In the source material they look pretty much just like Men. The most consistent difference seems to be their height (they’re taller than Men) and the fact that their bodies don’t really age at the same rate. There’s never any mention of them having pointy ears, or any other obvious physical characteristic.
I think there are several places across the Silmarillion and other books where it’s mentioned that some Men are mistaken for Elves. If I recall correctly, this happened with Túrin, who was given the name Adanedhel (“Man-Elf”), which he got because he was so alike to them.
The Wizards are given the appearance of old men, but the Men think that they’re elves. Gandalf’s name comes from the Old Norse for “wand/staff elf”. In-universe, in the north he was known as “The Elf of the Wand”, because Men mistook him for an Elf.
Also, I’m not sure that calling them a “different species” is accurate. They certainly can produce offspring with Men just fine.
I think there are several places across the Silmarillion and other books where it’s mentioned that some Men are mistaken for Elves. If I recall correctly, this happened with Túrin, who was given the name Adanedhel (“Man-Elf”), which he got because he was so alike to them.
The Wizards are given the appearance of old men, but the Men think that they’re elves. Gandalf’s name comes from the Old Norse for “wand/staff elf”. In-universe, in the north he was known as “The Elf of the Wand”, because Men mistook him for an Elf.
Also, I’m not sure that calling them a “different species” is accurate. They certainly can produce offspring with Men just fine.