Rakaans can shoot webs to trap prey. The webs are created in a small sac on top of the abdomen, and are propelled out of the top side of the abdomen segment. Normal webs can last for about two hours. Rakaans who chew on the nargok root native to their world can mix its juices with their saliva to produce a preservative adhesive that can last for many weeks without losing strength. This adhesive is used to cocoon victims for later feeding. A pair of glands inside a Rakaan's mouth produce an acidic substance that dissolves the webs.

Rakaans have five life phases, which also correspond to unique sexes - child, neuter, female, male, andro. Each Rakaan normally experiences at least three phases during its lifetime. There is no steady cycle of the life phases: on average, a Rakaan is in child phase for the first 30 years of its life, but it may stay in this phase for as few as five or as many as 60 years. Likewise, the retention of the other sexes is highly variable. A rakaan might retain a sex for as little as three months or for as long as 80 years. A Rakaan in Transition - as the biological change from one sex to another is called - is very violent and ravenously hungry.