Noki

The Noki are Sea People a race of short creatures with shells, first seen in Super Mario Sunshine. They, along with the Pianta, inhabit Isle Delfino. They live primarily at Noki Bay. Most of the Nokis rarely go to the rocky surface of the bay, instead inhabiting their city in the waterfall.

The profile for Noki in Mario Superstar Baseball reveals that they evolved from shellfish. The player will notice that most of the Nokis at Pinna Park wear clam like shells instead of hermit shells. In Episode 8 of Noki Bay, the Red Coin Fish (who is made mostly out of coins), the player see Nokis Floating on jellyfish. This implies that Nokis are capable of surviving in underwater habitats.

Unlike the Piantas, they seem to be more trusting of Mario and more aware that he's not the real criminal. In Noki Bay, a Noki Elder aides Mario by instructing him how to go about his tasks. He also helps Mario by training him to use a deep sea helmet so he can go fight Eely Mouth in Noki Bay.

Appearances
Piantas have made more appearances than Nokis. Nokis made a small appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! in Peach Beach and in ending ceremonies. They have appeared in the audience of Super Mario Strikers, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Strikers Charged and Mario Tennis: Power Tour. They are playable in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers the playable Nokis in these games were all Females. The player could also change the color of the Nokis.

In-Game description
''Nokis wear vibrant seashells reminiscent of their time living in the coral reefs. They’re timid but highly intellectual.''

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Sticker
A sticker of a Noki can be obtained in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In the Subspace Emissary, the Noki sticker increases the power of leg attacks by twelve. The word "Noki" translates to "shell" in English, which is what a Noki wears.

Trivia

 * In Pinna Park the Noki playing the Conch Shell plays the first six notes of the Mario Series Theme Song.
 * In Mario Super Sluggers, characters mistakenly use male pronouns for the playable female Nokis.