Species 8472
  
Overview
 
Classification Semi-humanoid
Type Tripedal lifeform
 
Affiliation Neutral
Home planet Unknown; in the fluidic space outside our universe
First contact 2373; stardate 50982.9
 
Physiology
 
Classification -
 
Body size Height app. 2 m
Body color brownish-grey to lilac
Body structure Outwardly symmetrical, visible subdivision into head - trunk - legs
   Head Conic basic shape with pronounced, domed forehead with two rows of peculiar depressions; a very small face containing the two small eyes and the mouth; two characteristic deepenings at both sides of the head are probably outer ears
   Trunk Elongated region with typical shoulder belt, pronounced, sticking out chest armor, flat belly and very broad hip; the head is attached to the upper part with a long, wiry neck
   Extremities Two long arms with two joints and one hand each, connected with the shoulder belt at both sides of the trunk; the hands, attached to the wrists, are pointing down and have four long fingers each
Three legs with three joints and hoof-like feet, connected to the pelvic girdle that is much bigger than the human one
Body systems
  Nervous system Structure unknown; facilitates consciousness and high intelligence
  Circulatory system Blood circulation with lilac blood celles; motor unknown
  Respiratory system Structure unknown; apparently does not need oxygen, since Species 8472 is able to survive in the vacuum of outer space
  Sense organs Telepathic centre used for the communication with other members of Species 8472 or other telepathic life-forms
Sense of sight created by two distant slant eyes with yellowish-green iris and black, cross-shaped pupillae
The two outer ears on both sides of the head and the thin mouth in the middle of the face supposedly facilitate verbal communication
  Nutrition and
  digestion		 Unknown
  Reproduction Unknown; altogether, there five different sexes
Further characteristics Species 8472 has the most densely-coded known DNA, which is over a hundred times more complex than the human one.
An emitted, very strong bio-electric field makes scanning of Species 8472 impossible
Extremely resistant skin which regenerates in case of injury and even stands up to the vacuum of outer space
An extraordinary immune response destroys every biological, technological or chemical matter that penetrates  the cell membrane
 

Species8472b.jpg (42959 Byte)
 
Description

 

At first glance, the species with the Borg designation 8472, that hasn't been discovered until the late 24th century and then only in the Delta Quadrant, has a very alien, non-humanoid physiology, but at least the body division and structure appears to be humanoid: like all human species, the life-form shows the typical subdivision into head, trunk and legs and also has the according bone belts, which connect the upper and lower extremities - arms and legs - with the trunk. They also have the usual pairs of sense organs - eyes and ears - as well as the typical single mouth and nose.
Nonetheless, Species 8472 is only classified as semi-humanoid, since the single body parts, systems and organs deviates in shape, structure and function and in the end, the physical and psychological abilities of Species 8472 exceed the ones of known life-forms by many times. Even the powerful Borg weren't able to defeat the resistant life-form unaided. Therefore, they are regarded as the current head of the biological evolution.

A reason for the deviating physiology, that is different from all other humanoid life-forms, might be the distant origin of Species 8472: she is indigenious to a outer-dimensional sphere not belonging to our universe, that is filled with a viscous, yellowish-green liquid and therefore called "fluidic space". Species 8472 lives there as the only life-form and has undisturbedly built up a complex society, which specifically profits from the biological superiority of Species 8472. For instance, the entire high technology, even starships, are biogenetically engineered from the unique genotype of Species 8472. The DNA is more densely-coded than the one of any other known life-form. The extraordinary resistance of Species 8472 is facilitated by a specific immune response of the cells that stop every penetration of the cell membrane immediately. In this way, the life-form is even protected from the assimilation technique of the Borg, since the nanoprobes invading the blood circulation are eliminated at once.
Species 8472 does not only use this special defence reaction for the protection of the own organism, but also for the attack on other life-forms: members of this species are able to inject quickly a humanoid organism with  their characteristic, lilac blood celles, establishing their own DNA in the cells. Consequently, an infected humanoid is quasi eaten alive from inside and transformed into a living being similiar to Species 8472.
Because of the pronounced muscles and body armors, the extremely long arms and legs and the impressive size for an erect life-form, Species 8472 has great power. Moreover, the species shows an amazing flexibility and agility due to quick reflexes and short response times, while the tripedal locomotion facilitates a gracious, gazelle-like gait despite their size and mass. Together with a number of unique body function like the aggressive immune response, the resistant, leather-like skin and the anaerobic respiration, Species 8472 achieves a great adaptability to all environments and can even survive in the vacuum of outer space.
Despite its animal appearance, Species 8472 is sentient and highly intelligent. Although the life-form seems to be capable of - albeit primitive - verbal communication because of the existence of according sense organs, Species 8472 has a sophisticated telephatic center as main sense organ that is also used for the communication with other telephatic species like the Vulcans and Ocampas, stimulating their neocortex. At least for Ocampa this hyperstimulation, also causing a abnormal increase of the serotonin levels, can be disastrous, because it can favor a premature transition to a bodiless form of existence. Presently, many details of the physiology and particularly the inner structure of Species 8472 are unknown, especially as contact has been made to this species, that is not indigenious to our universe, only three times by a single vessel in the distant Delta Quadrant. However, one supposition about the motives and goals of the life-form has proven wrong: Species 8472 might look and behave like a wild animal and not like a sentient life-form and shows a certain slyness, but nevertheless it is interested in a peaceful co-existence and the avoidance of violence and agression - like most other humanoid species.