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Q&A

Posts tagged creature-design

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Q&A How could an immortal organism avoid cancer?

In a novel I am writing, one of the characters is an immortal* shape-shifter, called 'Creature'. Creature has been around since shortly after the beginning of life on earth. Its cells divide/replic...

13 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Ryan Krage‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Ryan Krage‭

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Q&A Can there be a society where competition is impossible?

Let there be an Intelligent alien species of heavily armored but lightly armed folks. Think of sentient crabs without claws. The are physically incapable of fighting each other. They are filter fee...

7 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by King-Ink‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by King-Ink‭

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Q&A Increased intracranial space

The brain is 1 major developmental difference between us and these humanoids. These humanoids start off with larger brains to begin with and so brain development in the womb happens at about the s...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Caters‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Caters‭

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Q&A High-Altitude Life?

So here's the rough idea. I'm trying to figure out what kind of life could exist that spends basically its entire life in the air, for an alien world I'm working on. No sentient life, just wilderne...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by possiblySerious‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by possiblySerious‭

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Q&A Great Flying Cthulhu

I know, it sounds like a geek swearing at Windows 8 on his work-owned computer. But actually I was just reading Peter Clines (Fold and then had to order 14 for instant delivery), and when I got to...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by JDługosz‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by JDługosz‭

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Q&A Ideal short-term organic engine

In previous questions on this topic, I've devised a genetically-diverse creature that uses a cold fusion internal engine to provide tremendous amounts of short-term (sprint) energy. However, there...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Frostfyre‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Frostfyre‭

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Q&A Are enormous metal space whales possible?

Is the following scenario reasonable? Enormous metal whales, which fly through space eating planets and nebulae by: Churning with blender (like mastication), then Melting them down in a furnace ...

4 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Sam Reeve‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Sam Reeve‭

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Q&A Could a planet different to ours support this species?

(I have tried to fix this question as best as possible with the help provided from the staff of the site.) I have started to develop my own crustacean species that resembles ants slightly. I would...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by krei0n‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by krei0n‭

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Q&A How would shell-headed children retract their bodies?

On an Earth-like planet, I'm imagining a bipedal sapient species whose juveniles have a largely hollow head so large that they can retract the whole body into the head when frightened, the way a tu...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by PinoBatch‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by PinoBatch‭

Question creature-design
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Q&A What modifications are needed for my sea creature to able to hold its breath for weeks?

Sperm whales can go 90 minutes at a time without needing to surface. I am interested in an idea for a creature that is air-breathing, but spends a lot of time at depths of (100m to 300m) and some...

5 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Mikey‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Mikey‭

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Q&A Possibility of Musical Animals

I was at a musical event a while back and as I saw the brass instruments a question popped my mind, could an animal come with an instrument built in? It seems far fetched but evolution has given us...

4 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭

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Q&A Wing surface area for large flying creatures

These creatures are a few feet longer and about a foot thicker than your average cow. Their skin is covered in densely packed bristles to trap air, and thus heat, close to the skin in cold climates...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Wick‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Wick‭

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Q&A Would communication lag stop language developing in a space-borne race?

Imagine for a few moments that despite the difficulty a race has evolved in space, away from any atmosphere (perhaps a species of space jellyfish). This race exists in a fairly 'noisy' nebula, but...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Joe Bloggs‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Joe Bloggs‭

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Q&A Thicker cerebrospinal fluid: Results?

Cerebrospinal fluid is a thin layer of liquid that helps use avoid being knocked out (among other uses). Creatures with a thicker layer have more trouble being knocked out. I want my humanoids to n...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭

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Q&A Evolution of aggression

Humans show aggression by baring their teeth, dogs show aggression by growling and cats, by hissing. All groups of animal show aggression in a way that makes it clear to attackers that they are agi...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭

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Q&A How can species pass on their genes to the next generation quantum mechanically at a distance?

Suppose in one part of the universe unexplored by science, I imagine there exist a species that rely on quantum teleportation to transmit information about their genetic codes across to the other s...

4 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by user6760‭

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Q&A Species evolved to use a wheel-like object

This question is intended as a follow up to this one: Naturally occurring wheels - do the 'mech' vs. 'tank' comparison apply to organics? I agree with the arguments against wheels evolving in plac...

5 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by dsollen‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by dsollen‭

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Q&A Turtle world : landmass edition

We love turtle worlds. We already have a question about turtle planets : How do I prevent my turtle from collapsing under its own gravity? but let's scale it down. I would like to have a waterball...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Petit Lama‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Petit Lama‭

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Q&A Does a sapient species have to be warm-blooded, and if so, can it still be a reptile?

So, as the title suggests, I have a reptilian alien species capable of human-tier thought. Anatomically, they are centaur-like (four legs on the ground, two manipulating limbs up top), standing sli...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Fuzzlewuzzlekins‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Fuzzlewuzzlekins‭

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Q&A Can we create a biological version of humanoid robot that don't carries DNA?

It looks human, feels human, can walk and run like us and can even argue with us, but it do not possess DNA. Is it possible to create this homunculus?

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by user6760‭

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Q&A Melanin and you

Melanin is what causes the color to appear in the skin, hair and eyes. But in humans there seems to be a limit to this. For example human hair can be orange(gingers) but not green or blue. iris's c...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭

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Q&A How to justify having overly large irises?

In many famous alien species you see that the iris is so large that it almost appears that it replaces the sclera. What evolutionary history would support the irises growing to that size. The only...

6 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭

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Q&A Endothermic or ectothermic? Alien biology

Hey guys so I've posted on this site before and I've finally made an account so I'd like to ask again about mine and my friend's webcomic WIP. Biology wise, I've made three main groups of animals, ...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by XenoDwarf‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by XenoDwarf‭

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Q&A What changes would be needed to double a human's vertical jump?

Let's say there is a species of intelligent beings who are indistinguishable from humans in every way - except on average they can jump twice as high as the average human, based on Earth gravity. ...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Seth‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Seth‭

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Q&A Behemoth, the Sessile Mammal

This concept is relatively simple. There are many animals which start mobile, but become sessile later in their life history, all of which are simple and primitive. And I was wondering this: what i...

5 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Zachary Zheng‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Zachary Zheng‭

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Q&A bringing darkness to live

Every child is afraid of the darkness. For them its not simply the absence of light, its the absence of information. Even if you know that there should be a wall or a doorway right in front of y...

4 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by DenDenDo‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by DenDenDo‭

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Q&A Evolution of a creature that uses light as a weapon

On our world we have any number of creatures that use: Noxious Chemicals Poison(Spiders and Snakes being the obvious examples) Sound Electricity as an alternative to their teeth and claws. One...

18 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Tim B‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Tim B‭

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Rigorous Science How could Kuutamian animals work?

In Ribbontails Series Aman5 there are creatures called Kuutamian animals. These animals are sapient and can have any form. The creator uses the excuse that they have three DNA strands, but how real...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭

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Q&A How did the Armatae Bestia evolve studded plates?

Meet the following specimen of Armatae Bestia. I'd describe it, but a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll just put one here instead (Feel free to drag it into browser window to get a much bi...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Aify‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Aify‭

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Q&A Would a species evolved for very high environmental pressure necessarily die in lower pressures?

I'm aware that deep sea fish don't actually "explode" when brought to the surface but any air sacs in their bodies would expand and cause them possibly fatal damage. However, what other physiologi...

6 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Matt Jones‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Matt Jones‭

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Q&A 4 ears, Possible or Inconceivable?

This question has no background information here. I just want to know if there are any evolutionary advantages for a species to have 4 ears?(The kind a mammal has).

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭

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Q&A Phonetic features of human languages spoken by sentient cats

In my world I have a couple species of sentient animals, mainly cats, who among other things are capable of communication with human beings. While I am perfectly happy to resort to explanations i...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Michele C‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Michele C‭

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Rigorous Science Large spider walking upside down

Many fantasy stories involve large spiders like in Harry Potter. These creatures behave almost exactly like normal spiders despite their size. My question is: can large spiders still walk upside d...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Vincent‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Vincent‭

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Rigorous Science Cloth-eating creature wants to eat synthetic textiles. How?

Based on this question and answer about a human sized creature that lives completely on textiles, how feasible is it for a creature to consume nylon and polyester to derive fats/lipids useful for b...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Green‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Green‭

Question creature-design
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Q&A Can a human-sized organism survive eating only textile fibers?

Since there are living beings (like moth larvae) which feed on textile fibers (wool, cotton, silk, et cetera), I was planning to introduce a human-sized creature with such feature, plus the ability...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Andrea Jens‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Andrea Jens‭

Question creature-design
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Q&A What characteristics would a telepathic, energy-absorbing race of aliens have?

A race of aliens exists on a distant planet whose biological functioning depends on absorbing a specific type of energy. They have what is essentially an antenna through which they passively absorb...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Josh‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Josh‭

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Q&A Haunted by wererabbit's folksong

I've always been curious whenever I heard the mother wererabbit sings a popular folksong to the young, there is a particular line in the lyric that seems to puzzle me. It goes likes this: "up up a...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by user6760‭

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Q&A Species evolved that encourages mutation of some of its embryos

I've been inspired to ask this question based off of my answer, and the resulting discussion, to this question: Why would a species of intelligent parthenogenetics invent males? However, this is a...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by dsollen‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by dsollen‭

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Q&A How would sleep cycles work in a world with a years-long day?

This is in my world of balloons and zeppelins, war and peace, day and night. Sleeping may be the least important thing but it is still important. On this world, the day and night cycle is 8.89 of t...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭

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Q&A Hammerhead dragon craving for seafood

How can I explain a female adult dragon standing at 30 to 32 meters living on the peaks of a snowy mountain, will dive and swim hundreds of miles into the ocean to hunt for sperm whales and colossa...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by user6760‭

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Q&A Can jellyfish migrate out of water?

Jellyfish is consists mostly water and they live in the ocean, I like to create a world of airborne jellyfish how can I explain the levitating mechanism and evolutionary advantage scientifically?

2 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by user6760‭

Question creature-design
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Q&A Alternate Timeline/Universe where the extinction level incident that occurred 65 million years ago didn't happen

Disclaimer : I'm working on the entire pseudo-science thing , so the scientific part of this whole thing isn't made up properly... Certain things have not been explained , this is to keep the post ...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Greymtr‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by Greymtr‭

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Q&A Humanoid evolution

Background We all know that our species evolve during and after the last ice age, (or is it sufficient to say that they evolve at the end of ice age?). A. Initial Condition Suppose I had another...

2 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Hendrik Lie‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by Hendrik Lie‭

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Q&A Underwater spider webs made of slime?

I am imagining a race of spider-like creatures that remain still in the water. They glow to attract prey/would be predators. They surround themselves with a thick layer of slime that can catch crea...

2 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by JDSweetBeat‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by JDSweetBeat‭

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Q&A What needs to be different in order for a parthenogenetically reproducing species to evolve sentience?

I am specifically interested in a form of reproductive cycle something like that of aphids on earth, where several generations of female-only parthenogenesis go by, followed by a generation being b...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Lostinfrance‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by Lostinfrance‭

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Q&A Survival without emotion

For a (Super super super soft)Sci-fi RP I've been planning, I've been trying to design an alien race to act as a suitable antagonist. The basis of this antagonistic race is that they are far, far m...

6 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Feaurie Vladskovitz‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by Feaurie Vladskovitz‭

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Q&A Could a species evolve intellgence and technology without Love?

There are lots of posts speculating about a planet (or whatever) where life evolves intelligence and goes on to produce technology, under different differences lacking something or another that is ...

5 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by JDługosz‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by JDługosz‭

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Q&A How would different kinds of eyes (polycoria, differently shaped pupils, etc.) work?

These questions are a sort of follow up of my question about white pupils. I'm designing some other creatures whose defining traits involve "weird" eyes: How would a creature with oddly shaped pu...

1 answer  ·  posted 9y ago by Hawkpelt‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by Hawkpelt‭

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Q&A How to make the orcs meet these biological standards?

This is loosely linked to my nature Mage questions. In my fantasy world I want a race of Orcs. These are the characteristics they have to have: Stand between 6 and 7 feet tall Have crude weapons ...

2 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by JDSweetBeat‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by JDSweetBeat‭

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Q&A What evolutionary factors can contribute to large sexual dimorphism in large mammals?

On Earth, the polar bear is among the most sexually dimorphic animals, with males being on average almost twice as heavy as females (Wikipedia claims average weights of 450 kg for males versus 260 ...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Canina‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by Canina‭