Waterbe

The Waterbe are a species of reptilian aliens originally from the planet Unistarch in the Shraak System. The two greatest Waterbien civilizations are the Impatinum Waterbe and the Millibus Waterbe - for most cases, the Impatinum is considered the de facto representative of the Waterbe species.

Biology
The Waterbe are reptilian in appearance and nature. They weigh around 80 kg and being around 150 cm long. They are bipedal and have two manipulatory appendages. Located on the head is a fin and on the back is a sail. Located on the back of the body, just in front of the tail, are two symmetrical spikes.

Evolution
The evolution of the Waterbe began with basic prokaryotic cells, lacking a nucleus or any sort of organelles. Around 2 billion years ago, through endosymbiosis, the ancestors of the Waterbe began developing distinct organelles.

At some point between then and 510 million years ago, Waterbien ancestors became multicellular, but only existing as simple colonies of cells rather than any sort of complex organism. However, 510 million years ago, more complex life began emerging, in worm-like forms.

Over the subsequent hundred million years, these worm-like ancestors developed jaws and jets, then later fins, for efficient aquatic movement. By 300 million years ago, the fins had lengthened and strengthened into limbs, for land-based movement.

Early proto-Waterbe were highly aggressive and territorial. Any Waterbe that went near their territory, except to mate, were quickly dispatched. Social relationships seldom lasted longer than it took for the eggs to be laid, at which point one of the parents would kill the other and transform into an infertile omale.

One factor in the Waterbien psyche that allowed for the proliferation of their species, however, was the instinct that stopped parents from killing and eating children. This instinct was reciprocal, with children obeying the omale parent and hunting and learning from them, and the omale parent protecting them in turn.

When the children reached adulthood, they would lose these feelings of non-aggression, and be sent out into the wild to live as the lone hunters that adult Waterbe do. Once the children have left, the adult becomes fertile once more, and can breed again.

Conditions started changing to make the solitary lifestype of the Waterbe less viable. Some Waterbe, with the juvenile mutation of retaining the child-obediance-instinct into adulthood, were well-equipped for this change, the Waterbe hunting in parent-child packs out-competing the solitary Waterbe.

As technology developed, these families of children attached to an adult grew, becoming bands of tens, tribes of hundreds, cities of thousands, and nations of millions. Each of these fragmented almost explosively upon the death of the omale head of family, as thousands of untied Waterbe found themselves free of the urge to obey, before recombining into different social units that were almost inevitably hostile to each other.

Psychology
Waterbien emotions typically manifest as a strong desire to do a specific action.