Manatees

The manatees are behind the rise of the Stellanarsi as a starfaring civilization.

They like to lounge, puff perfume, and think deep thoughts and scorn movies which are anti-intellectual. They are vegetarians for the most part, or maybe they slurp up sunbeams like space unicorns. Magic oats are really mustard from a bottle, you know.

The most likely explanation for their appearance is that their true appearance is incomprehensible or harmful to the brain structure of carbon-based lifeforms.

This is watercolour painting with pastels and coloured pencils. I used a reference picture, if you can figure out which one.