Aqualish (Jedi Renaissance)

"Despite their species' belligerent manner, Aqualish Jedi Knights tend towards silent reflection and pacifism."

- Jedi Knight Horen Hote, writing about Aqualish in the Jedi Order.

Aqualish were a race of amphibians from the swamp world of Ando in the of the galaxy. Notable for their arachnid-like facial construction and pinniped-like bodies, Aqualish were also reputed to be very aggressive and socially belligerent. Joining the the Galactic Republic during the Kymoodon Period, the Aqualish had a long-standing relationship with both the Jedi Order and the Sith Empire.

Biology and appearance
A race of amphibians, Aqualish were a sentient species that shared a common ancestor with the Harch species. Aqualish were bipedal beings with a bilateral symmetry, having a front and a back end, as well as an upside and downside. Their body comprised a head, neck, torso, and four limbs. The upper limbs, called arms, ended in fins not suitable for fine manipulation. Finally, they had one head perched atop a torso, with a face of sensory organs. Two bulbous black eyes were situated above their two massive tusks that curled down over their mouths, which were small and contained a short tongue and olfactory pads. Unlike most amphibian species they had dense body hair, excluding their bald cranium. Aqualish were cold-blooded animals, meaning they maintained a body temperature dependent on the environment for energy. Aqualish were molluscivorous, subsisting on shellfish and small fish. Aqualish had two sexes: male and female, with the latter being distinguished by their overall smaller stature and lack of facial hair. Members of the Aqualish species could not interbreed naturally with any other species. Despite overall physiological uniformity, Aqualish varied greatly in appearance, and no two looked exactly alike. One of the diversity factors was height. Aqualish averaged 1.8 meters in height, although males were usually taller and heavier than females.

Aqualish were sexually-reproduced animals, requiring the mating of an opposite sex couple to produce offspring. Spawning a clutch of eggs deep in the swamps, the Aqualish produced three eggs at a time. Taking several months to hatch, Aqualish infants emerged as tadpoles four feet long. Growing arms and legs in their eighth year, Aqualish children first developed tusks after they lost their thin, infant teeth used for shredding fish. The period during which a young Aqualish developed from a child into an adult was known as adolescence. According to the Code of War, the legal transition from childhood to adulthood was only attained after seventeen standard years of life, when all Aqualish were required to fight their way out of the ceremonial tent past a mob of their peers. Aqualish had an average lifespan of 70 standard years. Those who were keenly attuned to the Force could live up to 200. At any rate, individuals past the age of 80 were considered to have reached an age worthy of veneration. Natural signs of aging in Aqualish included the whitening or fall of the hair, the dulling of their teeth, appearance of deep lines, wrinkles and dark blemishes on the skin. Old Aqualish would experience a decline in many cognitive processes, frequently losing track of time, misidentifying people or places and, in extreme cases, momentarily forgetting about their own identity or state.