Amphibiosans a race of fictional extraterrestrial beings depicted in Futurama, the American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening.

Lieutenant Kif Kroker is the most well-depicted member of this race and most of what is known about Amphibiosans has been revealed in relation to this character.

"Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch", the first episode in season four, introduced much information about the Amphibiosans which was previously unrevealed and features the only glimpse of the Amphibios 9, the Amphibiosan homeworld.

Biology

As implied by their name, Amphibiosans are a race of amphibian-like beings resembling anthropomorphic newts with bright green skin. They do, however, have several characteristics that mark them as an alien extraterrestrial species rather than a species belonging to class Amphibia as known in the real world. As Futurama is comedy, its seems likely that various racial characteristics have been introduced on a situational basis for humorous affect rather than as an attempt to suspend disbelief or to establish a consistent canon.

Some of the following biological characteristics are specifically known to apply to Kif Kroker alone. However, as it has never been implied that Kif is an unusual member of his race in any way, the following and may be extrapolated to apply to all Amphibiosan until evidence indicates otherwise:

Apparently, when an Amphibiosan falls in love they can, regardless of apparent gender) become pregnant. This happens by absorbing the DNA of another person through their skin, a semi-permeable membrane akin to the skin of frogs and salamanders. This can happen even through casual contact. The DNA absorbed need not be Amphibiosan and it is not known if the DNA donor even has to be of an intelligent species. While this is technically asexual reproduction, it is not parthenogenesis.

In the manner of conception just described, the person whom the Amphibiosan loves (called the "smizmar"), is considered the Amphibiosan culture to be the true parent of the offspring that result.

In "Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch", Amy Wong was Kif's smizmar while Turanga Leela was the biological co-parent of the resultant young. While obviously cyclopsian, some of the young were Amphibiosan, having inherited this characteristic from Leela. Some of the young were also shown to be clumsy, implying that either Kif had absorbed Amy's DNA as well or that somehow inherited characteristics may be had from the smizmar" as well as the biological parents.

It is traditional, and perhaps necessary, for Amphibiosans to return to Amphibios 9 in order to give birth.

Like true amphibians, Amphibiosans begin life in an aquatic larval form resembling a tadpole. These immature Amphibiosans have the same bright green color as adults of their species. Kif indicates to Amy that the tadpoles will seek them out in twenty years.

Like mammals, Amphibiosans have nipples. Kif has three. It is unknown if the species actually has mammary glands that produce milk. In one respect this seems unlikely because in the episode "Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch", Kif abandons his young in the waters of his homeworld and it seems that like tadpoles, they will grow to maturity without breastfeeding or any other parental care. On the other hand, the elderly female Amphibiosan seen in this same episode seems to have breasts akin to that of a female human being.

Rather than possessing a bony skeleton, Kif's body has a system of fluid-filled bladders instead of bones. Annelids possess a similar physiology as their coeloms are divided by septa into various cavities. Kif has also shown that his body is flexibly elastic and can be stretched and pulled without causing him serious harm.

In a related ability, just as creatures such as puffer fish, horned lizards and certain toads inflate in size to frighten away predators, Kif has been shown to inflate his head to a huge size.

Kif can change his skin color and pattern as camouflage. His ability to do this surpasses that of real-world creatures with similar capability such as chameleons, octopi and certain fish and frogs.

Like a tree frog, Kif has hands equipped with suction cups allowing him to climb smooth surfaces.

References

Futurama episode "Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch" (12 January 2003) written by Bill Odenkirk

[2072] The Worlds of Futurama

Futurama Comics #14, "Six Characters In Search Of A Story" July 23rd 2003

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