Questions tagged [anatomy]
For questions about the physical structure of an organism.
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2answers
178 views
A reverse centaur walks into a bar - Why the long face?
A centaur as we all know is a horse with a human head (and torso).
I would like to consider a reverse centaur, which, for the purposes of this question, I will define to be a human with a horse's ...
0
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4answers
251 views
The Galaxy has been colonised but why the big feet?
Far, far into the future, pretty much the entire Milky Way has been colonised by humans. The thing is that now the Empire has fallen, the technology of FTL travel has been lost in most places. Those ...
5
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3answers
115 views
What practical forms can a “branch-tailed” organism have?
So, I made the slight mistake of worldbuilding by starting off with just a planet's local sentient species and working from there.
This species, the Trillek, have a more or less theropod appearance ...
23
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12answers
8k views
How can a mortal woman successfully carry a demigod to term?
Demigods are special humans that are born partly divine. These individuals have been extremely rare throughout history, and always have various significant effects for the world around them, leading ...
5
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2answers
138 views
Would it possible for a creature to melt down rocks in its stomach and spit out lava?
Worldbuilding and biology have always been two huge passions of mine, especially when it comes to dragons. So well, at the moment I'm working on a little project in which I'm attempting to make ...
6
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2answers
137 views
How would a literal eye on the back of the head work?
So I've got a fantasy race of people with four arms. Their second pair is able to reach behind them like how our arms are able to reach in front of us, and so could work with things behind their backs ...
9
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3answers
210 views
Could humanoids without a skeleton be viable?
It's tempting to think that anything with the outer shape of a human would simply collapse in a heap if its skeleton were not there. That is surely true if the internal structure was the same as ours ...
3
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4answers
155 views
Designing the Scipmylo - The Low-jump
This is a follow-up to The running-backwards Olympics
The designer of the backwards Olympics (aka The Scipmylo) is making good progress but there are some difficulties with the Low-jump.
To be a ...
3
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4answers
313 views
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, sit
down, stand up, keep moving We'll all be merry and bright
https://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/o113.html
I want a creature that ...
9
votes
2answers
602 views
The running-backwards Olympics
In a future world that is obsessed by not repeating the so-called errors of their fathers, there is a backwards Olympics, or Scipmylo.
All the usual disciplines are featured in reverse where it is ...
0
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3answers
145 views
Could a creature have a separate pouch to hold food until it is needed?
I am developing a species that gives birth to live young after a very brief pregnancy. The infants are somewhat underdeveloped due to this fact. The harsh environment of the mountains means that those ...
5
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3answers
562 views
What kinds of metals will function as a blood base? [duplicate]
I've been working really hard for a while now on a race of creatures called Nordic mountain Valkyrie Dragons. They are large: around 7'ft tall, and 9'ft from nose to tail tip, and I'm trying to come ...
9
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2answers
229 views
Anatomically Correct Nekos
I am new at this site, but I've been creating a fantasy story for a while.
Now, I'm stuck. I would really like cat people (neko) in my story, but there is a problem! you can't just stick cat ears on ...
5
votes
3answers
166 views
Digestive System Within Limbs
This one might be a bit weird, but here it goes...
In designing the evolutionary history of my world, I've devised an evolutionary branch of animals adapting to terrestrial environments. Lacking rear ...
37
votes
23answers
12k views
Make slimes great again, but how?
Slimes are seen as merely base-level enemies which don't really challenge the heroic main character, the Chosen One.
My question is how to make slimes incredibly powerful without using magic. They ...
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5answers
258 views
Is it possible for a terrestrial creature to generate lightning?
Question Context:
I've been developing insect-looking bipeds that have evolved on a mostly jungle/ocean planet in addition to small, scattered grasslands. This is justified (from what I've read) by a ...
0
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1answer
113 views
Hive Minds - Part 1: Genesis
EDIT: As suggested by L.Dutch, I turned the original post into a series of its own.
Some Context
A "Hive Mind" is an aggressive type of shared consciousness (for more information on shared ...
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3answers
136 views
Shared Consciousnesses - Part 1: Genesis
EDIT: As suggested by L.Dutch, I turned the original post into a series of its own.
Some Context
Though the name "Shared Consciousness" is pretty self explanatory to me, the best I can do to ...
8
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10answers
3k views
Cryomancer, combat style
Cryomancy is cool, ice is cool and ice mages too. But does it actually hold any utility other than keeping your food fresh, specially martially wise(?)
How could an individual with ice magic powers ...
6
votes
2answers
227 views
Giant shoulders
Many fictional characters,specially in the anime art have shoulders bigger than any other upper body muscle. Normally the obliques,chest and latissimus dorsi are the biggest muscles in the upper body ...
3
votes
3answers
177 views
What happens to the human body when hit by a magic lightning and a frozen arrow at the same time? [closed]
What happens to the human body when hit by a magic lightning and a frozen arrow at the same time? The lightning power is strong enough to shock but not to kill.
The point where the ''combined spell''...
3
votes
1answer
210 views
How do I explain the compound eyes of my creatures?
Previous to this question, I made a post regarding many questions about the biology of the creature I had been designing. Looking back on it, I realized that I asked a LOT of questions for just one ...
3
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1answer
421 views
How to maximize cancer growth? [closed]
Given the modern knowledge of human anatomy and biology what are the things one must hypothetically do in order to maximize human colorectal cancer proliferation?
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4answers
391 views
Would carbon fiber be a good choice to strengthen human bones, and how would that work?
Background
Hi all, I'm revisiting my musings on plausibly strengthening the human skeleton to better withstand the stresses of combat, melee in particular. If y'all don't care about background, skip ...
5
votes
4answers
221 views
Can land-living endotherms exist without hair, feathers, scales etc.?
Aliens are very rarely portrayed as being furry, at least in proper xenobiology worldbuilding. They're virtually never depicted with feathers, and only sometimes with scales.
Currently, there are ...
6
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2answers
111 views
Feasibility of Bipedal Chelonians
I'm creating a creature that possesses an outwardly Chelonian-like appearance. However, the creature is bipedal. Specifically, the creature possesses upright, pillar-like hind limbs, as well as a ...
47
votes
11answers
15k views
Given immortality can animals become intelligent?
The animal in question starts off with reptile like intelligence, classic gecko and is a singularity, the only individual of his species to be immortal.
It can die and be killed but for the sake of ...
4
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4answers
294 views
Evolution of polymorphism
What are the cost and restrictions or benefits of a creature being able to slowly morph from an animal to another while retaining memories?
The creature morphs to giant eagle then morphs into fish ...
6
votes
6answers
308 views
What would be the physique of a damage immune teenager?
I have this protagonist who has has the ability to magically nullify newtons of force when they would harm him. Functionally speaking, this makes the character immune from most forms of damage, both ...
5
votes
2answers
152 views
What would the size constraints on my creature be?
Context
This creature right here is one of the decedents of placoderms that that transitioned from rivers to land. The got onto land during the Middle Devonian and remained isolated from all other ...
6
votes
5answers
311 views
Why would a biped evolve into a monoped?
Say that you have a medium-sized, bipedal, vertebrate-like creature. It no longer has the need to have arms, so they atrophied until they disappeared entirely.
Now imagine an animal that shares ...
17
votes
9answers
4k views
How does a mimic move?
Alright, so take your basic (not DnD or any other universe specific) mimic: an unassuming treasure chest that turns out to secretly be a monster as soon as you open it. This particular creature is one ...
3
votes
2answers
153 views
How many shots would it take to sever a limb? [closed]
Modern (or near future, 10-20 years) setting. Mostly regular humans. Regular firearms.
The scene goes like this: the Big Bad Villain of the story fought the Big Good Hero in hand-to-hand combat and ...
13
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2answers
237 views
What would a hexapodal skeleton look like?
Having looked at some of the questions regarding creatures with more than four limbs, I've found some useful info, like the idea that additional limbs increase stability while requiring more brain ...
3
votes
2answers
111 views
Secondarily Plantigrade Limbs
So, this came about when I was attempting to construct create a unified Kaiju universe, and wondering about a hypothetical evolutionary path of Godzilla. However, I figured that it could also open up ...
3
votes
5answers
373 views
Avian Crocodylomorph
Today, dinosaurs, alligators, crocodiles, gharials and caimen are all that remains of a special group of reptiles called the archosaurs. Recently, it has been accepted by the public that birds did ...
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3answers
357 views
Asymmetrical Limbs
So, I've been designing an alien species, actually a redesign of something from childhood. However, I've recently come into an issue with its limbs.
The creature possesses two arms. The right arm is ...
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3answers
124 views
If a human's lungs stretched to the lower abdomen, what would it feel like? [closed]
I was considering a human-like race of aliens, where their lungs are huge. Their lungs would reach to the lower abdomen. Due to the science-magic of the setting, they can survive just fine with ...
8
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2answers
220 views
What type of acid could burn through skin and any type of metal?
This is my first time using this site and i'm excited to get answers to roadblocks that have prevented me from finishing my writing in the past. However, you may have to excuse some mistakes I make ...
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12answers
7k views
Justifying why a troll's skin would turn to stone in sunlight
It's a fairly common legend that trolls turn to stone when exposed to daylight, and I was thinking about using such a creature in a story. I'm searching for a plausible way of justifying such a ...
13
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5answers
2k views
Plausibility Check: Armored Birds
How plausible, or implausible, would it be for a lineage of birds' feathers to evolve into sharp, hardened plate-like scale armor (and/or blades), comparable to that of pangolins? And if it is ...
7
votes
1answer
389 views
What Would a Reptile with Facial Muscles look like?
I have been wanting to make a carnivorous reptilian creature with the ability to speak fluently using its speech muscles and its vocal tract, it can also perform facial expressions just like how ...
4
votes
2answers
160 views
Anatomically correct snallygaster
The snallygaster is a cryptid from Maryland. It is often described as resembling a half bird/half reptile like creature with large wings, a metal beak, tentacles like an octopus (sometimes depicted as ...
3
votes
2answers
193 views
Boron based life- blood
I've been working on the anatomy of my boron based life using alternative biochemistry. But I've recently came across a problem that I can't solve on my own. In oxygen breathing life on earth, the ...
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4answers
356 views
Anatomically Correct Zombie
As requested by JBH, I edited this question to fit the Anatomically Correct Series.
The classic zombie is no mystery to anyone: undead, eats people and multiplies by biting humans. Could they ever ...
5
votes
8answers
2k views
How long could a human being survive after being swallowed by a whale?
In the short story, a man is swallowed by a giant, fictional fish. In fact, he is swallowed whole along with his log cabin and a bunch of hand-crafted tools. In a "The Martian"-like narrative, he ...
49
votes
2answers
6k views
How tall can a humanoid creature be without alerting the rest of the planet with earthquakes?
Planet is earth sized. Fantasy medieval setting that takes place on Continent A, which is on the other side of the planet from Continent B - about as far as South America is from Asia. Continent B ...
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2answers
231 views
Designing venom glands for an elephant: misting
Laugh all you like, you won't be laughing when it sprays you with its jade trunk of death.
Info
I figured out that I wanted an elephant that sprays poison (not acid) out of its trunk a while ago (...
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8answers
3k views
Designing a creature with jaws to crush iron bones
In my most recent question, I asked for a material other than calcium and collagen that could form skeletons in alien creatures. My favourite answer was bio-steel; "Iron with a small percentage of ...
6
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1answer
133 views
Metal-Feathered Macaw Viability Part 2: Best Wing Shape?
More posts from this thread are here:
Metal-Feathered Macaw Viability Part 1: How Can It Fly?
Info
See this previous question to learn about the premise.
We now know, via this amazing answer, ...
