#spec evo

[jayrockin]

Simon Roy (@simon-roy) asked me to invent a guy (alien organism) for his newest book, Refugium, which comes with a guy emporium (alien life guidebook). There's a kind of radially symmetrical bug called pinwheels on the planet that will split into wedges as a defensive mechanism, so I Junji Ito'ed them into a eusocial spiral that workers snap off of once "ripe."

Refugium is out on Kickstarter right now and if you like alien ecology, failed utopias, and frontier stories I can highly recommend it. I've greatly enjoyed the previous books from the same universe.

[mossymandibles]

Yuna fending off an unwanted suitor.

She became a target a lot since she was alone, which is very unusual for a female sea-drake.

I couldn’t decide on a color for the background clouds so you get both.

[troythecatfish]

[kapturkaptur]

h orse

[katjapetersart]

A concept for an ancestor of the t'au, considered an important step in their evolution similar to the first apes to humans. A social ruminant about the size of a bulky deer that eats a wide variety of tree-like plants and fruits on a savannah/forest edge.

The younglings are very bipedal, the adults bi-quad. They will return to bipedalism to graze, to display and importantly to look for predators. They have a ranking order in the herd, and the adults take turns watching for predators.

The heavy thorns on the trees they feed on give their hooved hands an advantage: they can delicately and safely 'pluck' leaves, fruit, and buds to bring them to their mouth.

Their crests are useful for intraspecies communication through scent and pheromones. It also allows for loud, low honks that spread well over long distances. They are also part of the mating display.

In time, the clade becomes less relient on leafy greens and more omnivorous. As the clade becomes more derived and you come closer to t'au, they become more lithe and fully bipedal, with dextrous grasping hands and a strict social order. The young are born live and suckle milk-like sweat on 'suckling patches' near the wrists of adults. They mature away from suckling quickly.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

so the Spouse and I like to have a lot of verbal discussions about the universe where the asteroid didn't hit. mainly spec evo stuff. what would evolve into what, that kind of thing. we know we're not alone in that.

we maintain that humans evolved alongside some pretty terrifying mammalian megafauna, so why not dinosaurian? so what would a realistic sapient ape in a dinosaur world be?

it's taken some thinking, but:

wookies.

we'd be wookies.

no need to leave the trees, the grass would be very unsafe if it evolved the same

no need to leave the trees, we remain furry

we could build tree houses and other structures, in the trees, to stay out of the range of predators

that's. just wookies. that's just the wookies.

[styllwaters]

if youre still taking requests - Draw a cool species youve seen in the spec bio community mayhaps?

Enamoured by @sparrowlucero's space whales

[wind-tied]

Some bovids of Lishel.

The western savanna is home to Keerso, Vans impala and, Tapper impalas. Keerso are one of the most populous animals in the area, leading to herds being domesticated for meat. Vans impala are seen as blessed animals, and killing them is looked down on.

The mountainous eastern coast is home Guinin, and Tapin. Both have been domesticated, wild populations still exist naturally. Guinin are often used in hauling due to their hefty builds. Tapin are fast, and sure footed. They can jump along tough terrain with ease and are often used for general transport. These species as historically important to the area.

[cathchicken]

“Mininykus”, my little speculative alvarezsaurid guy

Basically a tiny version of mononykus haha. I am not like a skeleton person so if I mess up in that diagram then feel free to critique it

It is a nocturnal desert dwelling theropod, with a very short stature. Only about 6-9 inches tall. It is a predator, and mainly hunts during the night. It feeds on insects, grubs, and small reptiles. They dig shallow burrows in dirt mounds, where they sleep during midday to avoid the heat. Their large eyes and whiskers aid in helping them transverse their dark environment.

It is sort of based on a jerboa, but it can’t hop. They are very good at speedwalking though.

Edit: I see some new mininykus enjoyers! Reminder that mininykus has its own tag (#mininykus) with more art and speculation!

[yellosnacc]

Kula!

A popular domesticated animal of slomen.

Kula are adapted for grassy areas with lots of small prey. In the wild, they either jump after flying or jumping prey or wait at burrows before smashing their prey with their hooves. If the smash isn't enough they hold it to their beak and finish it. Some species are more specialized to wait while others to jump. The domesticated Kula is speculated to be one of the more energetic hunters, mostly interested in 'insects'.

In ancient times wild Kula were attracted to sloman settlements as they would also attract prey with the slomans' food and light. The slomen would soon learn that Kula were not pests since the wild animals were yet to be spoiled by premium meat cuts and preferred fresh moving meat that the slomen didn't want around.

In current times many cultures keep these animals as pest control on farms and in larger houses. They can be commonly seen in underground rooms that serve as food storage but for a healthy mental state, they need time on the sun.

While in the wild they are usually solitary or in small groups, Kula have a complex body language that they use to express their mood and/or needs. This can be very cute and funny, helping them become as loved as they are. Many owners will grow to care deeply for their Kula but some cultures recognize them directly as pets. In the high-ranking societies of these cultures, pet Kula get even rounder. Often a certain trait is popular in a culture, resulting in localised breeds with different shapes and colors.

Some little goober possibilities - not entirely canon

In a few places, Kula are also part of a religion and have their own shrines.

[jayrockin]

The two main characters of my short story Airsled, Vrazi the diver avian and Piawii the pygmy avian.You can read more about their species here. Vrazi is holding the cord of money they used to buy Piawii's indentured labor, and Piawii is holding Vrazii's tea pipe.

The tea pipe was a funny compromise that turned into worldbuilding, because Vrazi felt like the type of character to smoke a cool pipe, but avian lungs are too delicate to handle the high concentration of airborne particulates found in leaf smoke. Smoke inhalation has a lot more immediately deleterious effects to them than to humans. I split the difference by giving them a steaming hot cup of [insert addictive stimulant here] with a pipe-like handle for drinking on the go. 

This design got turned into stickers and put on the back cover of the new printed edition.

[mossymandibles]

Some Brickabork carrying their pups.

[juicyolpickle]

If Wompers from my project (Land Of Borease) where selectively bred like todays dog breeds.

[silkwhim]

handses and feetses redesign

without text

[simon-roy]

Common Fauna of Miramar (aka the endpapers for our book, MIRAMAR, a full color graphic novella which is NOW up for pre-order here! You too could clutch a copy in your paws by week after next (give or take)

(A view of the planet itself!)

Also if you'd like to read 75% of the story itself, take a look on webtoons here

[savaalienfish]

Sinedenian organic cave

Descending a steep slope, a pair of Skritniks stumble upon an open plant cave in the upper layers of foam grass. A musty, slightly sweet, putrid-smelling air slowly emanates from inside the cave, attracting their attention. These omnivorous varmints (family negadiadae) are not averse to feasting on a scattering of parasitic plants on the walls and floor of the cave; not many animals are able to digest such parasites, whose bodies are saturated with putrefactive poisons, but some especially aportunistic species, such as skritniks, are adapted to feeding on even such a desperate snack. Despite their poisons and hard shell, the bodies of paraphytes are rich in sugars and other delicacies so desired by hungry pranksters. But they still explore the area with caution before entering the cave, which may harbor dangers far greater than indigestion.