Questions tagged [creature-design]
For questions regarding the viability of a life-form design. These questions should focus on biologically plausible creatures.
11
votes
4answers
783 views
Full-body bioluminescence
A creature I am imagining is a small mammal about the size of a domestic cat which - through symbiotic bacteria which live in its fur - is covered its whole body over in blue-white bioluminescence, 24-...
3
votes
3answers
69 views
Electrolysis Assisted Aerobic Organisms [on hold]
Hi this is my 2nd question on the site and I hope it is intriguing to you all. My question is: How feasible is it for an organism to sustain an Aerobic lifestyle (ie. the standard oxygen cycle found ...
7
votes
2answers
182 views
What exactly would a talking dragon's voice sound like?
I'm developing an independent cartoon web series with talking dragons. The designs of the dragons in Spyro (especially the Legend of Spyro) is one of the main influences in how I want my dragons to ...
1
vote
6answers
141 views
Gaining energy from draining your Happiness
In my world there is a villain who rules over the unhappy. In fact, we recently determined that he actually absorbs their happiness and uses it as energy to make himself stronger. This world does, in ...
1
vote
3answers
176 views
Need help with details concerning non-conventional sci fi vampires
I would like to create a sci fi human faction that resemble vampires without many of the past tropes while reimagining some for a sci fi feel. I would like to avoid any magic and fantastical abilities....
2
votes
3answers
804 views
Possible biological adaptations to make current humans more suited to surviving on Earth-like primitive planets? [closed]
Premise
My alternate version of the human race has progressed just to the brink of the ability to explore and possibly colonize other earth like exo-planets. the story follows an expedition crew has ...
18
votes
5answers
4k views
Could crystals grow on living things?
A friend and I are creating a magical bird that eats gemstones then uses them to form a thin coat of crystal armor over its body. Is there any way for this bird (or any living thing) to actually have ...
4
votes
5answers
177 views
Best place on an humanoid body to develop biological radio?
As seen on others questions biological radio could be a thing.
How to evolve biological radios?
What would a species require to be able to inherently transmit and receive radio waves?
I was ...
5
votes
8answers
1k views
How to make variable super-soldier size the norm versus a single size
Imagine you can build your soldiers in a lab somewhere. You can control everything, and you've found a the ideal humanoid form (ignoring potentially better forms here). You could build them in all ...
5
votes
3answers
117 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 ...
0
votes
2answers
120 views
What could be a physiological downside of a permanently bonded symbiotic life-form that alters the host in profound physical ways? [closed]
PREMISE:
A symbiotic lifeform permanently bonds with its host and radically transforms the host organism.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Imagine a symbiotic life form like the [Klyntar](http://marvel
....
2
votes
3answers
249 views
Explosive joints that allow people to jump really long lengths
How does a joint need to operate and be structured in order to allow a person to do leaps of 10 meters in length with ease and without taking a long run first? Here's an example of what I'm talking ...
15
votes
4answers
3k views
How long can a preserved human body last before turning to dust?
Some Context
The setting is a fantasy world with lots of magic where Liches exist.
A Lich is "born" through a series of complex, dangerous and horrific rituals that a mage casts upon himself over ...
9
votes
1answer
72 views
Designing a somewhat realistic “Astomi”: Filter-Feeding Humanoids?
I've been thinking of reviving an old Fantasy idea of mine, and I recently came across a description of a group of mythological beings that piqued my interest, and which would actually fill a niche I ...
8
votes
6answers
294 views
Biological healer, how does it work?
How can a species force an external body to heal itself and speed up the process without the use of magic and technology but by biological means?
Sanators are creatures who can force the body of a ...
4
votes
6answers
158 views
Interplanetary/Interstellar World Blight
I have a bacterial organism called the "World Blight" this creature's life cycle revolves around being introduced to a new planet, spreading across the planet and terraforming it to its liking, and ...
6
votes
1answer
102 views
Effects of a ferret-like spine/ribcage on bipedal posture, possible leg lengths/proportions?
I was recently redesigning some mostly hominid Aliens I designed a long time back in high school and felt were a little lackluster, and since they were already Tall, Wiry, and vaguely Shambolic-...
6
votes
5answers
248 views
How would shapeshifters be affected by their abilities?
So I have a race of shapeshifters in my world, and in order to change shape or make adjustments to their body (grow wings, arms, tails etc.) They rearrange the atoms in their body, probably through ...
5
votes
2answers
139 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 ...
8
votes
2answers
131 views
Could a Nautilus Shell, Squid Gladius, or similar structure eventually form the basis of a Spinal column/Skeletal system?
Ok, so, some quick background... I'm not an evolutionary biologist or anything, but I'm helping a friend with some alien design ideas, and at least one of them she designed and wanted help to somehow ...
5
votes
6answers
180 views
Is it possible to “Smell” in Space? Viable Equivalents?
I am currently creating a Spacefaring Race that regularly travels between planetary systems in order to harvest resources, but due to the fact that the conditions required for them to Breed are fairly ...
8
votes
2answers
242 views
What would humans need to sacrifice for a better sense of smell?
Humans have some genes that allow for a precise sense of smell, but they were turned off millions of years back, just like in many other primates. To name an exeption, lemurs are primates with a ...
10
votes
2answers
228 views
How can a bird survive self ignition?
This may seem similar to this question but my goal is for one:
The bird does not die and secondly to get more exact solutions.
The ultimate goal would be to create a bird which can ignite itself at ...
7
votes
2answers
385 views
Saving intelligent animals from abuse/large scale breeding
I have created semi-intelligent griffins in my fantasy world.
Semi-intelligent meaning that adult griffins have the intelligence of an average 4 year old human.
Now, I realized that once the ...
6
votes
5answers
295 views
How to Train Your Mimic (or, why would a Mimic be capable of domestication)
I'm making a world where I want domesticated Mimics to be a thing.
These Mimics are pretty similar to the original concept of D&D Mimics: shapeshifters that imitate objects, and hunt by imitating ...
6
votes
2answers
138 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 ...
1
vote
3answers
77 views
A large bovine able to digest almost anything [duplicate]
I had an idea few years back for a species of "cow" living in arctic/tundra climate which could forage on "anything"- in their habitat it would be mostly vegetation, wood and remains of dead animals ...
25
votes
11answers
6k views
How do I scientifically explain a specific type of wood piercing through armor when not even bullets can?
I've created a monster with three weaknesses:
A soft spot in his belly that can be pierced through normally with objects, but the monster is so big and fast that hitting it is extremely hard and ...
1
vote
0answers
45 views
Dangers of meganeura sized dragonflie for child sized humanoids [closed]
Would a dragonfly around the size of a Meganeura be a concrete danger for a humanoid about a meter (3'3") tall, weighing around 15kg (33lb)?
This dragonfly wouldn't have particular evolutionary ...
4
votes
3answers
94 views
bodies molding together
in my world, there are human-like creatures who live underwater and in warm mountains that they carved into colonies like Petra, Jordan where structures were built into mountainsides but more like ...
8
votes
4answers
454 views
Speaking three sentences at the same time?
TL;DR - I want my angelic race to have the ability to speak in a way in which up to three sentences are communicated at the same time. (Assume English for the sake of simplicity. I want physiology ...
0
votes
0answers
20 views
Biological Process with UV Light Product [duplicate]
I have bacteria that will serve as the basis of the ecosystem providing UV light for plants within the enclosed, underground ecosystem. What sort of biological process could allow these bacteria to ...
2
votes
0answers
42 views
Bacteria Producing Ultraviolet Light [closed]
I have species of bacteria that produce ultraviolet light serving as the basis for an underground ecosystem. What are possible food sources for this bacteria that are growing on the cave ceiling, ...
-2
votes
1answer
67 views
How do you think a telepathic society will work? [closed]
I'm currently trying to design a telepathic, mind-controlling alien species that resembles early theropods, like Dilophosaurus, or an abelisauridae, like Carnotaurus. My main concern is not the design,...
6
votes
3answers
100 views
Botanical Barricades
I have a clonal colony of trees that are around 150 meters in height and live in a wetland habitat. These trees cover the majority of the wetland area, covering thousands of square miles.
What ...
6
votes
2answers
208 views
Genetic modifications for the ultimate office drone?
In a dystopian future, genetic editing, stem cell research and cloning have become commonplace. Humans in embryo can be genetically modified and designed to a immense variation; some people can give ...
3
votes
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 ...
7
votes
3answers
207 views
What would be the usefulness of both arms and fins on a sea dwelling, amphibious organism?
I am currently designing a highly intelligent species for a sci-fi project I am working on. They are quite similar physically to prehistoric salamanders or similar amphibians, but I am having trouble ...
13
votes
6answers
2k views
What type of feet should semiarboreal humanoids have?
My semiarboreal humanoids have a build quite similar to humans, apart from some more specialized arboreal adaptations. They live in rainforests quite similar to the Amazon Rainforest. Though trees are ...
10
votes
5answers
989 views
Dragon shapeshifting and memory mechanism
Dragons are biologically immortal creatures that have evolved the most versatile sexual reproduction in existence, they can morph through a cocoon into any other species from the animal kingdom that ...
7
votes
5answers
205 views
How can my dragons use their tongues to control their fire breathing?
Some background you may or may not skip
I was daydreaming the other day about how tamed dragons whose magic was somehow harnessed as an energy source by humans could be used as a metaphor for nuclear ...
8
votes
2answers
352 views
Could an alien evolve to speak through its anus?
Humans can speak making precise movements of our tongues, teeth and vocal chords.
I want a sentient creature whose carnivorous mouth-parts are completely unsuitable for speech to be able to ...
25
votes
7answers
5k views
Is intraspecies genetic incompatibility possible?
I'm creating a humanoid species, roughly based on humans. The difference is that not every opposite sex couple of fertile age could produce offspring.
The premise of my story is based of some men ...
4
votes
5answers
225 views
Rock crushing hands, how to make it possible?
A species of humanoid creatures with a strange skull structure and huge horns has somehow immense strength in their hands. The rest of their body seems to be strong in proportion to their weight and ...
3
votes
3answers
174 views
Best natural armor possible for a fantasy humanoid
In my fantasy world a scholar magician creates a sub-specie of warriors with an optimal natural armor against medieval technology weapons. What would it be like? How can I make it as flexible as a ...
-1
votes
1answer
93 views
What are the side effects to an ability that let's you experience the senses from a memory? [closed]
The ability gives you a photographic memory and let's you perfectly recall any event in his life, and experience all the senses (touch, vision, smell, etc.) from a memory by firing the nerves or ...
12
votes
2answers
627 views
Anatomically Correct: Space Plankton
This creature was void-born in the farthest depths of time in this Universe. Drawing its energy from electromagnetic radiation, and sealed against the vacuum of space, this drifting creature ...
0
votes
5answers
247 views
Is it possible that a species be intelligent and keep their animalistic trait?
As we all know, the brain consumes a lot of energy, so much that we, who has a bigger body and brain only have the same amount of strength as a chimpanzee.
So, could a species evolve to develop ...
7
votes
3answers
132 views
Is it possible for an organic species to generate a steady magnetic field?
There are some organisms that can generate electricity (eels, for example). And some others can detect magnetic fields and use it for navigation (birds, for example):
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/...
7
votes
4answers
281 views
Anatomically correct Panotti
Panotti so called from the Greek words πᾶν and οὖς for "all ears", were a mythical race of people, described as possessing large ears that covered their entire bodies.
In the Natural History, Pliny ...
