Sometime ago, I was doing some random sketches and I was hit with an idea that would work for an alien race design, and this was what I developed.

This is a race known as the Niikolai:

The Niikolai are a race from a planet that has suffered from major pollution, causing the environment to become highly acidic, so the race has evolved to survive in this new environment.

The fur on their body is short and sleek, running in only one direction, it is resistant to acid ran and the fur acts like a raincoat so the acidic water runs right off of them.
Their fur is very drab, usually being brown, dark gray, or a drab blue or green.

Their hair is very curious, they are small hollow tubes that are coated in black rubber, and they act like fiber optics, a strange chemical reaction withing their body causes light to emit from the hair, making them to glow, in the hazy atmosphere this creates a 'halo' look.

All Niikolai have the ability to absorb and charge particles in the air to create electricity, much like the natural process that forms lightning.
They have a metal spike at the ends of their tails that the sink into the ground, this grounds them out from excess electrical charges.

Niikolai have long arms, and each hand has two fingers and two thumbs, adding in better gripping, and they have very strong upper body strength.
Their feet have two twos and a rubbery webbing between, this helps act as both a 'rain boot' from the acid rain as well as a snowshoe for better surface traction.

Their feet and paws have rubbery palms and soles, serving multiple purposes, adding traction when they grab something and providing protection from electricity and acid.

All Niikolai are sterile, they do not posses any reproductive organs, the only way they are able to reproduce was in through a genetic process much like cloning, however this process has been lost, making the Niikolai an 'endangered species'.

Because of the high acidity in their home world, Niikolai do not normally wear clothing, but they do wear something when engaging with other species, but they are usually metal or rubber, materials that can withstand the acidic environment, and it's usually worn as loin clothes or shorts, with some variations on their legs and arms, but never on their tails. Things such as cloth and leather are considered a luxury.

I've had a lot of fun coming up with these guys, working out how they live and why. Because of their ability to create electrical charges, I named them after Nikola Tesla.
I'm glad to finally get this image colored, giving an idea of how they look. It's simple, but I like it.


Photoshop 7.

Niikolai and artwork are mine.