Lutri

Physiology
Lutrians are very similar to humans, though with a few noticeable, but mostly internal differences.

They're considerably smaller, 170cm and up already being considered tall for them. Lutrians  are also surprisingly lighter and slimmer than their Terran cousins, as much of their skeletal structure is light and cartilaginous. On average, they will weigh 40 to 60 kilos.

One of the most well-known biological quirks Lutrians possess is their astonishing flexibility: positions that could easily make other humanoids suffer several torsions and dislocations can be easily maintained for many hours by a Lutrian.

Lutrians have precarious eyesight in bright light if compared to most other species: It functions best in low-light environments, conferring eyesight equivalent to that of a human in these conditions. However, when exposed to bright light their sight worsens considerably. It becomes blurred and unclear, and the same adaptations that have help them see in the dark hinder their vision in more well-lit conditions through an exaggerated photosensitivity which causes headaches.

As to external appearance, they're quite Human-like with a few key differences: first being their eyes, with dark sclera and wide, dilated pupils to take in whatever light available. In addition, a monkey-like prehensile tail with coarse, wiry hair is also present. It is able to hold one of them hanging by the tail, though for heavier Lutri, this may not be possible. Depending on how accustomed they are to this position, they will comfortably stay hanging from a few minutes to even hours, some even able to sleep while in this position.

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Sharp canine teeth confer them a more aggressive appearance, coupled with jaws that can open scarily large, can become a fearsome weapon in a pinch.

They also have a tendency to have very pale skin: white, almost vampire-like skin tones aren't that unusual, and some are completely devoid of skin pigment, creating a light grey, colorless complexion. However, human skintones are seen quite often, if in particularly dull and greyish shades.

Lifespan
Lutrians often live 120 to 130 years of age, however a few have surpassed that age.

Medical Conditions
The Lutrian skeleton, while flexible, is very frail, and can fracture under comparatively little stress. Very bright lights also cause discomfort and possibly pain on eyeballs and head.

Pre-warp
The Lutri have been spaceborn for a long, long time, approximately a thousand years ago, to the point contemporary Lutri society cares little for the existence of a homeworld.

The Lutri have evolved on Lutri Prime, the location of which is currently unknown. Their ancestors, burrowing apes, developed warp drive relatively early in their history, and, throughout a few decades, almost completely migrated to live in space.

Up to the invention of said warp drive, Lutri society was heavily tribal and divided between hundreds of groups, which despite not having had many wars per se, they definitely had their fair dose of social conflict among the different tribes and ethnicities. However, due to the need for cooperation between the ships after their departure from the planet, these rifts had to rapidly be crossed for the fleets, and later the one unified fleet to survive. In a way, having to flee brought the Lutri together. With time, the hundreds of tribes merged into dozens, then a handful up to recent days, where only a few cultural distinctions are made between different flocks and burrows. Effectively, the Lutri have developed a single base culture, with each particular group adding their own unique characteristics.

The cause of such a sudden transition to space was only rediscovered recently: As some of the nations were realizing experiments with warp drive and other spaceship technologies, the gravity of Lutri’s moons was altered enough so that both drifted away from each other and their planet at a fast rate. As the effects began to be seen in Lutri's environment, it was necessary to leave it for the stars and set out on a search with an unclear objective. Find another planet? Another species? Simply settle inside their ships? Centuries later, the idea of an ancient homeworld became less important, less known.

In the early years after the flight, the Lutri were homesick, missing their ruined planet. However as more and more generations were born knowing only the ships, the idea of a world of origin became less and less important. Eventually, they contended themselves with building their community inside their crafts.

As far as the Lutri of today are concerned, they've always been spacefaring, and they might as well have been, with how focused on their ships Lutrian culture is.

First Contact
First contact with other species happened with the Ferengi, with which they maintained limited commerce with what the Lutri could provide from their ships, most often as errand-runners. At that point, currency had basically vanished from Lutrian society, trade being the main method of exchange. As a result, the first encounters were confusing and awkward, but never became hostile. Interaction with the Ferengi eventually introduced them to other species of the galaxy, quickly inserting the Lutrian Fleet into intergalactic politics, although in a very minor, bystander-like posture. Together with meeting the Ferengi, came the Federation. Although they are not a member species, the Lutri are friendly to the Federation, drifting through their territories without much conflict. As for the Ferengi, many flocks and occasionally stray burrows still work for them.

Warp
It is unknown when warp drive was invented by the Lutri, though compared to other powers it is quite underdeveloped, as other aspects of the ships were considered more important to develop such as living space, hull materials and storage.

Post-Ferengi, they have managed to somewhat maintain their relatively insular society, not out of xenophobia, but out of the simple fact that their ever-traveling lifestyles don't lead them to many homeworlds, most of their contact being with other crafts such as freighters as well as Starfleet ships. Not keeping many stocked goods, most often the flocks trade in services, running errands and providing services (often as mechanics, engineers and sometimes entertainers) to their employers as they drift from planet to planet, station to station and occasionally staying for a few months to a year.

The Lutri have, yes, been around during a few wars since their contact with the rest of galactic society. However, their influence has been limited to small-scale warfare with whatever weapons they could improvise. During the Dominion war, specifically, the Fleet went down by almost half of a flock, as many burrows lost enough members for it to be more worthwhile to relocate the survivors to other ships. This would have meant about a thousand Lutri had died during this period, which if accounting for the small population of a few hundred thousand, was a large chunk of fatalities. Similar casualties have occurred during other conflicts, but those of the Dominion war were the highest. Overall, they were just another species caught in the crossfire across the wars, taking no part in either side but suffering anyways.

Beliefs
Lutri religion mostly revolves around the ships: it is believed to have its own soul and spirit, being what nurtures and sustains their lives. Those who work in maintaining these crafts, such as engineers, are seen as a rough equivalent to the priests and holy men of other cultures, though not occupying any higher status in society. Lutrians are reluctant to let other species work with and alter the ships, though they're always happy to have some company inside them. However, respectful behavior towards their homes is certainly expected.

Family
To Lutrians, the entire group of residents of their home ship is what they consider family, even if not all of them (or even most) are actually related. All burrow members take care of all children, though these are often quite more free-range than their counterparts of other species, as they are free to roam about the tunnels and rooms, playing as they please.

Society
Lutrians are a very social species, both within and outside of their kind. Always drifting and traveling between planets and stations, Lutri are used to occasionally interacting with all sorts of different species, even if their day to day interactions are among their own kind.

Behavior
One notable thing about Lutrians is their love of tight spaces: they'd rather sleep inside a cramped cabinet than in a luxurious bed. (though they'd preferably take some blankets from the bed to make themselves a nice nest) They also often take advantage of their nimble and flexible joints, getting into positions no one else can get to fit inside small places and take shortcuts, often unnerving others who aren't used to the strange angles Lutri joints can bend.

In larger starships, Lutrians often prefer using Jefferies or maintenance tubes, the corridors being too wide for their tastes. Of course, that doesn't mean they're claustrophobic (at least in general) but that their preferable method of transport is what reminds them most of home.

Of course, not only do they enjoy tight corners, tight hugs are definitely welcome too: They are very tactile, with physical greeting such as rubbing or kissing  cheeks being the norm. This might, however, surprise members of species who'd rather stay farther away.

Lutrians do also have a few behaviors and instincts that may seem feral to other species, such as tucking tails between their legs in submission, or baring fangs when angered.

Rituals
To Lutri, as the ship is, in a way, considered sacred, the maintenance, building and decoration of one is an important ritual. Every craft, no matter how small, has its own personal name: After all, it has a soul, and souls deserve names. Said name is clearly etched onto the outside of the ship, in a metal plaque that, even if all the other pieces are removed, will still be the same for as long as possible: Once the plaque has to be removed, it needs a new name too.

Recreational
Being heavily social beings, Lutris unwind almost always in groups: simple, perhaps even childish games are most common, such as simple games of tag or hide and seek. Often, each burrow has their own unique twists on these games, such as a specific spot one can stay to avoid getting caught, or the addition of objects such as balls in order to make the play more entertaining. Less frequently, entirely new games are invented.

Language
Lutrian is almost completely restricted to its native speakers and rarely ever learned by outsiders: after all, the Lutri  aren't very relevant in the interstellar scene. Besides, it's not very simple: if one were to directly translate only a speaker's words, it would sound horribly monotone and blank, or even have information missing altogether. This is because, alongside verbal speech, Lutri also often use gesture and sign simultaneously, not as a substitution but as another aspect of conversation in order to convey mainly emotional cues. For this reason, they have a reputation as a people who “speak with their hands”, similar to the stereotype of Italian on Earth.

Other than these two aspects of daily speech, Lutrians also often use a knock-based code: This is used to communicate between people inside the ship outside of earshot (or eyeshot) from each other through this morse-like system, as comm systems are expensive and, in most Lutri’s opinions, pointless. When used, it appears to simply be a series of erratic, rapid knocks on the metal walls with the knuckles or fingertips, but these are as meaningful to a Lutri as Morse is to one who knows it by heart.

Other
Lutri are named as follows: their given name, then the name of their flock and burrow, separated by an apostrophe. As there is a separation between the two “surnames”, Lutri have a tendency to do the same split in names of other species, for example, famed Captain James Kirk would be likely called “James Ki’Rk”, with a clear division in the middle even in speech. Considering the accent, it would be warped even further into something sounding more like “Yamee Ki’Rukee”, depending on the Lutri's fluency level and accent in Standard.

Ships
Lutri ships have little planning behind their structures: They could even be perhaps called chaotic. The outside, a patchwork of many kinds of materials, is often etched with decorations and writing particular to its denizens: art, names of the dwellers, perhaps even quotes. The one part that's almost universal no matter the burrow is the nameplate, always the very same metal board for as long as the ship has kept its name.

Inside, they are just as haphazard: Many smaller access tunnels and crawlspaces connect the different areas, designed to take advantage of natural Lutrian flexibility and take up as little space, and therefore material and fuel as possible. The ceilings of the rooms are usually low, often being barely two meters tall. Meanwhile, the tubes are much smaller, barely a few dozen centimeters in diameter, both of which may cause issues with larger species trying to get around in a Lutrian burrow.

Bedrooms, or “nests”, are shared, with many small, shelf-like cushioned indents on the wall serving as beds, occasionally also a few hammocks hanging  and cushions on the floor.

Stations
The few Lutri stations are as simple and chaotic as the ships they serve, usually serving as meeting points for the flocks.

Weapons
The Lutri aren't particularly interested in weapons, though they are definitely very interested in defending their flocks and burrows: This has led them to becoming creative with resources, often creating simple weapons from apparently harmless equipment that has been repurposed.

Unique Technology
Always inventive, Lutri can create surprisingly sophisticated devices out of simpler tech, though it is often less effective and often more precarious than the more streamlined originals, though they are definitely easier and cheaper to make in a pinch.

Overview
It has been forgotten where Lutri Prime was located, or if it even still exists. However, there are some theories as to how it was in its habitable past based on the biology of its inhabitants: Their nocturnal, easily blinded eyes but a diurnal nature suggest luminosity is naturally low, and an M-Class environment can be inferred by their biological requirements. Since the disaster that led to the migration of its natives, the planet has likely degraded to a lower habitation class. The search for this lost planet (and its wandering moons) is still ongoing, though the most interested is the scientific community, rather than Lutri Prime's natives themselves.

Ecosystem
Other than possessing a standard M-Class environment, almost nothing is known about how Lutri Prime’s ecosystem was. Currently, Lutri Prime has almost certainly become uninhabitable due to the drifting of its moons.

Government
Instead of cities, Lutri have flocks. Instead of neighborhoods, they have burrows. The Lutrian species is divided among currently twenty-four flocks, a group of ships, each of which contains twenty to thirty crafts, called burrows. A flock flies together in a cluster, but may drift away for short periods if needed. The burrow is their family, regardless of if they're actually blood related, and burrow holds a few dozen residents. Their “government”, perhaps being far too simple to be considered one, is easy to grasp: direct democracy and debate between all adult dwellers, who occasionally elect a burrow representative which then decides, with the spokespeople of the other burrows of their flock, once again a representative, this time for their flock. Finally, this flock representative is part of a council of the entire Lutri Fleet, who make the most important decisions, akin to a parliament.

Every one of these elections happens roughly every four years, or if necessity demands it, in shorter intervals.

Space Infrastructure
Other than the home ships, there are many Lutri-built space stations and docks, sometimes meeting ground for two or more (or in rare cases, all twenty-four of them) to trade, make commerce or simply mingle. As they are not built with other species in mind, these often suffer the same locomotion issues as with their ships.

Ground Infrastructure
The ground infrastructure the Lutri have are mostly hangars and scrapyards in colony planets of other species, being stopping points for ships needing supplies and repair.

Important Landmarks
In a way, every burrow is a landmark in and of itself, being crafted and optimized to their specific denizens: They can be so different they seem to belong to different species, in fact.