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Description
If you go to the Mass Effect Wiki page, you will see a page called "Background Races". This contains all the alien species that have been mentioned in very small accounts, but never SEEN. Why? Because they're all extinct.

Then there came the Zeta-Reticulans. They are: large grey octopi, ten arms with bulges that fill up with liquid, eyes that look like a constellation, one almond-shaped hole in their head....human beings, who dubbed them Grey Aliens, mistook them for humanoids at a first glance.

The Grey aliens are now dying out because of the Reapers. So, to support themselves and fight back against them, they resurrected several of the alien species that have been previously killed off in the past. Only this time, they have to work together, or become extinct. And....they're far inferior to their past counterparts, having been shackled into slavery for the Zeta-Reticulans. They are now known as the Ersatz Ancients.

The Enduromi: The most dangerous of the Ersatz Ancients, they are small, dark creatures who group together to form a swarm. Because they find it difficult to build their own constructions for civilization, they collectively control the minds and bodies of other creatures to build it for them. They've taken this habit into space, and even now, after being resurrected, this is something they're still capable of. The Citadel Races and others know, they are not safe from the Enduromi's sinister and unpredictable nature.

The Thoi'han: For being such a small species, they are very aggressive. They've made waging war and fighting in an army an art form. Perhaps one of their best known techniques is to use the pincers on their backs to grip on to other Thoi'han, piling up on each other until they become a living tower of some sorts. Believe it or not, their species discovered waging war before they even started their own civilization, and they built it almost purely using their military knowledge. Thus, the other species know not to trifle with them.

The Densorin: These species are very smart, for possessing senses and perceptions that humanoids lack. However, their species is a sad cause, because they are rendered helpless by their inherent fear of the superior. First, this caused their extinction as their efforts to appease the Reapers destroyed their own race. Then, this caused their blind obedience to the Zeta-Reticulans, after they've all seen the Greys kill members of their own race instantly. They work for the Zeta-Reticulans, fearing for their lives every second of the way. And it will stay that way until they meet the Citadel races.

The Oravores: Theirs is a much harder species for the Greys to deal with. Rather than being aggressive warmongers like the Thoi'han, they are a proud race of warriors who know just how far they've gotten in exploring and conquering the galaxy before the Protheans and Reapers put a stop to them. Thus, they actively refuse to partake in Zeta-Reticulan missions, only complying if their race is threatened with extinction. They will be among the first to tell on the Zeta-Reticulans.

The Inusannon: They are not humanoid. Unlike what ancient statues may suggest, they are actually many smaller octopi working together as a single body. They have some kind of psychic sense which allows them to link their brains together, making one individual Inusannon smart enough to rival most super computers. Their eyes have evolved to a point where they can perceive many different things at once, such as the ability to see dark energy. THUS....leading to the creation of advanced Mass Effect technology. But now....this nigh-boundless knowledge and strength in teamwork is not enough to save them from being any less opressed by the Zeta-Reticulans. In a sense, this makes their slavery the most painful to watch.

The Synril: They were once a disorganized species. They're small, spindly bugs that can directly learn from other species by feeding on their brain-waves. While it was effective as a survival strategy for a while, this lead to a lot complications; this was initially horrifying because while one may be sophisticated as a Harvard professor, they'd have to directly compete in the wild with the savage, animal-like members of their species living all around them. So....some of the Synril discovered how to not only get knowledge, but give it by directly channeling their own brainwaves through the trees on their planet. After a while, they all became sentient and figured out before anything else: how to live in nearly perfect harmony. They were undoubtedly the most peaceful race in the galaxy at their time. Unfortunately....when the Ditakur came across them, and saw they were not dangerous, they had no pity for the Synril. They held no remorse as they were all extinguished. In an hour.

The Vandomar: They are made of rock, metals and eezo. That is all. And yet, in a twist of events, these simple, naturally-occuring deposits came to "life". Because their life begins so abruptly, they oftentimes spend all their lives exploring their environment, since they usually don't know what to make of being alive. For this reason, having to be as active as other sentient beings makes them uncomfortable. A fact that didn't make the Enduromi any less apathetic towards them as they invaded their world, and unceremoniously stole the Vandomar away to make them their slaves. However, this time, the Vandomar refuse to be made slaves so easily. While they serve the Zeta-Reticulans without struggle, the Enduromi seem to have made natural enemies of the Vandomar. Should the Enduromi try to repeat history now, all that will come out of it is getting squashed under-foot of an angered Vandomar.

The Ditakur: Many of the races aboard the Zeta-Reticulans' ship agree, the Ditakur should have never been brought back to life. Each individual is a puddle of pale-green slime, and inside that slime is what looks like a giant green amoeba. This amoeba is in fact a blob of energy that feeds the individual Ditakur. And this blob is made of....living creatures that have been processed into food for them. Just like the Reapers process organic species into a genetic paste to reproduce, these puddles of microbe-ridden slime process organic species into a collection of cells that they can eat. For a while they lived by gathering groups of organic species...and then they decided to process an entire race of aliens into food. This is what caused the Reapers to notice them, and eventually destroy them to kingdom come. Now that they're alive, they have an urge to do this again, but find themselves restrained. And the races aboard the Greys' ships agree, this is for the best.

The Zeioph: This race finds it difficult to relate to the other races accompanying it. They don't see themselves as slaves at all. Rather, they serve the Zeta-Reticulans because they want to help other races survive the Reapers. Their motivation for their servitude lies in their religion, which teaches that individuals are given life because they will serve a greater purpose somewhere in that while. They occasionally find themselves astray due to real life events that conflict with their ideals, such as accidental pregnancies, people who refuse to serve a greater purpose, or the discovery of murder; ending someone's life before they get to complete their life's journey. Nonetheless, even if these "confused souls" find it hard to pull their weight around, the Zeioph never once falter in their resolve. Unless there is a far greater good that exists. Which they perhaps might discover in the form of the Citadel.

Description
If you go to the Mass Effect Wiki page, you will see a page called "Background Races". This contains all the alien species that have been mentioned in very small accounts, but never SEEN. Why? Because they're all extinct.

Then there came the Zeta-Reticulans. They are: large grey octopi, ten arms with bulges that fill up with liquid, eyes that look like a constellation, one almond-shaped hole in their head....human beings, who dubbed them Grey Aliens, mistook them for humanoids at a first glance.

The Grey aliens are now dying out because of the Reapers. So, to support themselves and fight back against them, they resurrected several of the alien species that have been previously killed off in the past. Only this time, they have to work together, or become extinct. And....they're far inferior to their past counterparts, having been shackled into slavery for the Zeta-Reticulans. They are now known as the Ersatz Ancients.

The Enduromi: The most dangerous of the Ersatz Ancients, they are small, dark creatures who group together to form a swarm. Because they find it difficult to build their own constructions for civilization, they collectively control the minds and bodies of other creatures to build it for them. They've taken this habit into space, and even now, after being resurrected, this is something they're still capable of. The Citadel Races and others know, they are not safe from the Enduromi's sinister and unpredictable nature.

The Thoi'han: For being such a small species, they are very aggressive. They've made waging war and fighting in an army an art form. Perhaps one of their best known techniques is to use the pincers on their backs to grip on to other Thoi'han, piling up on each other until they become a living tower of some sorts. Believe it or not, their species discovered waging war before they even started their own civilization, and they built it almost purely using their military knowledge. Thus, the other species know not to trifle with them.

The Densorin: These species are very smart, for possessing senses and perceptions that humanoids lack. However, their species is a sad cause, because they are rendered helpless by their inherent fear of the superior. First, this caused their extinction as their efforts to appease the Reapers destroyed their own race. Then, this caused their blind obedience to the Zeta-Reticulans, after they've all seen the Greys kill members of their own race instantly. They work for the Zeta-Reticulans, fearing for their lives every second of the way. And it will stay that way until they meet the Citadel races.

The Oravores: Theirs is a much harder species for the Greys to deal with. Rather than being aggressive warmongers like the Thoi'han, they are a proud race of warriors who know just how far they've gotten in exploring and conquering the galaxy before the Protheans and Reapers put a stop to them. Thus, they actively refuse to partake in Zeta-Reticulan missions, only complying if their race is threatened with extinction. They will be among the first to tell on the Zeta-Reticulans.

The Inusannon: They are not humanoid. Unlike what ancient statues may suggest, they are actually many smaller octopi working together as a single body. They have some kind of psychic sense which allows them to link their brains together, making one individual Inusannon smart enough to rival most super computers. Their eyes have evolved to a point where they can perceive many different things at once, such as the ability to see dark energy. THUS....leading to the creation of advanced Mass Effect technology. But now....this nigh-boundless knowledge and strength in teamwork is not enough to save them from being any less opressed by the Zeta-Reticulans. In a sense, this makes their slavery the most painful to watch.

The Synril: They were once a disorganized species. They're small, spindly bugs that can directly learn from other species by feeding on their brain-waves. While it was effective as a survival strategy for a while, this lead to a lot complications; this was initially horrifying because while one may be sophisticated as a Harvard professor, they'd have to directly compete in the wild with the savage, animal-like members of their species living all around them. So....some of the Synril discovered how to not only get knowledge, but give it by directly channeling their own brainwaves through the trees on their planet. After a while, they all became sentient and figured out before anything else: how to live in nearly perfect harmony. They were undoubtedly the most peaceful race in the galaxy at their time. Unfortunately....when the Ditakur came across them, and saw they were not dangerous, they had no pity for the Synril. They held no remorse as they were all extinguished. In an hour.

The Vandomar: They are made of rock, metals and eezo. That is all. And yet, in a twist of events, these simple, naturally-occuring deposits came to "life". Because their life begins so abruptly, they oftentimes spend all their lives exploring their environment, since they usually don't know what to make of being alive. For this reason, having to be as active as other sentient beings makes them uncomfortable. A fact that didn't make the Enduromi any less apathetic towards them as they invaded their world, and unceremoniously stole the Vandomar away to make them their slaves. However, this time, the Vandomar refuse to be made slaves so easily. While they serve the Zeta-Reticulans without struggle, the Enduromi seem to have made natural enemies of the Vandomar. Should the Enduromi try to repeat history now, all that will come out of it is getting squashed under-foot of an angered Vandomar.

The Ditakur: Many of the races aboard the Zeta-Reticulans' ship agree, the Ditakur should have never been brought back to life. Each individual is a puddle of pale-green slime, and inside that slime is what looks like a giant green amoeba. This amoeba is in fact a blob of energy that feeds the individual Ditakur. And this blob is made of....living creatures that have been processed into food for them. Just like the Reapers process organic species into a genetic paste to reproduce, these puddles of microbe-ridden slime process organic species into a collection of cells that they can eat. For a while they lived by gathering groups of organic species...and then they decided to process an entire race of aliens into food. This is what caused the Reapers to notice them, and eventually destroy them to kingdom come. Now that they're alive, they have an urge to do this again, but find themselves restrained. And the races aboard the Greys' ships agree, this is for the best.

The Zeioph: This race finds it difficult to relate to the other races accompanying it. They don't see themselves as slaves at all. Rather, they serve the Zeta-Reticulans because they want to help other races survive the Reapers. Their motivation for their servitude lies in their religion, which teaches that individuals are given life because they will serve a greater purpose somewhere in that while. They occasionally find themselves astray due to real life events that conflict with their ideals, such as accidental pregnancies, people who refuse to serve a greater purpose, or the discovery of murder; ending someone's life before they get to complete their life's journey. Nonetheless, even if these "confused souls" find it hard to pull their weight around, the Zeioph never once falter in their resolve. Unless there is a far greater good that exists. Which they perhaps might discover in the form of the Citadel.