Name:
Undine

Home Planet:
Nifiris, the Aqua moon

Environment:
The warm waters of the Southern trench, ecompassed with fields of bright green kelp and teeming with aquatic life.

Physical Appearance:
The Undine are a race of sub-aquatic humanoids that resemble the mermaids and sirens of Old Earth legend. Their torsos and heads appear very human, though their are exceptions between the different subspecies, while their lower halfs are those of fish. There are only slight differences among the sexes as the females lack mammary glads, primarily in that femals have shorter "Hair" like apendages than the males due to having thicker skin. Among the most notible are the Striped Tigris Tribe and the Great Carchado Clan. The Tigris Tribe are noted to look quite similar to the Tiger Sharks of Earth, while the Cannibalistic Carchado Clan appear closer to the Great Whites.

Common Traits:
The most common traits of the undine would be the slightly retractable claws at the tips of their fingers, Elongated Jaw (made up of crystalized cartilige), and large caudal (tail) fins. Undine also continue to replace lost teeth until they die.

Lifespan:
Undine naturally have rather long lifespans, some elders reaching up to 60 cycles (120 years) old. However due to the savage nature of their nomadic lives, few reach half that age. Due to this, the average life expectancy is about 15-20 cycles.

Mating/Courtship Rituals:
These practices often include shows of strength and possibly dancing from the males. They may also bring gifts such as brightly colored shells and pearls or go to great lengths to emphasize ideal traits. All Undine tend to practice biting as a way to get the attention of the female. Females tend to have bite marks across their bodies and shoulders after mating, though these bites are not as ferocious as feeding bites. Once the male has gotten the attention of the female, the female may practice rejection behavior. Tigris, in particular, have been observed refusing, avoiding, and blocking males they are not interested in. If a female does decide a male is an adequate mating partner, they will flare and cup their pelvic fins. Some species of Undine like the petite Jeral and Carchado will choose more than one mate.

Reproduction:
Due to the shortend life expectency, Undine reach sexual maturity at a younger age, at only 4 cycles (8 years). The females carry the young, very similar to humans with the only difference being the two year long gestation period. At the end of which the give birth to between 2 and 5 children, called pups. Due to the lack of mammary glands, the mothers do not produce milk so the young are born already able to handle solid food. The pups are often raised by the more protective males, rather than the aggressive females, this has led to pups having a much closer connection to their male family members than their female ones.

Diet:
Undine are omnivores, though the many sharp, serrated teeth they have leads others to believe otherwise. With approximately 48 teeth at any given time, only 8 of the back molars are flat enough for mashing up vegetation. Due to this, they do consume far more meat than most omnivores, some clans even going as far as to eat other Undine

Special Traits:
All Undine contain special sensory organs that allow for the transmission and reception of electrical signals. While most can only sense bioelectrical signals there are individuals whom can also read mechanical emissions. Undine also have enhanced scent receptors called nares, instead of nostrils they have 4 slightly slanted, verticle slits on their snout. These receptors are so strong that they allow undine to not only recognize individuals by scent up to 30 meters away, they can also identify the emotions of others. Some individual have mastered this, while others only understand some of the more simple emotions. Their hearing is also quite adept, though not to the same level as their olfactory sense.

Social Structure:
The Undine are nomadic by nature, so their social norms are quite different for the more 'Civilized' races. They hold tightknit groups, primarily comprised of females with a few males in the Tribes or Clans. The matriarchs of the groups, are usually the strongest females are are often called Chetar (Ket-Tar). These groups are often very tactile, with members openly embracing or rough housing regardless of sex.

Language:
With their atrophied vocal cords, Undine do not have a verbal language but instead they speak in a series of subvocal growls, trills, and chirps as well as electrical impulses among their kind. Their written language is one that very few ouside the race understand do to its rolling, and recursive nature. It has been compared to Ancient Earth runes but it is hard to tell with the lack of tense and plurals often confounding the few who bother to research it.

Religion:
While there is no set religion or faith followed by the Undine, they do believe in the transfer of energy. Some families even perform funeral rights for not only their loved ones, but the creatures that they hunt and kill. Often giving thanks for the meat, and tools that they provide and celebrating the accomplishments of their fallen kin.

Traditions:
These differ from tribe to tribe and clan to clan. The Tigris tribe have had the tradition of stringing their teeth along braided chains of their mother's 'hair' to mark their passage in their lives. These chains are maintained by their father's, whom supply the first tooth, quite a bit larger than the tooth of the child that marks their first cycle in the cosmos. When one becomes a parent, a tooth from each of their pups is added to their chain. This chain is supposed to simbolize that no matter where life takes you, that your family will always be with you.