A strange little pet that is largely stomach, brain, and tail, they have circular mouths on the ventral side of their body with razor sharp teeth for latching onto and cutting through skull, a long straw-like tongue, as well as a supple tail with a whip-like end, both of which are extensions of their central nervous system. They insert this tail into their host's to hijack the body of their prey, while their tongue proboscis receives information from their host's brain. The host will live, conscious, as long as the headhugger doesn't eat vital parts of their brain. Their limbs are tipped with a sharp, hard substance, which they use to grapple onto the head of their prey, and are notoriously difficult to be removed as a result. The only time they release from their host willingly is to find a new host, if they're getting hungry.

Often preying on jituq, headhuggers are often seen attached to their heads and hopping around in control of its body. Due to their need for symbiosis, they are often considered more dangerous to have as a pet, as they see little difference between jituq and any other species. Everything is potential prey. This, combined with an intelligent nature, makes them a highly valued, but highly feared pet. Even those headhuggers who are most loyal to their owners will sometimes turn on them. As long at their owner gives them a steady supply of hosts, and doesn't let the headhugger get hungry, they can be relatively tame. Telepathic, but usually not talkative. They often try using their host for communication.