Questions tagged [creature-design]
For questions regarding the viability of a life-form design. These questions should focus on biologically plausible creatures.
3
votes
1answer
160 views
Where would padding inhibit a limb's movement the least in a quadruped creature?
Of the six limbs of classic dragons, the forelegs always stuck out like a sore thumb. They're dead weight in flight, etc... However, since in my setting you can find any sort of armament, short of a ...
10
votes
6answers
1k views
How to achieve cat-like agility?
In my world there human-animal hybrids. My protagonist is a snow leopard-human girl (outwards looks almost completely human, except for the tail). These hybrids have been created through experiments, ...
8
votes
4answers
443 views
How can a team of shapeshifters communicate?
There is a group of people who can shapeshift. They send out hunting parties, scout teams, etc. In a circumstance where a group of ten people can look like ten different species (one human, one wolf, ...
4
votes
4answers
199 views
Aquatic lizard: Is being warm blooded essential?
Now, I know that most likely this 50 foot long aquatic lizard I mentioned in a previous question of mine would give live birth because reptile eggs and in fact any eggs really can't keep saltwater out....
11
votes
3answers
797 views
Gastric acid as a weapon
The dragons in my fantasy world spit fluid from their mouths when threatened, which upon contact causes a burning sensation. I could have this liquid be standard venom, like modified saliva, but I ...
13
votes
2answers
446 views
How could chocolate be as addictive as heroin?
Most of us are well aware that chocolate is already a bit addictive to human beings... maybe it's the caffeine or the sugar? But what if there were a species to which chocolate was as addictive as ...
5
votes
3answers
116 views
How could somersaulting worms evolve?
In Wayne Douglas Barlowe's classic book "Expedition" he has many strange creatures. One that intrigues the most is this one, the flipstick.
It has two feet on either side and uses them to flip ...
4
votes
1answer
110 views
Can a possible humanoid species capable of changing their sex in a crisis be the dominant species of an entire planet like us?
I had an idea of a concept a while ago.
If a planet that for some reason or another had only one giant continent like Pangea, but bigger, for more distinct habitats and giant lakes assuring ...
6
votes
3answers
195 views
Anatomically Correct Huldra
Huldra are forest creatures from Scandinavian folklore, best known for their seductive natures. They are frequently depicted as beautiful women, with the additional traits of a cow-like tail and ...
12
votes
6answers
3k views
Lethal sonic weapons
Sonic weapons are frequently used by military circles as non-lethal irritants to deter opponents. My question is; could a naturally evolved organism kill, or at least incapacitate, small prey using ...
2
votes
4answers
167 views
How would tattoos for shapeshifters work?
So there is a species of shapeshifters who use a tattoo in a specific location on their bodies as a "belonging" indicator. Basically it is a symbol of group pride: it gives information about what the ...
6
votes
4answers
482 views
Uplifted animals have parts of their “brain” in various locations of their body. Where?
Looking at the case of Mike, I realized decentralizing the brain might not be infeasible. The idea is if Horus, the brown falcon, doesn't have enough room in his skull, then why not move various ...
5
votes
1answer
122 views
Anatomically correct Isitoq
This is the latest in a long series of questions I've asked on my fantasy world which contains many mythical and folkloric creatures. I won't link the other questions since at this stage the series ...
15
votes
4answers
768 views
Dragon forelimb placement
Most dragons (before Skyrim and GoT) had six limbs in total, four legs and a pair of wings.
The question is how would a dragon's forelimbs be placed? It's obvious they have good terrestrial ...
11
votes
3answers
394 views
Mutually beneficial digestive system symbiotes
On an Earth-like planet, an intelligent species evolved in symbiosis with another species that lives in their digestive system and act as the microbial gut flora in humans do. What implementations of ...
6
votes
6answers
294 views
In what sort of environment might a species with biological wheels evolve, and what would they look like?
So for a thought experiment I came up with the idea of a species that uses wheels for locomotion, sort of inspired by a species shown in His Dark Materials. Under what circumstances would such a ...
4
votes
1answer
90 views
Could an entirely (or mostly) hydraulic muscular system work in terrestrial vertebrates?
In Invertebrates, Muscular Hydrostat, which is a form of biological hydraulic, is used for locomotion. On Earth, (as far as I'm aware) no system exists where hydraulics perform in conjunction with a ...
9
votes
2answers
121 views
Anatomy of a walking octopoid
I have some alien creatures which are essentially land-going octopoids somewhat larger than humans. Tentacles not being a good form of propulsion on land, they have rudimentary 'legs' with one bone ...
5
votes
2answers
139 views
Creating a scientifically semi-valid super-soldier, addendum: Metabolism
A while back Demigan had a running series of posts about various aspects biological enhancement for the purpose of designing super-soldiers with an element of (pseudo) science behind them.
You can ...
11
votes
5answers
3k views
Plausibility of squid whales
I am considering the possibility of having massive cephalopods evolving on my world and having them fill the niche of whales.
I've heard about how whales have evolved to increase in size for the ...
4
votes
2answers
323 views
How much force would your fist need to strike with to punch through a human body?
Okay so, this is kind of a disgusting question... sorry about that in advance, guys. Say you are super strong, super fast, and super durable. There is a not so strong, fast, or durable normal human ...
4
votes
2answers
273 views
Anatomically Correct Pikachu
We all know Pikachu, fuzzy, small rodent, with the ability to discharge electrical energy as an attack. But could Pikachu ever evolve in our world, and how would it do so?
What's required:
Rodent-...
10
votes
5answers
681 views
Anatomically Correct Mesopelagic Aves
Recently I had a vision of a colossal underwater bird-like figure.
I would describe it as follows:
Roughly the wingspan of the length of a blue whale
Snow-white
Typical shape and feathering of a ...
141
votes
7answers
14k views
Anatomically Correct Strange Women In Ponds Distributing Swords
Chaos plagues the land. In the West, the King in Orange blusters and bloviates endlessly in barely comprehensible gibberish. Perhaps he is attempting to call forth the Elder Gods? In the East, the ...
2
votes
3answers
138 views
Other Mouthparts For Aliens?
What other kind of mouthparts might an alien (intelligent or non-intelligent) have besides the typical jaw with teeth or mandibles?
To avoid being too broad a subject, let's assume the aliens need to ...
2
votes
0answers
59 views
how would the osmoregulatory and excretory systems would be for a flying human [closed]
How would the excretory and osmoregulatory systems be for a flying human?
22
votes
11answers
3k views
Biological Blimps: Propulsion
A while back, I asked this question about the plausibility of giant floating whales and received an excellent and high-scoring answer from Dubukay demonstrating that, given the assumptions that ...
8
votes
4answers
169 views
Retractable Tusks?
Is there a way to make retractable tusks anatomically plausible in a creature design without relying on an articulated bone structure? Basically, relying fully on musculature instead of articulation ...
0
votes
2answers
235 views
Can my Alien species be possible with real science?
They are blue to gray skinned with four eyes, two of which can see in infrared, three fingers and toes on each appendage, and reptilian-like ears (eardrums are external), as well as a hair color range ...
6
votes
2answers
208 views
What is the science of fairy flight?
Assume these homo super-dwarf aka fairy and homo sapiens come from a common ancestor, and somehow they evolved a pair of wings and can do vertical takeoff.
The average adult is approximately the ...
8
votes
6answers
546 views
How to design an organic heat-shield?
When they started dropping from the skies.. or no, they landed. They were so similar to us, yet so different. Like nothing we would've ever designed or created - but so much like everything
...
2
votes
1answer
150 views
Anatomically correct Triceraton
The Triceratons are a imperialistic race of, well, space triceratops' from TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). From what I can gather they breathe nitrogen and judging by their build come from a high ...
0
votes
2answers
138 views
What armor for my giant slug species to do battle at sea?
Set in the medieval period around 1400AD, the atlantean set flipper on the land of the giant slug and destroyed many acres of crops, this provocative action angered the giant slugs. These giant slugs ...
1
vote
2answers
150 views
Are 4 arms better than 2 underground? [closed]
Are creatures with 4 arms viable underground?
Creatures have to be able to climb and eventually dig!
Those creatures are not intelligent.
They hunt and feed on dwarfs.
They were nearly extinct (100 ...
9
votes
4answers
214 views
How could dragons produce the energy needed to sustain themselves from gold
I'm currently contemplating ways to make dragons have a sustainable energy source in a medieval world, while still acting like the traditional soaring, adventurer grabbing, gold hoarding dragons (not ...
7
votes
2answers
215 views
What circumstances would ensure that hybrid species of frankencats are produced in the wild naturally?
I am a mad scientist with an intelligence matching Albert Einstein and Steven Hawking, and plan to create a new species of animal. After watching Napeoleon Dynanite, widely considered by critics to be ...
7
votes
4answers
807 views
What kind of places would goblins live in a fantasy setting with strong states? [closed]
So I got a fantasy setting that left the Medieval era and entered the Renaissance with strong states that can maintain both order and infrastructure across their territories. While there are 'wild ...
29
votes
13answers
6k views
Plausible reason for gold-digging ant
Medieval bestiaries describe a creature, a type of desert-dwelling ant that digs for gold. It was also said to be the size of a fox, but I'll ignore that in this question.
Why would ants unearth ...
6
votes
3answers
255 views
How do marine dragons evolve flight without any feathers and no hollow bones?
These dragons spend most of their lives in the ocean, however during the mating season they will migrate inland and gather together on a mountain top. Throughout the journey they will cease feeding ...
1
vote
1answer
71 views
Genetically engineered Moray Eel?
Is it conceivable to genetically engineer a moray eel large enough to hunt and eat humans in its cave like habitat?
It needs to have:
armored skin that can withstand gunfire
good all around swimming ...
3
votes
1answer
202 views
Is this humanoid dragon realistic the way I’ve imagined it?
In this world I’m dabbling with, the dominant species is a race of six limbed humanoid with two wings on its back slightly below the shoulder blades. They are very slender (“BMI” is between 17 & ...
7
votes
2answers
220 views
Brain Tick, how could it take over a host's brain?
There was once 12 kingdoms in the ancient days until the kingdom of Eo was devoured by the very forests it called home. The people of Eo have been turned into beasts wandering the woods and preying ...
3
votes
3answers
207 views
What weapons would nanomachines use? [closed]
So, the strongest of my current characters is a happy little cloud, that's composed of nanomachines (well, not exactly nano, it's well in the micro prefix, but individual parts obviously require ...
12
votes
3answers
303 views
Symbiotic Assassin Vines
I have an idea for an encounter in my world that goes like this...
A weary group of adventurers are trekking through a great ancient forest. This forest is avoided by most due to strange tales of ...
5
votes
1answer
155 views
How do humans with electric organs prevent self-electrocution?
In my world, a small population on an isolated island were bitten by radioactive electric eels while fishing. I read that the eels can send out carefully timed signals through their nervous systems ...
10
votes
4answers
1k views
Ways other than sleep to restore cells/neurons
So I have a planet with multiple species on it. My planet is tidally locked. I know it is generally thought a tidally locked planet couldn't harbor life because of the extreme temperatures, but my ...
11
votes
3answers
187 views
Could an organism have several oxygen transport proteins?
Can an organism have several types of oxygen carriers in its blood?
Note that I am not asking how the creature could have evolved, that is too much sci-fy, genetically engineering or Deus Ex Machina ...
5
votes
3answers
340 views
Can a troll hide withstand bullets?
The trolls in my story have a very thick and nigh impenetrable skin. In the time before guns, you would need a very sharp high-grade steel blade to breach the skin and, even then, after a few hits, ...
5
votes
1answer
123 views
Determining factor(s) for making creatures robust to square cubed law
Premise and research
I am simply trying to find a reproducible framework for use with creature-design. In my research I have found the larger an animal is, the more likely that animal is to break its ...
7
votes
4answers
463 views
What does my dragon sound like?
My dragon
So to give a quick description, this is a 2 mile long, nuclear powered dragon of doom. I think I’ll going with a fission/fusion hybrid creature for this beast. Another piece of relevant ...
