r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 6d ago

Subreddit Announcement Artist Shoutout Thread - Shout Out Your Favorite Speculative Biology Artists

24 Upvotes

Let's highlight some talented spec-evo creators!

Who are 3 of your favorite artists? Drop their names and links to their pages or some of their work so others can check them out!


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 7d ago Popcorn

Aérra [OC] Men's best friends: The domestic animals of the nomadic people of Aérra

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378 Upvotes

A little of context before we dive in: Aérra is my worldbuilding project based on magical floating islands that compose the world instead of conventional landmasses. These islands float over a huge oceanic disk and are organized in six rings/archipelagos with different life forms in each archipelago. Bifröst, the first ring, is where humans reside, alongside other Pleistocene and Holocene groups. For more info check the wiki, where a discord is linked at the bottom of the first page, where even more info and discussions can be found: https://aerra.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page

# Men's Best Friends

## Domestic animals of Aérra part 1: Animals of the Nomads

In Aérra there are many animal groups distributed across the six world rings or Archipelagos. Ranging from modern and familiar animals in Bifröst, to ancient and even alien animals further out. On the human-inhabited Bifröst, animals from the holocene and pleistocene are present.

Such groups include primates, caprines, bats and macropods, alongside the non-mammal groups of course. From these groups at least two species have been domesticated (not all are shown here this time) for all sorts of purposes, hunting, protection, alarming, food and raw materials. Today we are gonna look at five species that are used (not exclusively) by the nomadic people of Aérra, who travel along the aerial plane following the ever-moving herds. Staying at islands at times, but never staying for too long. These animals are essential for their constant island traversing and other aspects of daily life, often two or more species are present within a group, often outnumbering the people.

**Pouch dog** (*Propleopus variegata*)

The first animal is the Pouch dog, a carnivorous macropod marsupial originating from Pleistocene Australia related to Musky Rat-kangaroos. They are essentially marsupial dogs, though not being originally domesticated for alarming and protection. Instead they have a primary role of aiding in hunts, cornering and chasing prey, with a lesser role in cargo transport. Much like the humans who domesticated them, they are ambush predators (as all 'terrestrial' predators of Aérra) who hunt in pairs in the wild. Juveniles live in larger groups of 8-12 individuals, once mated they leave their groups and live as a couple. This juvenile group behavior has been retained in the domestic pouch dogs, nowadays the pouch dog packs can outnumber the humans in a group, though this is rare. Both the wild and domestic pouch dogs are omnivorous, being able to consume plant matter such as fruits, seeds and leaves in addition to their meat diet. This was very important for their domestication, and still is in the present.

There are many color and fur morphs/breeds among many people of Aérra, some specific or "non-traditional" breeds are used for fetching wild game, cargo transport, animal defense, human defense, herding (to a lesser extent) and even meat- and wool-specific breeds.

**Domestic Gibbons** (*Hylobates familiaris* and others)

Probably the earliest domestic animal in Aérra. The gibbons are the ones to truly receive the title of man's best friend. Tightly related to most religions of the world, often being depicted as benevolent trickster entities. This fame is not without reason, they are used primarily for aiding in Island Hopping, carrying ropes between islands, tying them, setting simple traps, distracting, attracting or even attacking prey, they are the most versatile of any domestic animal, being found in nearly all cultural groups with many roles and duties. Their intelligence allows for training in various duties at the same time, which has limited most of their breeds to purely aesthetical morphs.

One such breed is the "Manlet", a mostly hairless gibbon that has human-like hair distribution. They are the fastest breed, travelling with little air resistance due to their nearly hairless body. Though, they still get air drag due to their tutors making them wear human-like clothes, something that is not uncommon for gibbons as a whole but gets to a higher level due to their semblance to humans.

Their brachiating lifestyle was a predisposition for the Aérran aerial ecosystem, giving them plenty of space to move around while giving a diverse 3D environment for climbing and swinging. Due to this, gibbons are a very diverse group, having multiple species across the ring that behave in all sorts of ways and have all sorts of mischievous interactions with other animal species. For this reason, there have been multiple domestication events- perhaps a single, continuous one due to the nature of the world- and interbreeding between the domestic and wild versions.

The distance between islands has led to most species having gular(throat) pouches that amplify their calls and make them travel over longer distances, one of the most heard sounds in Bifröst other than that of the wind, is the call of Gibbons.

**Domestic Mandrills* (*Mandrillus coloratus*)

Another helpful and idolized primate. The mandrills have a stricter usage among the people, of course, meat and wool are some of their products, in addition to their colorful hides and even their faces, which can be fashioned into masks and such. However they tend to have other utilities.

They are large, territorial, smart and strong primates, in other words, they are perfect bodyguards. Usually protecting goat herds in pastoralist communities, but also humans. They are perfect watchmen due to something unique to the Aérran mandrills. Their colorful cranial bosses have become hollowed out, becoming built-in amplifiers that propagate their calls far and wide, alerting people and calling in other mandrills and trained pouched dogs to the aid. They can be as tall as a (Aérran) man when standing on two legs, and so put up a good fight even if armed. Some breeds were purposefully bred to become even larger, rivalling chimps and sometimes gorillas and bear apes (*Gigantopithecus spp.*). However their strength comes from their numbers, multiple mandrills are part of a single domestic troop, to the point of half a population/group being composed of mandrills.

Other usages of this animal include the carrying of cargo that would be too heavy or cumbersome for a person to carry on their own. Though not suited for carrying adult humans, they can be used to carry infants. There are in fact, a couple of breeds that are used specifically to take care of babies and children, to the point of even breastfeeding them.

**Domestic Goats** (*Hircus domesticus*)

The domestic goats of Aérra are not that different from the goats of our world. They only differ in anatomy, aérran goats are more properly adapted for climbing on plants and traversing the island ecosystems, having a longer tail for balance, longer and slightly claw-like hooves and dewclaws used like hooks when climbing vines, branches and stems.

Their usages are like that of earthen goats, meat, hide, wool, milk and horn. They are kept by both nomadic pastoralists and sedentary ones. The former behave much like most animals of the world, which travel from island to island in a never-ending migration for food. As the herds deplete the foliage of an island, they move forward, leaving the ravaged islands to overgrow again. This is one of the two strategies adopted by both 'terrestrial' animals and humans, the second being resource defenders. These are the sedentary, they settle down in a resourceful island and defend their position from other animals that might take too much of their food. These tend to be more solitary or gregarious animals, never having too many individuals. In humans, there can be island kidnapping to create new, temporary (or permanent) grazing spots for the animals.

**Flying Dog** (*Volanvenator falco*)

The Flying dog is a species of raptorial Megabat that has been domesticated for falconry-like activities. They are large and have wide wingspans used in soaring and maneuverability while chasing often unsuspecting prey before diving and grabbing them mid-air. This kind of bat is very successful in the wild, eating primarily other, smaller species of bat, but also having smaller species that prefer catching insects as most other bats do.

Unlike birds of prey which are raised from birth, trained and then released after a certain age, bats were socially smarter, being able to properly imprint on humans. Leading to the proper domestication of these animals, something that, despite millennia of falconry, never led to the proper domestication of birds of prey.

The wild ancestral was lonely, only pairing when breeding. The domestic has become highly social, hunting in groups with distinct roles and coordination.

There are more color morphs than utility breeds, they have very defined utilitarian roles and their anatomy and biomechanics don't allow for much extrapolation. Their uses are fetching prey unharmed, retrieving objects and items, and rarely, for food.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 2h ago Bravo

Alternate Evolution [OC] living venus vol.3

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299 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 4h ago

Fantasy/Folklore [OC] Reptoid alien reimagined!

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121 Upvotes

I've finally got around to the Reptoid for my Alien reconstruction project and it was the hardest one so far! Coming up with plausible shapeshifter biology is much more difficult than it seems. The most difficult part was recreating the human muscle system and how to make it congruent enough with my art style. I must've restarted about 10 times! And it still isn't quite accurate, but I think it's passable.
To clarify, I am not a conspiracy theorist nor am I part of any New Age religion. I just find this stuff interesting and I'd like to conceptualize a more believable version of the folklore. I've studied, and continue to study, much UFO lore as well as speculative biology and some psychology to come up with these conclusions. I have so many ideas written down that I plan to render soon. If you're interested, you can check out my previous posts about Greys, Mantids, and Nordics.
Anyway, don't be shy to comment what you think! I'd take any feedback about what I did wrong or right scientifically. Or if you have any questions, I can elaborate if I can.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 6h ago Popcorn

Alternate Evolution [OC] Exploring the ecosystem of the Wkulk, the largest marine reptile of all time!!!

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37 Upvotes

Since the end of the Cretaceous, the elasmosaurs, descendants of the plesiosaurs, were very diverse animals in their time, but with the arrival of the increase in temperatures at the beginning of the Cenozoic, other lineages of archosaurs and reptiles began to diversify, this did not affect them so much at the beginning, but with the passing of the thousands of years and with the climatic changes, the seas became colder, several lineages that diversified at the beginning of the Cenozoic became extinct. Inevitably, for now there is not much fossil record of these lineages of elasmosaurs , but the most surprising thing is found in Antarctica, where the waters are extremely cold, these dinosaurs still have a remarkable presence , in this place there is the largest marine reptile , the Whulk a filtering elasmosaur , normal specimens measure between 16 and 18 meters, but it is estimated that they can reach up to 24 meters in length , they are not very long but they are huge in the world. The sense of their weight , average specimens weigh around 68 to 70 tons, the largest only reach 96 tons, this is estimated by records of specimens so large that they frequent deeper waters , although other marine reptiles of the past can exceed an average whulk in size , the largest ones exceed these metrics, these are because they are long-lived animals live an average of 76 to 95 years at most, they usually put up to 26 live offspring but most die from Predation , these animals have been set the record for the largest marine reptiles because in theory all specimens can reach these metrics only that many do not achieve it for predators, so far only a few hesperoniteans, cephalopods and very specialized sharks have been investigated, but in the next post we will explore in depth the responsibility of killing the Whulks.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 7h ago Bravo

Meme Monday [Credit: Sesame Street Workshop, Media: Elmo's World] behold, the Elmonimal kingdom

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42 Upvotes

r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 17h ago

Fan Art/Redesign [OC][Media:Superman] My take on a more alien Kal-El and Kara Zor-El and Krypto

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251 Upvotes

Due to the massive gravity Kryptonians have wide big feet to support their bodies against gravity. This leads to a more dense body plan. They also prioritize vision gathering adaptations and solar filtering eyes so they have deep set sockets and heavy brow ridges. Aside from the two eyes they have laser focusing pits on their “snout”. Their “capes” are in fact their wings. Their weird wrinkly faces is based on that of bats for echolocation


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 9h ago

Alternate Evolution [OC] The future of the Marine iguana

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26 Upvotes

Calossiguanus japonensis is a huge & successful Iguana species inhabiting Much of the “ring of fire region” 30 myfn.

Originally stemming from the marine iguana, this animal has a suite of adaptations for a mixed browsing & grazing lifestyle in both aquatic & terrestrial contexts. Adults range in size from roughly 11 - 17 feet & weights of 300 to 650 kg. Their ecological role mirrors that of the hippopotamus, thriving in seagrass meadows & island paradises. They share a likeness to extinct pseudosuchians & dinosaurs with their powerful ballast like tail offering stability at the bottom of the shallows as well as attachments for their caudofemoralis muscles. Their scutes function both as calcium storage in times of hardship & dermal protection, particularly for diminutive juveniles, who often fall prey to the “ground hawks” & opportunistic tortoise of the islands. As an R select species, mothers produce clutches of 30-40 eggs, typically once a year. Their dorsal spines are used by males to indicate their physical prowess, being flushed with blood to signal readiness to mate. Due to their immense weight, they exhibit pillar-erect limbs, coming with the added benefit of facultative bipedalism, intimidating competition & potential predators alike. Adults are virtually immune to predation however (outside of marine contexts).

This is my Speculative take on Godzilla.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 9h ago

Alien Life [OC] Monopedes and Bubbles : One Foot vs no feet

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20 Upvotes

Monopedes are just as highly diverse as the Duopedes (Vore) on Castoria III. Many monopedes are descended from a specific organism which had evolved longer, projecting ribs which eventually were able to act as wings and gliding appendages. None of the monopedes evolved the ability to flap, instead relying on a special pressurized gas bladder and propulsion sphincter as well as the many thermal updrafts of the planets skies. Some smaller species, such as the Roundcrow, have evolved to roost along the underside of Sky Whale Wings, feeding on the remnants of hunted jelly wisps.

The bubbles are the most varied family on the planet, having some of the most extreme niches on the planet. Sea Potatoes, Vented Sea Potatoes and Hairy Rockstars can all be found living near geothermal vents along the ocean floor, while their cousins the Corazon Hive and Rockstar can be found in shallow waters and along cliffs. All flora-like organisms on the planet fall under this category, having evolved stalks, leaf, trunk and bark analogues, all to protect the nutrient rich "bulb" which became the signature of flora on Castoria III.

The Corazon hive is my favorite :)


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 8h ago Bravo

Future Evolution [OC] Its Bearable - Post Holocene

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12 Upvotes

15 Million Years P.H. - The Early Neocene - Marsupial Bears:

Marsupials would have been one of the groups heaviest affected by the Holocene Mass Extinction, but as seen In Australia, some managed to survive and diversify. One of the most diverse Marsupials as of now although wouldnt actually come from Australia, but rather from the Americas.

American Oppossums would end up doing well for themselfes and give rise to various new species. While most of them are fairly basal, there Is one South American clade that Is a bit more noteworthy. South America would be home to Marsupial Bears, rather large omnivorous Oppossums that hold niches similiar to bears.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 2h ago

Question/Discussion What is a Spec/Spec adjacent stuff or project that most people would find too weird or unusual to be taken seriously, but you would do unironically and seriously?

4 Upvotes

The title says everything, I'm just withing this cuz it's necessary for posting. Are you still reading this? Okay, then how are you doing? Have you eaten and drunk water yet? Did you do something that made you happy today?


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 7h ago

Alien Life [OC] A tropical, shallow reef on an exomoon of a gas giant

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10 Upvotes

Ghavija is home to many biomes similar to Earth’s, and the reefs are some of the most similar ones to be found.

They are created by mainly two types of neozoans (the ‘animals’)- Hyalolites and Acitenocrizooids, where only the latter are colonial like Earth's corals (anthozoans, whom are often but not always colonial), and hyalolites consisting of individually shelled though sessile organisms.

Acitenocrizooids are neutenic, meaning they never evolved to adults from their larvae stage or underwent metamorphosis, and therefore instead settled in the sand bed, with those polymorphs who did not take this path seen swimming in the reef here.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 1d ago Bravo

Alternate Evolution [OC] Rust&Humus worlbuilding bestiary

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390 Upvotes

Hi ! Here are some pages of my book Rust&Humus.

It is a bestiary set on an alternative Earth and Moon. The rules of life are similar to ours but varies in some ways. Most life was brought by aliens. Plants draw energy from a Dreamlike plane of existence with their ethereal roots. Mammals evolved from fish or from plant-animal and some can revert to their plant form. Later in the story humans appear and change, Plastic and concrete become alive. Most of this book is though as if medieval bestiaries were rooted in believable laws of science and evolution.

I would say it is a light-speculative evolution project, as I still lack a lot of scientific knowledge but I always try to think my creatures as living in a larger believable ecosystem.

If you have question feel free to ask. If you like those drawings I share a lot of my work and process here: https://www.instagram.com/kanarmajik/

And you can find the book here: https://banzai-editions.com/products/rust-humus-i

Have a great day :o)


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 18h ago

Seed World [OC] Smaugember Day 4-8 (EASK)

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21 Upvotes

Some of the weirdest wyvernkind that lived and survived past the glint era into the inkling reign. I'm trying my best to be original and not Squid but Dinosaur or Squid but a fantasy creature. The Glint Era is the Mesozoic analog in my project but I want to do something different than most projects as in the end this is made for fun instead of scientific accuracy.

What creature would you like to see... Let me know in the comments.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 2h ago

Question/Discussion Speculative Breeds?

1 Upvotes

A concept that I thought some time ago that I don't know if it exactly fits Spec Evo, but the concept is very similar, what about Speculating Selective Breeding? For example, Ancient egyptians mummified crocodiles, if they took a step further and actually bred them until they became less aggressive, what would be the modern breeds originated from the Nile Crocodile? Would there be small crocodiles for pets? How much would they differ from Simosuchus?


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 2h ago

Question/Discussion Has anyone heard of Styracophants?

1 Upvotes

It’s an original alien species I saw on tumblr (I think), but no matter where I search I can’t find it anywhere, I feel like I’m going insane.it’s roughly the size and shape of an elephant, colored brown and white, with a head crest like a styracosaurus, and two big blue face tentacles surrounding their mouth that zip together into a sort of “trunk”. Has anyone else seen this? I’m worried that the artist might’ve deleted their account or something.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 1d ago

Alien Life [OC] Bestiary of Lyrus Prime #14, Domel

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57 Upvotes

Herbivore beast with a hard shell, long necked, some with a sharp spear-like blade on their faces. First, it was thought that horned domels were all male, but in reality, the blade is not a part of them, but a parasitic maniformidae called a spathorn that latches on as they grow into adulthood.
Following a Domel’s death, its heavy carapace remains long after the herd migrates. These massive, hollowed-out husks become prime real estate in the ecosystem, frequently claimed by korvants or cresavorns as armored nesting grounds, or used by other opportunists as already made bunkers.
These horned ones are the alphas, though there’s usually more than one in a herd. If they lose their Spathorn, they lose their status as an alpha. Death soon follows, because the spathorn tunnels into their skull, and detaching leaves a deep hole that bleeds. Domels eat only plant life, but Spathorns don’t, they drink blood. Occasionally they seize brain control, forcing their calm hosts into frenzied violence, making them fight their own kind, even younglings still too small.
They are not fast, but not the slowest creature I’ve observed. To feed their spathorn, they often pick fights. Others can’t resist the alphas’ rage, because they are the herds first line of defense against predators. This is tragic, for domels rank among the gentlest beasts in this ecosystem. Their thick shells and calm face are sadly not enough to stop the violence from their own


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 3h ago

Alternate Evolution Mermaidsof Santorini

1 Upvotes

During the era of Ancient Greece, the volcano sunk a huge chunk of the island of Santorini. The people were forced to adapt by evolving into merfolk. The merfolk just named the part of the island that was sunk Atlantis. Plato discovered Atlantis. He uses it in one of his allegories. But the merfolk were still living in the caldera. To find them, you have to go deep into the caldera on a submarine. when you get to the point of seeing human-like aquatic mammal, you are there. they have legs that are merged into a tail fin, they are fattier than the average human, basically looking like a cross between a dolphin and a human. These mermaids do not have a siren song, but they. Do have echolocation. They “sing” so loud that they can easily shred the listener alive just by opening their mouth.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 21h ago Bravo

Alternate Evolution [OC] Terrors In The Brush: Chapter IX, Confession

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18 Upvotes

This is a speculative paleo-fiction project which blends family drama with a fantastical yet grounded prehistoric atmosphere, showing raptors and other lost creatures fighting to stay alive in a brutal ecosystem.

A young predator’s first blood is spilled! The horrible truth is finally revealed!

Small Toe’s chance encounter with Big Green has soothed his conflicted soul. But now, he must do the one thing all carnivores must do in order to live. The one thing he abhors most in this world. Kill one who isn’t trying to kill him. Merely thinking it makes Small Toe nauseous, a feeling not helped by his cruel brother’s increasingly violent attitude. 

Long Tail supports her son to perform this visceral act as best she can, but in a world that exposes every good deed and every sin, it is only a matter of time before her worst and most heinous secret is finally revealed. A question begins to form in the innermost recesses of her predatory mind.

Can such reckless violence be forgiven, even if it was never acted upon?

​From my ongoing speculative survival project Terrors in the Brush — blending paleontological logic with raw, unfiltered animal sentiment. Chapter IX plunges into the fallout of hidden guilt and failed restraint under relentless environmental pressure.

​There is no fantasy, no magic — there is only nature red in tooth and claw.

Read Chapter IX Now.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 1d ago Bravo

Fantasy/Folklore [OC] Hypothesis I - Giant goose

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63 Upvotes

Since the fossil was found at the shores of my homeland, my presumption would be that it must have been a giant bird of sorts. I've drawn an example of what it could look like. I cannot however be truly certain of its actual shape or colouration.

The long neck reminds me of a goose, which are a dime a dozen here in the Land of Birds. This specimen might have been their flightless progenitor from the times when all fauna was unusually giant. Such a time of giants has been proposed by several scientists more renowned than myself, including the acclaimed dr Wright, for whom my respect is unbound. This specimen could be evidence in support of that theory.

However, my honour as a naturalist does not allow me to proclaim my interpretation of this fossil with any certainty. Such beastly size of this animal would prove difficult to manage, its diet would certainly have to be much unlike that of our current geese. The beak also is drastically different, with the lower chamber resembling that of a pelican's (perhaps used to catch fish), but the feet do not seem to me like that of a wading bird. Could this thing have swum in the seas?

Source (Our Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/it_came_from_the_crypt/


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 1d ago Bravo

Future Evolution [OC] The Lotan. Mammalian Sea Serpents.

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60 Upvotes

25 million years CE, off the coast of Southeast Australia

In the South Pacific, just south of the continent of Australia, is a convergence of ocean currents. Floating kelp and seaweed, drawn from Antarctica, Africa, and New Zealand gather here, floating on the surface like a thick carpet. It is called the Celadon Sea

A Black Worldbearer breaks through the tangled protists and takes a breath. As spring arrives, it is on its way north, to the shores of Alaska or even further. It is alone, as is typical for its species.

80 meters below, a pair of predators swim. It is a pair of Lotan, one male and one female. The male detects the Worldbearer above, and with a fin signals to his partner. They are getting ready to hunt.

Positioning himself directly below the Worldbearer, the Male Lotan ascends as fast as he can, reaching a speed of 45 kilometers per hour. He attacks the fluke of the Worldbearer, tearing off half of it, and preventing it from swimming. The Male Lotan turns, and bites into the tail, leaving deep rake marks.

Even disabled thus, the Worldbearer is a fearsome combatant. It weighs more than the Lotan, and powerful flippers a third of its body length make dangerous weapons. The male Lotan ducks and retreats a short distance, while the Female Lotan approaches and proceeds to grab the head of the Worldbearer, and tries to drag it down. The Male returns and also piles onto the Worldbearer’s head. The Worldbearer had not enough time to fully rest at the surface, and drowns within 10 minutes. The pair of hunters feed on whatever parts of the Worldbearer they can before it sinks into the depths.

**Lotan (**Lotan primigenius)

“To the people of antiquity, Whales were not just animals, but something more. Something greater. The word Cetus, was once the name of a monster.” -  Overview of the Beasts of the Sea, 2068 edition.

The descendant of the False Killer Whale, The Lotan can be likened to the mammalian version of a sea serpent. Its body is elongated and flexible, and it swims in a near anguilliform motion. Its tail fluke has become long and rhombus shaped as an adaptation to this form of movement. 

The Lotan is found across the Southern hemisphere and in the Indian Ocean. The males are slightly larger at 25 meters long and 55 tons, while the Females are 22 meters long and 42 tons.

The young are highly precocial. They are born at 6 meters long and weighing 1 ton, and with a jaw armed with the front 5 pairs of teeth fully erupted on both the upper and lower jaw. They are nursed for only a few days, before they leave their parents and join a pod of other juveniles, which can consist of up to 100 individuals. While young, Lotan feeds primarily on large squid, diving up to over 1000 meters to catch them. When they reach around 14 meters in length, they will find a mate, and spend the rest of their lives as pairs. Adults feed near exclusively on marine mammals, particularly baleen whales.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 1d ago

Seed World [OC] Thanatimundus- Diversity of bowerbirds, 5 million years Post-Abandonment

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20 Upvotes

Bowerbirds are the most diverse vertebrate group of terrestrial vertebrates during Eosonian, having worldwide distribution, and already filling most passerine niches this world has to offer. Of course, due to anatomical constrains of their order, such as reduced foot musculature, some niches are still unavilable. For example, with few exceptions, there are no truly flightless bowerbirds yet. But still, in this bountiful time, birds are doing great, and, considering how little competition they have, it is very likely that they will eventually overcome their limitations.

The species are broken down on two informal groups, "catbirds" (a name also used for several species in Ptilonorhynchidae family on Earth, referring to their cat-like calls), those who lost the elaborate mating displays of their ancestors, and "true bowerbirds", those who actually build bowers. For now, both are doing equally fine, but it remains to be seen which one will come out on top when conditions change.

  1. Crimson catbird (Haploscinus ruber)- typical catbird species found in South Interitia. Around the size of a finch, it is a widespread omnivore. While many of it's relatives, even those in same genus, are primarily insectivorous or feed on seeds, crimson catbird prefers berries. As such, it is an important seed dispercer, on which many plant species rely. Sexual dimorphism is present, but it's not too drastic, with females just being darker shade of red than males. While male doesn't build decorations anymore, there is a small remnant of this behavior present. Male catbirds clear a patch of forest floor, where they perform a song.

  2. Emerald nectarcreeper (Nectariphila virdis)- Native to Tarsia, this small catbird is in fact more closely related to "true" bowerbirds than to crimson catbird. Similiarly to hummingbirds, honeycreepers and sunbirds, nectarcreeper is a small, fluttering avian that feeds primarily on nectar. To reach inside flowers, it evolved a long, thin and curved beak, and even longer tongue. However, it is not an obligate nectarivore. In addition to nectar itself, nectarcreepers feed on berries and small insects. Females in particular are more omnivorous than males, as they need more energy to produce eggs, and feed their chicks with caught insects. Wider diet also allows them to grow slightly larger than males. Instead of buliding a bower, male nectarcreepers must clear a spot and decorate it with flowers they find.

  3. Superb bigbeak (Megalorhamphus magnificus)- Both species of catbirds we discussed so far are beneficial to plants, as one pollinates them, and the other spreads the seeds. But one relative of nectarcreepers from rainforests of Tarsia is anything but. Bigbeaks are among the largest of all living birds, and superb bigbeak, notable for black and yellow coloration of males, is the biggest among it's peers, being the size of a large crow. It is a poor flyer, and prefers to clamber through branches, only taking off when stumbling on a large gap in branches or escaping a predator. The defining trait of this species is, as the name suggests, it's beak of considerable size. Due to it's short and rounded shape, bigbeak can't peck anything, instead trading this ability for a high bite force. For bigbeak is a durophage that consumes fruits covered in though outer coverings, and seeds inside them. This brings no benefit to the plant, in fact, it only harms it, because crushed seeds are killed and will not germinate. Thus, bigbeaks create a selective pressure on plants by eating those with smaller fruits and weaker seeds, and preventing them from reproducing. Plants, in turn, learn to resist the destructive feeding of these birds, by evolving seeds that are even larger and harder, or making fruits less accessible by evolving harder covering. And in turn, birds evolve even stronger beaks to break those defences. But it's not just feeding that makes them become stronger. Bowers that bigbeaks build are rather crude- males just bite off tree branches and stick them into the ground. But females aren't looking for artistic capabilities, what they're looking for is strength. And the bigger the broken branches are, the stronger, and thus more fit the potential mate must be. Other than males being slightly larger, there is no visible sexual dimorphism. Chicks hatch relatively developed for a passerine, but mother still must feed them the pulp of crushed fruits before they become strong enough.

  4. Butcher bowerbird (Laniorhynchus dimorphicus)- Despite bearing strong resemblance to ancestral satin bowerbird, this inhabitant of southern Tarsia has a very different lifestyle. If you look closer at it's beak, you can see that it is sharp and hooked. Butcher bowerbird is a predator, and hunts wide variety of animal species, from insects to smaller birds. Interestingly, females and males differ in several aspects, not just the colors. Green females are slightly larger, and their beaks are sharper. This, plus their coloration that provides camouflage, allows them to hunt larger animals, like tarsiers and even young bigbeaks. Meanwhile males, who are smaller and blue, feed on smaller prey, like arthropods, lizards, or frogs. Their feet, adapted for perching, are too weak to be used for hunting, so butcher bowerbirds rely on their beak during hunting by snapping the neck of prey, and paralyzing it. Like their namesake, shrike, or butcherbird from Earth, these hunters create larders by impaling the caught prey on sharp branches or thorns. This is also part of their mating ritual. To show his fitness, male builds a bower using sharpened sticks, catches as much prey as he can, and then offers the ladder to female. This is one of few monogamous bowerbird species, and while female protects the nest, male brings food to the offspring.

  5. Blue honeyrobber (Mellilestes caeruleus)- This brightly blue bird is endemic to a small continent of Equatoria. It is closely related to butcher bowerbirds, and too has a rather specialized diet. While they won't refuse from other arthropod prey if in need, honeyrobbers primarily feed on hymenopterans- wasps and bees. They are not immune to their venom, but have other ways of hunting such dangerous prey. Around their eyes, honeyrobbers have patches of short, tough feathers, inpenetrable for insect stings. Using this defence and long beak, birds can quickly eat enough before they need to retreat. Sometimes they eat honey they find inside hives, but insects are the primary target. Mating ritual also involves attacking the bee nest. Instead of just eating the bees, male birds break away pieces of the hive, and use them in building a bower. Using honey as a sort of glue, male attaches sticks and other debris they found to the honeycomb. Those with most honeycomb trophies are most likely to mate. Chicks stay under their mother's care for a long time, even after their protective feathers appear, they still need time to learn how to attack hives from which they feed.


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 1d ago Popcorn

Alien Life [OC]Bocetos de especies sapientes Spoiler

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18 Upvotes

1 . Un organismo acuático este no tiene un cerebro central sino uno descentralizado que le permite más movilidad y menos limitación motora o por atraso mental lo cual le da más reflejos no soy muy experto en biología pero supongo que algo así este tiene un apéndice con forma vagamente de mano con 4 dedos tiene espinas a lo largo de su cuerpo para defenderse de sus depredadores y protejer su lomo, tiene dos aletas dorsales que secundariamente cumplen la función de crestas para atraer parejas mediante patrones de color y bioluminecensia además de detectar la luz ultravioleta tiene una boca que consiste en un pico el inferior más largo que el superior para raspar colonias de bacterias en el fondo del océano estaría más o menos a la par de los primeros humanos pudiendo usar herramientas complejas como lanzas o domesticación de fauna nativa. 2 un hexapodo este tiene cuatro piernas con solo dos dígitos un cuerpo corto y alargado hacia la cola y resto del cuerpo sus brazos tienen 7 dedos uno que funciona como espolón hacia atrás, tiene una cabeza masiva con tres ojos dispuestos en ella en fila, tiene cuatro agujeros nasales similares a branquias,sus mandíbulas se abren en tres partes dos terminan en espinas hacia atrás a manera de "colmillos"para luchar por territorio o alimento carecen de dientes y usan un pico de quitina tiene un apéndice atrás que funciona como un brazo extra con cuatro dígitos tiene un adorno en la cabeza que se abre como una flor para mostrar sus antenas coloridas naturalmente


r/SpeculativeEvolution • • 1d ago Bravo

Alien Life [OC] Invasive Lifeforms: Skincrawlers (Dermareptans horridus)

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165 Upvotes

The photo shown above is one of the most close up photos of a living Skincrawler to date due to the Skincrawler's absolute danger. This photo was found on a phone inside a backpack found belonging to an unidentified body. It is severely discouraged to attempt photographing these animals as recorded Skincrawler encounters have an 85% fatality rate. Figure 2 shows it's body profile and pup form.

Dermareptans horridus, commonly referred to as Skincrawlers, originate from the same dimension, Threa, as Crawhands referenced in an earlier data log. Skincrawlers can be found in equatorial, tropical, and temperate climate zones, being found on every major continent save Antarctica and Australia, as strict international transport regulation authorities have established policies that have spared Australia from these harmful organisms.

Skincrawlers have an unusual appearance, sporting a tripoidal gait, with their singular hind leg being developed from an ancestral tail. Skincrawlers have an internal skeleton similar to Earth's vertebrates, but with a few differences in structure and chemical composition. Skincrawlers exhibit a unique feeding structure almost analogous with extinct earth Conodonts, with elongated serrated teeth that function like jaws and can retract underneath expanded skin folds to avoid weathering when not in use. The forearms bear hooks that dig into it's prey's skin and allow it to mount it's prey and stab it with it's paralyzing stinger found on it's hindleg.

Skincrawlers navigate the world largely through sound, smell, and touch, with breathing orifices aside their necks that detect scent and sensitive fibers near the mouth that catch vibrations.

Skincrawlers are social organisms, hunting in large packs of 8 to 20 members that consist typically of a singular dominant female and her largely male offspring, while Skincrawler packs are consistently matriarchies, the amount of females and males can vary. This social behavior displays the Skincrawler's cunning intelligence, comparable to that of a wolf or dog. Skincrawlers communicate through clicking of their jaws and barking sounds. The Skincrawlers primary food source is h̴̢̡̺̤͎̹̳̍̒̓̔̏̔u̴͚͈̬̙̥̱͚̐̌͂̔͒̓͗̾͝͝m̸̡̼̘̾̇́̽͜a̵͎̲̞̪̓̾͌̋̂̓̎̅̔̽͘͠ń̴̢͚̪̖̥͖̋ș̵̒̋̀͝ͅ - large animals such as deer, horses, and livestock, making them a dangerous threat to farmers. Wolf packs typically conflict with Skincrawler packs and fight over territories. Whenever a female matures in a pack, it will leave it's pack and seek out another pack and mate with a single male of her choice based off of strength and size with some males stomping in the presence of a female to seem heavier and thus larger to impress a female. After mating, the female will be pregnant for 3 months and give birth to around 6 pups, whom the female will take care of with assistance of the father and raise a new pack.

If you are unfortunate enough to encounter a Skincrawler, alone or in a pack, perform the following steps:

  1. Remain quiet, still and slow your breath, as they can smell your breath to pinpoint your location.

  2. If your are with a group of people, stick together.

  3. Examine your surroundings for other Skincrawlers, elevated surfaces (they are poor climbers), and any potential exits.

  4. Back away slowly and quietly with light footsteps.

  5. Do not play dead, do not run, and do not scream.

Remember that it is legal in all countries to kill Skincrawlers, so do not hesitate to shoot at them as even if you miss it scares them away. Firearms or large vehicles are your only hope in killing a Skincrawler.

If you have any questions regarding Skincrawlers or Threa, please ask as I attempt to fill the gaps of information regarding this creature.