Questions tagged [anatomy]
For questions about the physical structure of an organism.
35
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21answers
9k 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 ...
7
votes
5answers
163 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
votes
1answer
92 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 ...
2
votes
3answers
123 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 ...
7
votes
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
212 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
164 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
182 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
votes
1answer
410 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?
7
votes
4answers
348 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
202 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
votes
2answers
106 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 ...
3
votes
4answers
269 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 ...
5
votes
6answers
287 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
137 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
291 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 ...
16
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
149 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
votes
2answers
200 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
105 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
358 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 ...
9
votes
3answers
342 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 ...
-2
votes
3answers
115 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
votes
2answers
217 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 ...
58
votes
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
votes
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
320 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
148 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
1answer
118 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 ...
7
votes
4answers
340 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
968 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 ...
48
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 ...
13
votes
2answers
223 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 (...
17
votes
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
votes
1answer
119 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, ...
12
votes
4answers
1k views
Are reproductive and excretory systems inherently linked? Could life evolve differently?
As far as I have been able to determine, the majority of life reuses the same plumbing for reproductive and digestive/excretory systems. In fact, the anus is believed to be derived from the male ...
12
votes
3answers
481 views
How could an acid-cow make a barrier against acidic milk by synthesizing PTFE, and what would it line?
Info
I'm designing a breed of cow that produces acid instead of milk. Part of the reason this is useful for my story is that the cows produce as much acid as a dairy cow would milk (through ...
6
votes
4answers
238 views
Would my lizardmen be good at throwing things?
Okay, so I was creating a cold-blooded humanoid species (for a story, I'm no scientist) and ran into a problem with some of my logic.
Because of their obvious issues with overheating, these ...
16
votes
6answers
3k views
Metal-Feathered Macaw Viability Part 1: How Can It Fly?
More posts from this thread will be linked here:
Metal-Feathered Macaw Viability Part 2: Best Wing Shape?
Info
I'm designing a macaw that has metal feathers, claws, and a metal beak--to be ...
4
votes
2answers
119 views
What would be the physiological/anatomical adaptations of a 50 metre sea serpent?
In my last question, How large could my sea serpents be?, I asked what length would be a) possible and b) necessary for a whale-eating sea serpent. My sea serpent is a constricting predator* in a ...
0
votes
3answers
139 views
Would a wheeled creature be a plausible development of evolution? [duplicate]
So, as I understand it, wheels are almost completely absent in nature, in terms of a method of mobility. Would it be possible, or reasonable for such a creature to be made along the lines of evolution?...
0
votes
1answer
161 views
Anatomically Correct Opticoid
Description
An Opticoid is an alien species from the tv series Ben 10 and is named and known for having green eyes with slits all over its body except for its head where there are two large bat-like ...
9
votes
5answers
3k views
Humanoid that has a low terminal velocity
How can a humanoid creature achieve the lowest possible terminal velocity with its own body?
What kind of anatomy would decrease its terminal velocity?
0
votes
2answers
84 views
Species/Race lifespans [duplicate]
What are all the factors of a species' or race's lifespan, scientifically? Know that I am not asking for life expectancy, which can obviously be handled by the worldbuilder him/herself, but rather ...
2
votes
3answers
207 views
How could a shapeshifting species look zoomorphic and human at the same time?
For my a story I'm writing, I have 3 species that are from the same evolution line; Kitsune's, Tanuki's, and Bakeneko/Nekomatas. All three are familiar in the lines of shapeshifiting animals.
Their ...
0
votes
1answer
250 views
What's the safest way to catch a bullet in your body? [duplicate]
I am building a fictional world at the moment.
"Gladiators" are naked men who have to complete in a continuous olympics-style event. Following the first event, they must participate in a variety of ...
7
votes
2answers
727 views
Anatomically Correct Oni
This is a submission for the Anatomically Correct Series.
Image credit: japhers.tumblr.com
Originating from Japan, the majority of depictions of Oni (Kijo to refer female Oni/demons) are hideous, ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
How can a teleporter stop a bullet? [closed]
A character is able to watch bullets in flight, predict where they'll land and so on, and he is also able to teleport himself (but not other people) and move his body parts extremely quickly.
It's ...
3
votes
1answer
131 views
Anatomically correct bulborb
Another videogame monster, this time the bulborbs from the Pikmin series. Throughout the series, there have been multiple types of bulborbs, but for the sake of simplicity, I’ll be asking about the ...
