were seen as "unfit" to continue to guard the San'Shyuum. The San'Shyuum sought to replace them with other Covenant races, primarily the Jiralhanae. The aftermath of the Great Schism formed the bedrock of the Covenant's ultimate collapse.
They started their won faction known as the Swords of Sanghelios under one banner and became one of the founders of the United Alliances of Orion Species).
Biology[]
Sangheili are physically imposing beings, generally standing between 2.2 and 2.6 meters (Roughly 7.4 to 8.6 feet). They are vaguely reptilian in overall appearance, with leathery skin, digitigrade legs, and sharp claws and teeth. Their large hands have two fingers and two thumbs on each hand which are much larger than human fingers and thumbs, which make the Sangheili look ungainly when wielding small human weapons such as the M6. Their most distinguishing trait is their jaw structure, which is made up of four separate mandibles attached to their face. Their large, reptile-like appearance has earned them the nicknames "Alligator" and "Dino." They look vaguely like lizards or theropods, except for their jaws.
Their jaws are quadruple-hinged, with an upper jaw and four finger-like mandibles. With few exceptions, these mandibles are generally shown with six teeth each; many sources also depict an additional large fang on the tips of each mandible. Anywhere from eight to ten broader teeth have been observed mounted on the central jaw structure. Some Sangheili keep their mandibles closed, using only the front two joints of their lower mandibles to speak, giving them a more humanoid appearance. Sangheili smell with the use of two nostrils, each a little in front and below the eye socket. Given their predatory nature, a Sangheili's sense of smell is likely very developed. However it must be noted that as a distinct race they may have omnivorous tendencies. The mandibles appear to be made for gripping small prey, which insinuates that the Sangheili evolved from a quadruped race and that they are much larger than their natural prey.
Their hands are tetradactyl, having four digits; two middle fingers, and two opposing thumbs on the outside for grasping. Their legs are digitigrade, with short upper and lower legs, and elongated tarsals, using the distal and intermediate phalanges to support their weight when walking. These two “toes” are much stronger and easier to move on than the human foot, and allows them to run very quickly and jump large distances, but climbing, especially on standard ladders, is difficult for them. Their superior agility may also be attributed to their homeworld's higher gravity; the additional strength required to move normally in a high-gravity environment would likely cause them to be more powerful in lower gravity situations. They also appear to have a double set of pectoral muscles, which contribute to their incredible strength.
Sangheili have at least two hearts, which circulate purple/indigo-colored blood through their veins; the coloration is most likely caused by bimetallic hemoglobin, possibly cobalt-iron, whereas the crimson-blooded Humans possess monometallic iron-based hemoglobin. Though there are many theories on the subject, the chemical formula(e) of Sangheili hemoglobin is still unknown. It is assumed that they breathe oxygen, as they can breathe the same atmosphere as Humans without any trouble, and their homeworld has a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, similar to Earth's. Sangheili blood smells like fresh tar.
Although Sangheili skin color and texture varies from light brown and scaly to black and smooth, most appear to have dark grey skin. The majority have either dark blue, black, or brown eyes, although there are a few exceptions. It has been theorized that the reason Sangheili seem to have dark, blue eyes is because they wear eye coverings (which provide their in-game HUD). This hypothesis comes largely from the Arbiter's appearance - when standing before the High Council in his armor, his eyes were dark, but after his armor was removed, his eyes became a much lighter brown—and is also supported by the fact that a Sangheili's eye color is always the same color as their armor. Sangheili have laterally-positioned eyes with slit-shaped pupils, large irises, and horizontal eyelids, though these traits can only be found in some Sagheili to have all black eyes with no pupils except for the Arbiter.
Female Sangheili are similar in appearance to male Sangheili. where some were described as being slightly shorter than the average male and having paler skin tone. Female Sangheili are oviparous, meaning babies are born from eggs outside the mother's body.
Supposedly, Sangheili have a 'faintly leathery' scent.