Noki

The Nokis are a race of short creatures with shells, first seen in Super Mario Sunshine. They, along with Piantas, inhabit Isle Delfino. They thrive primarily in Noki Bay, but can be found in other places on the island as well. Many of the Nokis living in Noki Bay rarely rise to the surface of the bay, but rather reside in a large underwater area located directly beneath the bay's large waterfall. They are some of 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 in Pinna Park wear clam like shells instead of hermit shells. In Episode 8 of Noki Bay, the player must enter the expansive underwater area found beneath the large waterfall, where they can see many Nokis floating on jellyfish. This implies that Nokis are capable of surviving in underwater habitats, with little or no air available.

Unlike Piantas, Nokis appear to be more trusting of Mario and more aware that he's not the real criminal. In Noki Bay, the Noki Elder often aides Mario by instructing him on how best to go about his tasks. He also helps Mario by training him to use a deep sea helmet so that he can fight Eely-Mouth in Noki Bay, and later reap the rewards of the Red Coin Fish.

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 Super Mario Strikers, Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo GameCube, Mario Strikers Charged 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.
 * In Mario Super Sluggers, it's interesting to point out that while the Piantas share good chemistry with the Toads and Toadsworth, the Nokis have good chemistry with Toadette, whose chemistry is neutral with the Piantas. In a similar manner, the Toads and Toadsworth have neutral chemistry with the Nokis.