Sleestak

The Sleestak are an extra-dimensional species of reptilian humanoids native to the Land of the Lost. They appeared in all three seasons of the original series as well as in two reboots.
==Bio==
The Sleestak are a bipedal species of reptilian humanoids indigenous to the Land Of The Lost. They have a thin but wide-set mouths and large, round black eyes which are averse to light. Covered mostly in green scales with yellow thoraxes, they have claws on their feet and on their hands which can function as pincers. The Sleestak also have a single horn protruding backward from the top of their heads. They make a pronounced hissing sound produced by their breathing, likely due to their wide set mouth and flat nostrils. They can, however, temporarily suppress their tell-tale hissing to set up an ambush.
Sleestak appear significantly taller than the average human, approximately 7 feet in height. While slow-moving, they are physically stronger than humans. They have been able to physically restrain any of the Marshalls without much effort. Their pincers can close with sufficient force to easily cut through the wooden shaft of a torch. 
At one time, in the distant past, the Sleestak were known as Altrusians. They were a very peaceful and intelligent race and eventually grew into an advanced civilization, mastering many (if not all) of the secrets of the Land of the Lost, creating cities and temples among other landmarks. Unfortunately, the Altrusians lost control over their emotions and destroyed their civilization becoming known as the Sleestak.
In their decline, the Sleestak became a degenerate warring race that lost much of their knowledge and culture. Now based on a distrust of strangers and struggle for survival, they have come out of the Era of Intelligence and into the Era of Solitude. The Era of Intelligence was the period in time when the Sleestak first arrived at The Land of the Lost. They built several temples now called Pylons which serve to regulate the life conditions, seasons and meteorological traits of the area. There was a period when there was only darkness before the Sleestak built the Time Pylon, which controls the light and dark cycles of The Land of The Lost.
As the Sleestak moved into The Lost City they entered a more barbarian state as they reverted back to their more primeval conditions. They eventually became ruled by a Sleestak called Sol, who reorganized the Sleestak and taught them how to hunt and kill.
===Culture===
The Sleestak are accomplished in the arts of building, foraging, and hunting, and make and use crossbows and nets to hunt. The crossbows are no larger than the size of their forearm. The nets are made to catch either the Altrusian Pig or the Altrusian Moth which come from the Altrusian Mountains. Also, during the Era of Intelligence, the Sleestak built Pylons and a temple that the Marshalls called The Lost City. They are fearless hunters, intimidated only by Kona, the Beast of the North.
===Habitat===
Due to their sensitivity at light, the Sleestak tend to live underground in the caves and caverns under The Lost City and the Land of the Lost. The thermal energies of the volcanic magma underground tends to control their periods of activity.
===Population===
The Skull of Wisdom once stated that the population of the Sleestak is 7000.
==2009 version==
The Sleestak in the 2009 film were radically changed from the original series. Portrayed as the original free-willed sentient species of the Land of the Lost under the leadership of The Zarn, they were enslaved by the Tachyon-manipulating Enik after he killed the Zarn and forced into a war-like disposition until Enik was sealed within the Central Pylon. The film also portrayed them as possessing razor-sharp teeth, which was impossible to create under the budget restraints of the original series as well as them being immune to sunlight.
==Trivia==
* For budgetary reasons, there were only three Sleestak costumes created for the 1974-1976 series. Therefore, only three Sleestaks were ever seen on screen at any one time, even if a scene's script clearly implied the presence of more than that number. To imply larger numbers of Sleestak, scenes were edited with extra footage inserted to give the impression of larger numbers.
* The Sleestak first appeared in the second episode of the original series, "The Sleestak God".
* The Pakuni word for the Sleestak is "Sarisataka".
* In the 1991 series, Sleestaks are an anthropomorphic trio of dinosaurs who follow their leader, Shung, one of the many antagonists in the show. Shung is an especially evil tyrant, powered by his crystal, which only intensifies his evil and makes him especially corrupt.
* The Sleestaks were created by David Gerrold, who also wrote the Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles".
* Detroit Piston basketball player Bill Lambier played a Sleestak on the children's series.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Laimbeer
Category:Characters
Category:Species
Category:Villains
Category:Land of the Lost (1974-1976)
Category:Land of the Lost (1991)
Category:Land of the Lost (film)