Questions tagged [creature-design]
For questions regarding the viability of a life-form design. These questions should focus on biologically plausible creatures.
2,226
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How does a dragon with plated tongue hunt?
Beyond the thick forest lies a colossal winged flightless dragon with a unique distinct feature that is its plated tongue! According to legend it seems to prefer diseased humans and animals that are ...
8
votes
7answers
1k views
Why would dragons have plated bellies?
Dragons are often depicted with a set of plate-like scales along their belly like a snake. In snakes, this adaptation is to aid in their slithering locomotion. However, dragons don't slither; they ...
9
votes
1answer
278 views
How to explain a reindeer's nose mimicking a police blinker light when it senses danger?
There is an odd species of creature with striking resemblance to a reindeer called Rudolphie, it has a red hue on its nose due to constant exposure to the cold condition of Arctic tundra and being ...
6
votes
2answers
122 views
Could this gill system realistically develop?
Often, aquatic humanoids and other species are depicted with a set of shark-like gills in the side of their chest. Specifically, the gills and gill arches would replace the lungs and ribcage under the ...
5
votes
2answers
94 views
Ecologically Correct Juvenile Phoenix
The phoenix is a bird that closely resembles a large eagle, but is distinguished by its life-cycle: Rather than laying eggs, they produce 2-3 small worms as they die and burn up, which feed on their ...
6
votes
1answer
120 views
Strong flying creatures
I'm in the process of creating flying animals big enough to carry a human being on their back, the problem is that if it's too big, the wingspan also has to be and muscle will be needed for the wings ...
7
votes
3answers
134 views
Aerosoleans - How much do they eat?
Aerosolians or 'loopies' live on hypersonic trains. They stick to the sheetmetal and collected microbes from aerosols captured by tiny pockets in their skin. Because of the high speed they can collect ...
5
votes
2answers
100 views
Igniting a Dragon's Fire
I'm in the process of creating a plausible fire-breathing dragon, halfway there. The dragon has glands that allow it to produce a flammable oil from the fat of the animals it eats. To light the oil I ...
2
votes
1answer
55 views
Would lungs be necessary for levitating gilled animals?
The dragons of my world are serpentine fish-like animals with the ability to manipulate gravity
They have gills like bony fish, which they can keep in a state of apparent freefall to prevent collapse. ...
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3answers
82 views
Ice Dragon Breath
I was thinking about creating an ice dragon for my world, but I didn't want the dragon to be magical or technological but biologically correct, so I went looking for cryogenic substances and found ...
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2answers
79 views
How can salamander-people look like salamanders?
Salamanders, like lizards, seem to be quite indistinct. They have very few traits that both distinguish them from other creatures and would be compatible with a typical humanoid being
What visible ...
5
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2answers
137 views
Obtaining laser
I did some research on electric dragons and found a post asking about it, in it there was a answer that mentioned an apparently chemical laser used to ionize the air and allow the electric discharge ...
3
votes
4answers
120 views
What would make a species of sentient starfish rationally and ethically choose between sexual and asexual reproduction? [closed]
Starfishs or seastars have sexes( they are either male or female) but they can reproduce both sexually and asexually. The latter is possible using fission or fragmentation.
In this planet there is a ...
5
votes
2answers
94 views
Could the dna/gene stealing abilities of bdelloid rotifers be feasibly scaled up for larger creatures?
To summarize the bdelloid rotifers, they have genes in their dna that have been incorporated from other kinds of organisms which have also given them functional/useful adaptations. I want to design a ...
0
votes
1answer
82 views
Anatomically correct amphisbaena
Amphisbaena is a creature from greek mythology. It is a snake, with another head at the end of its tail.
I have a world in which I'm adapting various dragons to be scientifically viable. I've already ...
3
votes
1answer
38 views
Can a creature who uses anguilliform swimming swim in an up and down motion like cetaceans?
I am working on a xenobiology biosphere project, and I have a clade of creatures who evolved in the wetlands. They are disconnected entirely from life on our world, although they follow the same ...
0
votes
1answer
85 views
What kind of sounds would a creature from the void make? [closed]
For a place I call The Void, its a place filled in darkness with no elements on the galactic periodic table, what sounds would it have? Especially the entities in the Void called VoidSpawn being ...
1
vote
1answer
51 views
What elements/compounds would be in the body of an alien living in this specific set of environmental conditions?
What elements could be in the body of an alien that lives under these conditions?
5/16 of the atmosphere contains sulfur (1/16 hydrogen sulfide and 1/4 sulfur dioxide)
High quantities of sulfuric ...
0
votes
2answers
87 views
Are boomalopes possible? aka a species that produces a flammable fuel?
I was inspired by this creature in a game called rimworld the creature when killed explodes and leaves a fireball ,and a corpse , when it does. The sacks on it contain a liquid that can be used as ...
4
votes
1answer
160 views
Could this centaur anatomy work and fit together?
The centaur externally appears very human-like. Their forelegs are humanoid but with a horse's hoof on the end. They also have human-like hips to support the forelegs. The horse body is similarly ...
3
votes
1answer
63 views
Is my dragon's fire plausible?
The dragon, through a gland, produces a flammable oil from the fat of the animals it has eaten, the oil is stored in a bag, the blood circulation around the bag increases, heating the oil to the point ...
2
votes
2answers
114 views
Can a creature have possible locomotion if the legs are positioned in a x formating to the pelvis or this symbol ><
My alien creatures are arthropods: multiple limbs, segmented bodies, etc. Is it possible for them to walk if their legs are placed in a x formation in thier pelvies or similar to the shape of this ...
2
votes
1answer
114 views
Could a fish lie horizontally with an air-space in its head?
The polyp-fish is a soft-bodied sea-creature about a foot long. It has in its head an organ that forms an inflated air-space filled with gas, which makes the head appear hard and round. The rest of ...
5
votes
4answers
748 views
is it possible in a given world to ride a triceratops and so how would it work?
I've been thinking about this world that's been in my mind and one of the things in it are drake knights which are warriors who raised and ride domesticate breed of triceratops like the war elephants ...
2
votes
1answer
111 views
Can avian and humanoid shoulders be combined in a way that allows flight?
It is easy to put avian and reptilian shoulders on the same frame. Unfortunately, humans are mammals (apes, in fact), not reptiles, and hence our shoulders are very close to our backs, heavily ...
3
votes
1answer
128 views
What would be different in the brain of a being that lives hundreds of years allowing it to have enough memory space?
So I’m trying to create a race of alien that lives for 600 years but I need them to have the memory space for all that time. The human brain can hold approximately 300 years worth of memory and that ...
3
votes
1answer
76 views
How should a balloon alien’s gas bladder work?
How do floating aliens work? They are portrayed as having a large gas bladder or sack that keeps them neutrally buoyant while they propel themselves through the air. A notable example of this is ...
1
vote
2answers
105 views
Would low-mounted wings work for animal flight?
The dragons of my world, like many historical dragon depictions, have their wings attached to the lowest part of the body, similarly to many planes. This is in contrast to all real winged animals, ...
3
votes
1answer
30 views
Molecular ecology for endogenous formamide formation?
Kind of a follow-up to this earlier question: How could formamide lakes form on an exoplanet?
Suppose the problem of how to get an initial quantity of formamide is solved, and microbial life has ...
18
votes
6answers
2k views
Parasitoid wasp targeting humans: which tissue would they target?
Parasitoid wasps are kind of a nightmarish bug: they lay eggs in their target, usually a caterpillar; the eggs hatch and the larvae grow inside the body of the target, feeding on non essential tissue ...
2
votes
1answer
96 views
Would it be possible to create a humanoid that outputs fire from it's skin [duplicate]
Many stories [especially stuff like manga or anime] contain characters with the ability to output flames from their skin. This would require heat resistant skin while still outputting said flames / ...
5
votes
2answers
180 views
Plausibility of creatures whose main form of movement is rolling around
There are a few works that have creatures in them that form some sort of ball out of themselves and then roll around in a much more willfull and directed manner than the rolling at the mercy of ...
5
votes
2answers
129 views
Would having prehensile feet with finger-length toes impair running, walking, jumping, or other foot-based activities in a human?
Exactly what it says on the tin: would having prehensile feet with human finger-length toes impair running, walking, jumping, or other foot-based activities in a human?
Presume that, when carrying out ...
4
votes
1answer
98 views
How good is a magnetite sand defence really?
I've been considering filling my alien world with a plethora of magnetic creatures, all of which use magnetism in unique and creative ways. Of course these creatures are only going to be one genus, ...
3
votes
8answers
530 views
What needs to be changed in the structure of the human brain to make it as smart as possible?
I have been writing a book for the last eight months ( at the moment I have already written 174 pages ) about anatomically plausible superhumans (a new kind of person who would have to surpass us both ...
2
votes
1answer
67 views
Thunderbird Questions: Insulator
Introduction:
I posted a while ago about a lightning dragon and one of the answers was really interesting. The answer, in this case, is from Mr Adrian Colomitchi, it was very detailed, but I still ...
3
votes
1answer
170 views
Why would a creature need a rib cage that can split open?
Aside from making it hard for surgeons to operate, the rib cage is essential. It’s a calcium battery, frame for our muscles and protects our organs and bone marrow. Ribs by themselves (like in snakes) ...
1
vote
2answers
132 views
Might this animal be able to fly?
This animal is a hybrid creature with a strange form that seems incapable of flight
They have a streamlined, mammalian head, and the neck is long and flexible like a bird. However, it is much thicker ...
35
votes
6answers
5k views
Can I Domesticate [X]
Worldbuilding generates a lot of "Can I domesticate [insert real or fictional creature here]" questions.
This is intended to be a canonical version of that question. I'll self-answer, but ...
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votes
1answer
76 views
Could arachnid-like animals exist at large sizes? [duplicate]
Could an arachnid-like animal realistically exist and survive at larger sizes? The specific dimensions are 2m tall, around 1m wide in the torso, and 3m long
An arachnid-like animal, for the purposes ...
4
votes
4answers
784 views
Can feathers be used as a natural defense mechanism?
In some fantasy-themed games, feathers are sharp enough (I'm guessing through magic) to be used as daggers. This idea of using feathers as weapons inspired me to create a creature that would be able ...
2
votes
1answer
100 views
Is it possible to go from tree climbing to hiding in sand like some sandlions do
Is this evolutionary path possible with this creature because I don't know what would be in order to go from a creature that lives in the trees to living in a treeless environment. I had an idea that ...
6
votes
2answers
408 views
Are these alternate "ears" realistic?
In my world, creatures evolved in the twilight zone of a tidally locked planet. Naturally, because there is little light, creatures either increased their light sensitivity or turned to other senses, ...
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votes
1answer
121 views
Anatomy of an animal with one foreleg [closed]
The animal is a tetrapoid, and has a single foreleg placed medially (in the sagittal plane) with two fully tetrapodal hindlegs. The internal anatomy, at least regarding the muscles and bones of the ...
2
votes
1answer
134 views
Could my Dog-Turtles exist?
Dog-turtles are a species of Sauropsida from the Archelosauria clade, and from the Testudines class. They are a Koopa pastiche (Koopas are from Nintendo's Mario) (Koopas are themselves a Kappa ...
1
vote
1answer
129 views
Using winged-quadruped anatomy for many-winged fliers
There are many depictions of winged quadrupeds (tetrapods with 4 legs and wings as well), such as griffins, dragons, and Pegasus. Often they have a rather plausible-seeming shoulder anatomy
Could this ...
5
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2answers
124 views
Biological Electrolaser
I was researching about electric dragons whose electric breath can be explained scientifically, and I found this post(Plausibility Check: Is it possible to make a lightning dragon plausible?). In it ...
3
votes
1answer
83 views
The effect of extra limbs to an alien creature's speed
In my world I planned to have "creatures" capable of running at ludicrous speeds when compared to anything based on earth biology. However when researching about how animal movement and ...
6
votes
3answers
92 views
How might parrot's feet change if they adapted for semi-aquatic life?
I'm creating a fairly whimsical kid's fantasy world, so I don't need 100% accuracy- however, one of the major themes is respect for the environment (and spec evolution is a big interest of mine) so I ...
4
votes
3answers
107 views
How does the Carnifowl hunt?
The carnifowl is a bird of a unique shape
It is about 50cm long, with a wingspan of 110cm and legs only 5cm long. Its front half (chest, wings, beak) is like an eagle, though the head is feline and ...