an alien species i'm workshopping for my wider supernatural universe. this is just a rough sketch that i don't feel like cleaning tonight, i just wanted to get the idea out there!

mantacles are a semi aquatic species =and based on human observations, it appears that only "male" mantacles are sentient. ("male" as in what human observers have deemed characteristics of the male sex, mantacles are very fluid in terms of gender expression and identity) they reproduce with egg spawning "pods" that root themselves to flat surfaces like a coral would, and filter feed as their form of nutrition. mantacle larvae are very small and vulnerable to predation when they hatch, so they're often kept in secure vats until fledging, whereas in a primitive setting they would swarm in dark, shadowy corners for safety. the larvae of pods, however, quickly swim to the nearest surface and attach themselves after hatching

mantacles are a highly advanced species originating from a rogue ice planet. the planet has a thin line of open water on one side created by one of their moons' super heated atmosphere radiating onto the planet and melting the ice. it's believed that the mantacles evolved on this planet, but then their planet was ejected from its solar system and now listlessly roams interstellar space. however, the mantacles had enough time to prepare for such a disaster and have completely harnessed their planet's potential, redirecting its path through space and using their moons as space stations to explore other star systems.

they're a very emotional, cultured, and altruistic species - they mean no harm unless provoked and are very curious about human beings, as humans seem to have the same propensity towards critical thinking, compassion, and imagination that they do (albeit not in all cases)

here we see representatives from each subspecies of mantacle! from right to left:
tharza: freshwater mantacle. they're heavily armored with tougher skin, as in a primitive setting, they would spend equal amounts of time hunting on land and in the water. their preferred biomes are inland bodies of water, such as lakes and rivers. they're very quick, and light on their feet, making for excellent ambushers. freshwater mantacles can mimic human languages, but can't pronounce or struggle to pronounce certain words, making their speech sound clipped or raspy. tharza here understands english perfectly fine, but can't read it and struggles to speak it

bentley: reef mantacle. although they look squishy, they're actually quite dense and strong, as they don't have many bones and their bodies are very flexible. while they come in many vibrant colors, including purple/blue/and rarely green, they can also camouflage themselves to their backgrounds to disappear from plain sight. reef mantacles have advanced vocal chords and can easily mimic a wide variety of sounds, including human speech, thus they can communicate with us fluently in any language. bentley actually spawned from his egg in a lab on earth and was subsequently raised by humans, so he speaks many languages and enjoys many facets of human culture

xev: saltwater mantacle. by far the largest subspecies that can max out at 9 ft tall, they spend a lot of time in the deep sea and in trenches, so their bodies are stacked with fat and muscle underneath a tight layer of thick, leathery skin. they are the only known subspecies to have a tail, which they use to assist in swimming through the thick water of the deep ocean. while they outclass humans in strength, their response time is much slower, and they can easily expend enormous amounts of energy, so they spend a lot of time resting or sleeping. their skin is typically gray, black, and rarely white, but when exposed to the darkness glows in bioluminescent patterns. saltwater mantacles do not have advanced enough vocal chords to replicate human speech, as they usually only communicate in clicks, purrs, and low frequency sounds under the water, but can hum and grunt outside of the water, and can easily learn to understand other languages.

questions are okay but i'm not looking for critiques, i'm no expert on science or biology at all and am in no means trying to make this completely accurate, it's just something for myself!

also please don't leave "they look like xyz character" comments, that's very rude and annoying