THE DALPH Planet: Dalphoid

The Dalph are a semi-amphibious race. It is believed that on their homeworld they descended from whales and porpoises or their planets ecological equivalent.

They are not a part of the Federation, but for the past sixty years (since the two met) they've lived quietly. They avoid dealing with land-dwellers. Their is a portion of Federation Space that overlaps Dalphoid Consortium Space but the colony needs are such that this isn't a problem and their has been a policy of free passage. You may have heard of the colony world of Ishmael IV, where there is a Federation Colony on land and a Dalphoid Colony beneath the water.

The Dalph are physically larger than humans, about two meters (6'6") tall for the females, 6.2 meters (7'2") tall for the males. Despite being mammals they are mostly hairless. Their skin is usually grey, with some individuals being somewhat bluish, others being almost black. Their neck and shoulders appear to run together. Their large circular eyes being proportionatly larger than humanoid eyes. While their is a hint of a snout on the face, their "nose" is actually a large (2-2.5 cm) nostril on the back of their head. Their arms are long. Their legs are short and kind of stubby. Their fingers and toes are webbed. Each has a tail with a fluke on the end. They are mammals. They nurse their young, and breathe air. They also spend the majority of their lives in the water. They frequently only come to the surface just enough to allow their nostril to leave the water, at which point they breathe. The average Dalph can hold its breath for twelve minutes. Stronger Dalph can achieve longer dives.