Selkie

The Selkies were an amphibious/aquatic humanoid species native to the planet Pacifica, and thus sometimes called Pacificans.

Physiology
Selkies spend the early part of their lives (thirty-five years on average) as amphibians, able to breath air through a lung, or in water through a pair of gill crests on top of their heads. At some point in childhood, young Selkies begin to develop spiny fins. This is also their fertile period, when they bear and raise children.

At the end of this amphibious stage, the lung atrophies and becomes a simple air sac, incapable of sustaining the body's needed oxygen levels. At this time, the Selkie becomes fully aquatic, living underwater and able only to visit the surface for brief periods without the aid of a hydration suit or other breathing apparatus. At this same time, the individual Selkie will lose much of its body fat, and the female's four breasts will become flattened, proving greater ease in swimming.

Culture
Selkies are polygamous, taking numerous sexual partners to conceive children with. The mother raises all her children, while the male will remain part of the family unit for only a limited period before moving on. In their fertile years, Selkie are expected only to mate for reproductive purposes, and recreational sex is frowned upon. Because of this cultural taboo, some amphibious Selkie seek out sexual partners in the off-world enclaves of Pacifica, with partners who are unaware of these social strictures.

Appearances

 * novels: Star Trek: Destiny trilogy
 * novels: Star Trek: Destiny trilogy
 * novels: Star Trek: Destiny trilogy
 * novels: Star Trek: Destiny trilogy
 * novels: Star Trek: Destiny trilogy