The sinuous, short-haired yaras are not native to Makeb. When a transport ship carrying the first settlers crash-landed three hundred years ago, a breeding pair of pedigree yaras in the cargo hold managed to escape and quickly adapted to Makeb's wilderness.
Yaras are highly adept swimmers, either hunting fish or lurking underwater to ambush their prey. Recent changes in Makeb's climate have driven them onto land, where they have found sentients to be a perfectly acceptable meal. There is some talk of domesticating the yaras, but centuries of running wild have made them a dangerous prospect as pets.