Noki

The Nokis are a race of short creatures with shells, first seen in Super Mario Sunshine. They, along with the Pianta, inhabit Isle Delfino. They thrive primarily at Noki Bay. Most of the Nokis rarely go to the rocky surface of the bay, instead inhabiting their city in the waterfall. They are some of the the most relaxed and intelligent characters in the Mario series.

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 player sees 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.

History
Nokis made a small appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! in Peach Beach and in ending ceremonies. They have appeared in the audience of Mario Smash Football, Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo GameCube, Mario Strikers Charged Football and Mario Power Tennis for the Game Boy Advance. 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.

Super Mario Sunshine description
''Nokis wear vibrant seashells reminiscent of their time living in the coral reefs. They are 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.

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.
 * The word "Noki" translates to "shell" in English, which is what a Noki wears.