Wanamingo

Wanamingos (also referred to as aliens) are mutant creatures that appear in Fallout 2.

Background
They are strange mutant animals that live mostly underground. Despite the rumors of their extraterrestrial origin, they were actually created with FEV as weapons for waging war on other countries and escaped into the wastes. In that aspect, they are similar to deathclaws.

In Fallout 2, they are called "wanamingos" only in Redding and "aliens" elsewhere, but eventually, "wanamingo" came to be used for the species as a whole across the wastes.

Biology
Morphologically, wanamingos are bipedal lifeforms that bear almost no resemblance to any other form of terrestrial life. They possess a large central body with a sizable mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, and a pair of long, tentacle-like appendages that appear to be used for both grasping objects and to batter opponents in combat. The creature's large head lacks visible sensory organs, but it does not seem to require eyesight in order to discern the location of prey. The creatures are devastating in close combat, chewing at foes and lashing at them with their tentacles. Through a process not entirely understood, these attacks also induce radiation poisoning.

They hatch from eggs laid by a wanamingo queen — a large grey-colored wanamingo which others fearlessly protect. They aren't intelligent in the usual sense, but they do seem to have a hive-mind mentality.

Range
Long-lived but unable to reproduce without a queen, they are slowly dying out by 2241. The only known queen lives in the wanamingo mine in Redding. All "aliens" living in that mine are killed by the Chosen One in 2242. Other wanamingos can be found scattered throughout the wasteland between Redding and San Francisco, most notably in the San Francisco tanker. As stated in the Fallout Bible, the Wanamingos go extinct 5 years after the events of Fallout 2 (i.e. by 2246-2247), due to a "Genetic Clock" set to terminate them at a specific time. The actual nature of this mechanism is not identified as either natural or artificial, but it's likely that it was created as a means of population control.

Gameplay attributes
Wanamingos are fierce foes and a potent threat to lower-level players. They are highly resistant to most damage types and can hurl a flurry of powerful attacks at their enemies in close combat. However, they have a natural weakness to fire and will flee if one of their feet becomes crippled.

Wanamingo
Wanamingos are strange mutant animals that live mostly in underground colonies. They are often mistaken for extraterrestrial beings, due to their otherworldly anatomy. They can easily shrug off damage which would tear the flesh from the bone of a human, and are truly a force to be reckoned with.

Wanamingo queen
The wanamingo queen is the matriarch of the wanamingos, found within the depths of the mine near Redding. This is the only queen known to exist in 2241. She can lay eggs for the reproduction of the wanamingos and can be found deep underground in her breeding room.

Mutant wanamingo
Mutant wanamingo is a creature cut from the final version of Fallout 3. This is a wanamingo very mutated by radiation. Its mouth has been enlarged, while the body lacks tentacles and taken on a pinkish color. It appears wildly different than those encountered in Fallout 2.

Appearances
Wanamingos appear only in Fallout 2. Mutant wanamingos do not appear in the files of Fallout 3, but can be found in the book The Art of Fallout 3, an art book available with the Collector's Edition of the game. This book also includes a new version of wanamingo mutated by radiation.

Behind the scenes
Wanamingos are likely a homage to the xenomorphs of the Alien series, given how their bodies resemble a xenomorph's head. Many NPCs in the game also mistakenly refer to them as "aliens."