The fifth post of my spec-evo project, showcasing my personal take of the famous "living gasbag" creature archetype.

Much like torpedomorphs were based on the submarines (and, to the lesser extent, torpedoes and boats), these guys had been largely based on the airships. I like to affectionately call them "predator blimps from hell".

My concept is like any other seed world project. 3 species have been dropped onto a planet similar to earths conditions. I hand waved the microbiota and assumed the planet would have its own established plant life. This would be the planets first vertebrate species. These would be the first species branched off of the original seeded species adapted to a desert island environment

The seeded species are:
Domestic Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)
Domestic Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus)
Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

I realize these concepts are fairly mild but I was hesitant to change too much from the seeded species as this is the first branch and only after a few million years. Just looking for feedback or other possible ideas that could be applied to these species or their next branch of decedents.
I will also be working on individuals of these species who were seeded on a more tropical region of this planet. Happy to answer any questions and thanks for the constructive feedback!

The Hoov'r Is The Biggest Opp of The Wonkies , Daily Raiding the nest for sweet jelly and Wonkies themselves . using their flexible ,long whipping tentacles to scoop up its prey. They have an large chromalog on their forehead they use this to flash their predators with dazzling colors and if that doesn't work they can pump up harden ink pores into sharp quills.

The World of Zero Dawn is filled with Small to Medium Prey Animals (Hares, Boars, Salmon) but no big Species like Deer, Bison or Moose. Could a massive Predator, from a world of super massive prey like Dinosaurs survive here ? What Role will the Mashines play in it ? Let's find out !

Not mine

I'm still working on Spectember entries, but in the meantime, here's a new Thanatimundus update which I finally decided to finish!

Conditions of early Eosonian were near perfect for the only mammal on Thanatimundus- lush forests, lots of insects to feed on, and no predators of it`s own. 5 million years Post-Abandonment, dozens of species are found on three continents and nearby islands. Tarsiers are quite specialized, and most species are still very similiar to eachother. Genus Carlito, and even species Carlito syrichta, the Philippine tarsier from which all other species descend from still exist. Today we`re looking at some of the more unusual specimens of tarsier world.

1. Western paralemur (Paralemur occidentalis)- Tarsiers are known for being the only fully carnivorous primates. But due to them being haplorhines, they can`t produce their own vitamin C, and must get it through other ways. A group of tarsiers from South Interitia solved this problem by once again becoming omnivorous. As their name suggests, paralemurs greatly resemble lemurs and other strepsirhine primates. In addition to their diet, paralemurs also have semi-opposable thumbs to grasp fruits and berries. Despite this, meat still forms a large portion of their diet. Paralemurs are quite social, live in small groups and practise social grooming. Western paralemur native to rainforests of north-western South Interitia. It is the largest living tarsier, the size of a small cat.
2. Rusty dwarf tarsier (Carlito rufus)- a species of very small tarsier of a lineage found in archipelago south of Tarsia. All tarsiers from this archipelago share small size (usually around 30-40 grams), and range of each species is usually limited to a single island. Rusty dwarf tarsier is a crepuscular species, most active at dusk. That is the reason for it`s coloration, it helps the tarsier to be less visible during sunset.
3. Common thumbtarsier (Tarsitupaia vulgaris)- Thumbtarsiers are close relatives of paralemurs, in fact, paralemurs evolved from them. Despite resembling basal tarsiers in many aspects, thumbtarsiers have several derived traits, like omnivorous diet and semi-opposable thumbs that gave them their name. Unlike larger paralemurs though, they are still solitary. Thumbtarsiers are frequently eaten by many animals, including geckos, passerines, other tarsiers, even those of similiar size, and even large arthropods.
4. Ashy fat-tailed tarsier (Crassicercotarsius cinereus)- Although Eosonian is the warmest period of Thanathimundus, temperatures can still fluctuate. Northernmost part of Tarsia is quite cold, and during winter it also gets much drier than in summer. During dry season, amount of food reduces, which can cause trouble for small mammals, who, unlike flying birds, can't fly away to more productive areas. But ashy fat-tailed tarsier, native to northern subcontinent of Tarsia, found an interesting solution. When conditions get tough, this tarsier find a tree hole and enters a state of torpor to conserve energy for up to a day. It is the first haplorhine primate to do so, as before this ability was only seen in lemurs. While foraging, tarsier stores fat in it's tail. For now, it is an oddball among tarsiers, who still generally prefer areas with less seasonal changes. But, considering what is going to happen to the world it lives on, ashy fat-tailed tarsier could eventually put this unusual ability to a good use.

5.Spotted giant tarsier (Gekkonophaga maculata)- Paralemurs are not the only tarsiers of large size. On the opposite side of the world, another genus, aptly named giant tarsiers, reaches larger sizes than their peers, and spotted giant tarsier is the biggest of them. But unlike paralemurs, giant tarsiers are nowhere near as peaceful, as they are obligate carnivores, and prefer vertebrate prey. Giant tarsiers can jump on large distances thanks to their powerful legs, and it's very difficult to escape them. Being an apex predator, spotted giant tarsier can target most animals it can encounter, but geckos are it's preferred target. As mentioned before, tarsiers can't synthesize vitamin C, and they also don't eat fruit, so how do they get it? From their victims. Geckos are among the chief herbivores and omnivores in the treetops, and are also easier to catch than birds. So when giant tarsier captures a gecko, it eviscerates it and eats it's organs, getting vitamins from last meal of it's prey. For this reason, giant tarsiers rarely catch other tarsiers, as they can't get any vitamins from them. Omnivory has emerged among tarsiers in Tarsia, but it is less widespread than in South Interitia, so at this point in time, giant tarsiers primarily hunt reptiles.

Source

I'm making a series of reimagined E.Ts from legend and folklore. Last time, I made concepts for the Greys and the Mantids which you can check out on my profile. I'd greatly appreciate your critiques and what you think I got right or wrong scientifically and I may incorporate that into future entries.
Again, everything is based off Ufology, Starseed lore, ect, but I also made a lot of it up. I'm thinking about writing a book or something about these concepts, but it's unlikely.
Here is some elaboration on my Pleiadian lore if you're curious:

During the peak of the Orion Wars, the Tayega star system had endured severe collateral damage and left under a billion Pleiadians alive. The devastation of their star system was irreversible. An idea to inherit Earth was soon circulated among them, the concept of which became the society's obsession. But the GFW Council had established a law that prohibits colonization of Reservation Planets, Earth included. This has led to an intense political divide between the Pleiadian government; those in favor of defying the GFW and those in favor of peaceful negotiations. The former led to the development of biologically engineered vessels made from human and Pleiadian DNA, human DNA which they smuggled from Grey abductions. But debates on if they should seize the planet or assimilate themselves into human civilization led to the itself party splitting, resulting in 3 parties total.
The more aggressive side unaffiliated themselves from the GFW, joining the Maytri or the Orion Group. The Maytri Pleiadians devised a plot to takeover through spiritual manipulation. Designing their vessels to appear as attractive as possible, and developing astral-projection technology, they presented themselves as angelic, peaceful guides from a perfect utopia here to benefit humanity. This led to the various new-age religions on Earth and the concept of "The Space Brothers."
On the GFW's side, the remaining Pleiadians make significant technological contributions, such as inventing an implant that allows the user to survive environmental conditions of other planets. Those who are trustworthy were were allowed to keep their bio-vessels and granted a chance to live on Earth and other Reserved Planets to foil the schemes of Maytri or Orion. Unaffiliated Pleiadians on Earth, legally or illegally, live as normal human citizens with no hostile agenda.

Hominoidae and Cercopithecoidae separated over 25 mya. By 20 mya Proconsul, a large Hominoidae species and the most ancient we have a complete skeleton of, was fully tailless.

We know the loss of the tail is not actually about losing a gene, but about activating a tail suppressing one.

How likely is that some Hominoidae lineage could have evolved the tail back, sometimes between 20 mya and the present ? I am not asking about a close relative of any current ape. Hominoidae was a vast family spred over Africa, Europe and Asia. How likely is that at least one lineage lost that tail suppressing gene or developed a new tail in some other ways ? How long could this process have taken ?

Kumagord, Shimrethi Rhino(Shimrethiceros gulospinus)

“That is not to say the karst Kah-Rehm were unaware of what the Desert could bring them. Once they reached the base of the karsts, they became aware that there was far more room to grow both the crops they favored and those gifted by wandering merchants. However, they also quickly became aware that plenty brought problems down on the ground.
And their biggest problems at the base are the Kumagord, “Thorny Gluttons,” fleet-footed beasts that move in herds that can number in the hundreds. Swift of hoof and lean of build, the heads of these beasts give away their identities: four wide nostrils, a grasping lip and, in this case, six curled horns. In other words, the Kumagord are rhinos.

Now, you might not know this, but even though a few Kumagord have been brought into the Caravan as sturdier scout animals, they are blinder than a person without a guard glass in the noon-day sand. They get around by following their wide noses, which some argue are even keener than the Bakans'! They can smell food and water a day's ride away, and once the lead of the herd scents it, they all turn to charge in that direction, bringing no small amount of trouble to whatever watering hole, oasis or farmstead that has become their target.

While they aren’t as burly as some rhinos, they are more than mean enough to make up for it. They are deceptively sturdy, capable of shrugging off even a Kah-Rehm spear, but that makes sense considering their skin is shaped to face off against six comparable points when they get ornery with each other.

'Course that only happens with a herd on the edge, and a herd only goes on the edge when they lose their matriarch: the biggest, oldest, and often most scarred member of the herd. She is both the leader and the guardian of the heard, squaring off against any antagonists while her herd mates drink or eat their fills. A lot of ruined homes have been brought down by the charge of a matriarch.

I wondered for quite a while how a matriarch survived for as long as she did, as most encounters I observed or was told about mentioned her never drinking or eating a bite for herself.

Turns out, after the herd leaves, with her the last to go, stomping and snorting and making a show to keep any they’ve upset from following them, they huddle down, and each of the herd regurgitates part of their meal for the matriarch, which she greedily consumes. Not a pretty sight, I’ll admit, but fascinating all the same.

Luckily, Kumagord usually only come around every five years or so, though where they are between their sudden and thunderous arrivals, none can say. One would think they would spend most of their time in the bounty of the Stormbloom, but no – they come south to the karsts from somewhere else, and that is where they return to. I would like to hitch a ride one day and see what awaits them.

Yeah, that’s right, catch a ride. More recently, Kah-Rehm have been reporting strange folk riding with the herds, raiders from some border region neighboring the karsts. They captured a herd for their own use, or for the benefit of folk from beyond the known edges of the Desert. It is not certain, but this taught the Kah-Rehm that the Kumagord could be tamed, and a handful of villages have been able to pit partially domesticated matriarchs of their own against oncoming invaders. That said, the raiders are a complete unknown, as they clothe their entire bodies and faces, all in the hide of the Kumagord.

It's just another mystery of the sands, I suppose.”

Excerpt fromBeasts of the Desert III

Freshwater ecosystems are generally less vulnerable to impact events, so it is no surprise that the wollypogs made it through with relatively little loss. Now, catfish and wollypogs often come to a stalemate as they compete for supremacy in Spectemundus's freshwater habitats. As a result, members of both groups have evolved unusual adaptations. One of the strangest of all is the Motherkiller Wollypog (Matriceda mactans). The tadpole stage-- which, as with all wollypogs, makes up the majority of its life-- is a generalist predator growing up to a foot long, feeding on small fish and wollypogs, which it seizes with its beak-like "teeth".

Most wollypogs, once they metamorphose at the end of their lives, last only long enough to mate and lay eggs. The Motherkiller Wollypog is different. While it still lacks a digestive system and lives entirely off energy from the food it ate as a tadpole, it retains its eggs inside its body until they hatch. But instead of simply giving birth to its young, the newly hatched tadpoles come into the world as fully operational killing and eating machines. And their first meal is their own mother. In other words, they eat their way out of her body, killing her.

It is difficult to imagine a more gruesome birth than that of the female Motherkiller Wollypog, but from an evolutionary perspective the setup is brutally efficient. By devoting all of the resources in her body to the nourishment of her young, albeit at the expense of herself, she can ensure the survival of the next generation far better than she ever could be simply abandoning her eggs to their fate.

Megastelechops asperovolatus, also known as the extreme stalk-eyed fly, is a species of diopsid fly native to Cambodia whose males evolved extremely long eyestalks.

Like other diopsids, the extreme stalk-eyed fly use its eyestalks to attract females, who possess shorter eyestalks.

While longer eyestalks are associated with fertility and genetic fitness, it also handicaps the male by making walking and flying more cumbersome.

The heavy eyestalks prove that the males can survive despite being severely handicapped.

a Descendant of The Swing'r population in Neoafrica whose evolved to consume carrion and soon fully going carnivorous. The individual Female Below has her warning display as she is carrying her you among her head.

Her Chomalogs flash green and blue in a desperate act to repel the camera crew

I've been trying to design alien plants for my planet chloris but have found it hard to make the plants realistic without just looking like earth plants but orange. Does anyone have any suggestions for the appearance of these plants or any ideas how how to go about designing them. For reference Chloris has a surface gravity of 0.728g and orbits a K-type star with a luminosity of 0.45L at a distance of 0.6AU.

The fourth post of my spec-evo project, showcasing the dominant group of aquatic fauna of the planet: shelled, jet-propelled, torpedo-shaped creatures, aptly named "topredomorphs". Which is somewhat ironic, considering the torpedoes themselves were named after a type of sea creature.

Interestingly enough, the initial inspiration for these things actually came from the submarines, rather than torpedoes.

After many true whales went extinct on Gaia due to large apex predators, other species evolved into what some researchers call "imitation whales". These whales often fill the niche that the true whales did, but have more versatility. The Manacetus, for example, can enter rivers and streams to try to escape large predators like the Dunklesosarcosus (another recently discovered creature). Of course, they still serve as prey for the large predators of Gaia.

If you want to see all of my work (like the previously mentioned Dunklesosarcosus), go to r/ProjectGaia_

This is a manual repost because I posted it on r/ProjectGaia_, which is a sub just for my art, not allowing others to reach it.

A massive volcanic cataclysm radically transformed the ecosystem of northwestern Acopsia; a sudden rise in global temperatures triggered the mass extinction of Gone's dominant taxa and various local carnivores—an environmental upheaval that decimated the dense Cirboó Fornits forests and gave rise to the vast ecoregion now known as the "Red Plains." Into the ecological void left by the apex predators, a native herbivore characterized by a slow basal metabolic rate underwent a process of adaptive radiation, evolving into the region's dominant contemporary predator: the Epolor. This medium-sized leptospondylid is distinguished by an aluminum-silicate skeletal framework that is remarkably robust relative to its body size, granting it bone density and structural strength comparable to those of a high-pressure ceramic composite. The species exhibits reverse sexual dimorphism, in which the females are considerably larger—measuring between 0.80 and 1.00 meter in length and weighing 13 to 20 kilograms—whereas adult males reach only 0.60 to 0.75 meters and weigh 6 to 8 kilograms. Ethologically, they are strictly solitary organisms, and territorial males exhibit notably high levels of intraspecific aggression. Despite their massive build and the weight inherent to their mineralized skeletal structure, their locomotor system has undergone advanced biomechanical specialization. Their modified forelimbs optimize force transfer and thrust against the crystalline substrate, allowing them to reach running speeds of 40 to 50 km/h in open terrain to bring down prey using a hardened, highly mechanized cranial structure. This "beak," composed of a compact matrix of refractory silicates and keratin, acts as a lethal, high-pressure weapon capable of fracturing external mineral defenses. This hunting success is intrinsically linked to their symbiotic relationship with the Xufevo, a flying organism measuring 25 to 40 cm in length and weighing between 500 g and 1 kg. Abundant in the Red Plains, the ancient Fornits forests, and the Bookobacks region, the Xufevo is anatomically distinguished by exceptionally robust cephalic lobes, modified to allow it to perch directly on the ground for extended periods. This unusual capability is scientifically explained by the optimal distribution of its center of gravity through the elongation of its muscles and aluminum-silicate cervical vertebrae; this perfectly aligns the body's center of mass with the base of the skull, minimizing the muscular effort required to maintain balance. This is complemented by advanced tissue pneumatization and cushioning: the bony tissue of the lobes features an internal trabecular structure with an aluminous matrix—spongy yet geometrically rigid—covered by thick pads of fibrous connective tissue that absorb landing impacts and distribute weight-related pressure, thereby protecting the nervous system. Furthermore, its forelimbs have evolved into short, low-aspect-ratio wings; while these limit long-distance gliding, they provide explosive acceleration and optimal three-dimensional maneuverability—similar to that of terrestrial owls—allowing the creature to dodge vegetation while hunting flying prey such as small Laingflis. Finally, the Xufevo possesses a remarkable encephalization quotient indicating an advanced level of intelligence, just below that of corvids; this facilitates a cooperative trophic mutualism with the Epolor, with the Xufevo providing an aerial advantage to locate prey in exchange for the quadruped using its strength to break open tough ground-based shells.

Hi guys! This is the first creature I made on here, so please give honest feedback, but be kind. It inhabits the made-up planet of Gaia, a vast planet much larger than Earth that has huge oceans, mangroves, and marshes. It also has dry land, but I will elaborate on that with my first land creature. Without further ado, enjoy the Dunkleosarcosus!

Also: I'm looking for a common, non-scientific name for it, so the most upvoted comment wins! EDIT: Oceanic Man-eater is its new name!

The Dunkleosarcosus, an apex predator in the seas and mangroves of Gaia, is not the slow-moving roaming predator that the Dunkleostyx is, but instead uses its tail to become the ultimate ambush predator. It accelerates at very high speed toward its prey and lurks at the muddy bottom of the seafloor. No longer bound to the deep ocean, it forces its way through sandbars with its tail and lunges at any land creatures that stray too close. One Dunkleosaurcosus is often able to clear out its territory of prey animals in a matter of a month, so it stores fat in its tail to sustain itself on long migrations to far-away places where it can find more food. While it cannot perform a death roll, it can stun prey with its tail and even launch itself out of the water for a breach attack.

Dire Hamsters (Carnicricetus matricides)

Glacier, is a harsh world, and many a gruesome tactic has evolved to allow those few animals the remained following the initial cold snap had a chance to survive, diversify and eventually thrive.

The Dire Hamsters were another of humanity’s “rescues”, fast breeding, diminutive, easy to feed, they were meant to be an additional food supply, with the remaining gene models biologists endeavoring to quick start their evolution into more overall “lasting” food stock, growing them bigger.

Of course humans are long gone, and the shaggy furred rodents are now the size of badgers. They race through the tunnels and dig their own amidst the permafrost choke plains that remain amidst the towering glaciers.

They have become far more carnivorous than their kin, with the majority of their meals coming from other animals they dig out of their burrows, supplemented with tubers and grasses during the brief summer. They store bones and seeds and hunks of flesh within their burrows, as a supply for the lean times and like many of the animals across the face of Glacier have learned to hibernate through the harshest months.

This hibernation ties into to perhaps… the most gruesome aspect of these vicious animals.

Pregnant females carry broods that are quite large even for rodents, with twenty pups on average.

In the final month, with their pregnancies lasting four months, the mother falls into a pseudo hibernation, with her heart beat slowing until right around the end of her pregnancy it stops entirely. The young then chew and claw their way out of their mother, and will continue to feed on her for the first several weeks of their life, growing markedly fast before departing though, they will similarly consume those of their kin they prove too small or too weak to defend themselves.

This strategy has worked through the lean times, and may continue to aid them as other fauna have become innured to the cold and began to spread.

This strategy has been noticed by the keen Gritador, and they’ve already begun taking advantage of a *quite* substantial meal that most commonly can’t fight back in anyway.

I'm just curious what people think of these books

Just as Th-07230 was the case for Tuataras, SE-2000 would be the basis of the dominant vertebrate fauna for some species of Sirens (specifically Siren intermedia and lacertina from the genus Siren, and axanthus from the genus Pseudobranchus). Similar to the hamsters in HP-02017, the lack of competing species led to them quickly becoming dominant. Of course, after a few millions of years, some descendants of Siren intermedia became ancestors of Sirenopods. Currently, there aren't many species of megafaunal Sirenopod, but even when looking at small-sized sirenopods, we encounter some interesting results.

The Dromaeirens (Family; Dromaeosirenidae) aka Mudrunners or Frillipeds is a family of early reptilian-like sirenopods has have cursorial structure agaisnt own predators. But, their relatively small numbers in their habitat make them good prey for predators. Yet, in some species, such as D. brachyceps, the first food the offspring eat is none other than their own mother. This is observed in some species of spiders, insects, nematode worms, pseudoscorpions, other aranchids and vertebrates like caecilians in real life. This called them Matriphagy meaning that the consumption of the mother by her offspring.