What are your favorite alien species

[DSPE]

Yaetoans are interesting too.

Intelligent Plant Aliens seem to be relatively unexplored in sci-fi. And what of intelligent bacteria hiveminds?

[ProxCenBound]

My favorite is the birrin by Alex Ries (also mentioned earlier by Steve), and their world. Ries has great talent for designing creatures that look both very alien and biologically and evolutionarily plausible, and to design their culture, and the art skills to beautifully illustrate all of the above. I'm looking forward to when he releases his book about them, apparently to be titled Two Sky River.

Prior to that, there's also Other Worlds: The Art of Alex Ries coming out soon, a good chunk of which is about the birrin.

I'm also looking forward to the Planet Furaha book, which is apparently coming out soon, although none of the alien organisms in that one are sophont as far as I know.

[Nyeti]

I'm a birrin fan too. They're certainly alien, but still relatable and even charming.

I also like the various Snaiad aliens for their sheer weirdness.

[stevebowers]

I also like the various Snaiad aliens for their sheer weirdness.

You know that C M Kosemen made some images for OA a couple of months back?