The Taltos are an ancient species of non-human intelligent primates that originated on a volcanic island in the North Sea, and share some genetic traits with humans. Taltos are somewhat human in appearance, though generally taller with long, thin limbs. Their bones are mostly made of cartilage.
Taltos are born knowing the history of their species, and develop rapidly to adulthood after birth. Female Taltos ovulate on demand, and can give birth to another Taltos fairly quickly after being born themselves. If a Taltos does not consume its mother's milk after birth, it will be stunted in size, and a Taltos will continue to drink from its mother as long as it can, to the detriment of the mother's health.
Taltos are clumsy, naive, and childlike, and are not naturally aggressive. They can be distracted or incapacitated by rhythm and music.
After the island where the Taltos originated was destroyed by a volcano, the Taltos migrated south to the British Isles, where they came into contact with humans, leading the two species to interbreed and to eventually go to war. Ultimately most Taltos were destroyed, leaving the few remaining to scatter and go into hiding. Humans with Taltos genetics, which give them twice the number of DNA as most humans, retained some ability to give birth to a Taltos, especially if both parents carry Taltos genetics.
The lifespan of a Taltos is unknown, but may be several thousand years. Taltos are commonly killed by either their own naivety or by humans long before the end of their lifespans.