Speculative Evolution - Tumblr Posts

Ok so, here’s a funky fact: in the early evolution of fish, the claspers (reproductive organs still present in modern sharks) actually began as a genuine third pair of limbs. Sooo what if instead of becoming purely reproductive, the claspers instead developed into full on legs.

Basically what I’m saying here is six-finned fish -> hexapedal early tetrapods -> hexapedal temnospondyls -> hexapodal tiny weirdo arboreal dendrerpetids that develop membranes to glide -> amphibian dragons

they have little grabby hands and spurt venom out of their mouths and they are my precious new babies

Rebageling again because I found this sketch I did a while back! This is a species of meter-long barracuda-like macropredator which lives in the Europan ocean in the Astra Planeta canon.

Because I included the lithopanspermia hypothesis in this setting, the Europan biosphere is descended from a handful of hardy microbial organisms which originated on Earth in the Carboniferous and were transplanted via impact ejecta.

This particular species and its branch of life are descended from rotifers, tiny animals which suck in food using water vortices! The Europan "rotifish" group have adapted their central trunk cuticle to be a hollow “fuselage” with ciliated coronae lining the interior surface in order to push water through the channels and over the gill surface... and provide propulsion. They are living jet engines.

It wrinkles my brain that Jupiter’s moon Europa has oceans that are sixty miles deep, while Earth’s oceans only reach seven miles deep at most. I’m willing to bet good money that there’s life in Europa’s oceans. Like five bucks. You hear me, NASA? I bet you five bucks that there’s life on Europa… Now that there’s money and reputation on the line, I bet they send a mission there real quick.

Oh fuck phorusrachids, THESE are terror birds.

Reposting because I think a few people didn't realize what I did there yesterday. Centaurism is here not a biological state but a social one. Females can and will move on their own but are usually sitting on the males. Juveniles don't show this behavior until adulthood. Both parties are looking for food and share it, but the females main purpose up there is to be on the lookout for predators that stalk the tall grass. But these mated pairs also defend the group and females are known to use basic tools for that while males have enlarged fangs.

YEEEEAAAAHHHH SERINAAAAAAA!!!

@ my followers who don't know what Serina is, PLEASE READ THIS BLOG.

It's one of the best specbio projects out there, created by Sheather -one of the Golden Age masters. Serina is a world populated only by the descendants of the domestic canary (and a few other organisms like guppies, snails, ants, sunflowers, bamboo, algae, etc). The project digs deeply into the various unique niches of the world and the organisms that evolve to fill them. It's a journey of nearly three hundred million years thus far, and an absolute masterclass in specbio as a genre and an art form.

The vast majority of the blog is nature-documentarian in style, overviewing the physiology and evolutionary history of the various clades on the planet and the roles they fill across deep time. However, in the Ultimocene chapter, things take a turn for the profound as intelligent life evolves multiple times. I'm not kidding when I tell you that the saga of the rise and fall of intelligence on Serina is genuinely one of the most compelling and emotionally engaging stories I have read in years, and I NEED more people to experience this.

I'll wrap things up with this:

Any Serina: A Natural History of the World of Birds, fans here ?

Anyone. Hello… h

Spy's Spec-Bio Essentials

I honestly didn't mean to write a full-on essay, but I couldn't help myself -I love specbio, and the recent revival of interest in it makes me very happy. If you wanna just get right to the meat: normal links are highlighted blue, YouTube links are highlighted red.

Speculative biology has its roots as far back as Pliny the Elder and his Natural History, though most consider H.G. Wells to be the true grandfather of the genre with works such as War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, and Man of the Year Million. However, any speculative biologist worth their salt credits Dougal Dixon as the father of specbio as we know it today –especially since he is the man who coined the term! Dixon's books After Man, Man After Man, and The New Dinosaurs are considered the foundational works of modern specbio. So too is Wayne Barlowe's book Expedition.

While the original printings of these books are very expensive to acquire, After Man recently received a Kindle version, and Expedition has a very good documentary adaptation available in totality on YouTube. Another important work of early speculative biology was the Discovery Channel limited series The Future Is Wild, a documentary show exploring the possible futures of life on Earth in several million years' time.

With the rise of the internet, people interested in speculative biology –those few and far between– could share their thoughts and amateur works with each other. Online specbio hit its first height around the mid-aughts to early tens, featuring many notable works that were very influential to me personally when I joined the scene circa 2014. Unfortunately, right around when I joined there was a notable "mass extinction" –many of the more active and prominent figures of the specbio community left the web behind for various reasons, and thus the golden age ended.

In recent years, partially thanks to certain YouTube video essays on the classic projects, interest in speculative biology seems to have increased dramatically! I've taken to calling the current era the "specbio renaissance," and it makes me so happy to see new, younger people interested in this unique facet of creativity. In light of this I've created this master post of my personal recommendations of essential specbio works for new "speccers" to enjoy!

The specbio community has congregated on forums for decades. I personally joined the community via DeviantArt right around when the old ZetaBoards forum underwent a massive host shift and never participated on the forum all that much, but fortunately the old Speculative Evolution Forum is still up and still active!

For those who'd prefer a simpler way to keep up with current events in the specbio community, Astrovitae is a free e-magazine dedicated to contemporary spec. A product of the recent specbio renaissance, Astrovitae only has a handful of issues thus far but is already becoming a staple publication in the field.

I made this post to provide what I think is key information and important resources, but the SpecBio Wiki is a far more thorough companion to your journey into the world of speculative biology. As always, though: beware ye old Wiki Rabbit Hole!

Biblaridion's Alien Biospheres video series is an excellent entry point for anyone looking to learn the basics of specbio. It's a demo xenobiology project, with a heavy focus on the scientific concepts used in building up the world and its ecology.

Curious Archive's Alien Worlds video series is an excellent collection of bite-size examinations of various specbio projects, including several on this list!

Nemo Ramjet (C. M. Kösemen)'s Life on Snaiad is universally considered a classic work of speculative biology, started in the early days of the golden age of internet specbio. Snaiad is an alien planet, in its early days of human habitation, filled with strange lifeforms bearing two "heads."

Kösemen's other well-known classic work is Alltomorrows, a short ebook exploring hundreds of millions of years' worth of possible human evolution. Readers, be advised: this work contains extensive body horror and discussion of human extinction, both circumstantial and deliberate.

Sagan IV, originally created by Hydromancerx, is one of the oldest and most extensive specbio projects. Started as a simple artistic exercise on a forum in 2006, Sagan IV has evolved into a large, highly collaborative vision of an alien world inspired by the works of Carl Sagan. It is still ongoing today, and you can participate in their regular contests and activities!

Gert van Dijk's Furaha is another of the well-known classic specbio projects, and one of the few from the golden age that is still fully active. Furaha itself is an alien world orbiting Nu Phoenicis which harbors a fascinating native biosphere, built upon carefully-researched biomechanics. The site itself is laid out much like an encyclopedia, and the accompanying blog is a treasure trove of specbio know-how and community history!

Sunrise on Ilion, a xenobiology project by @supermalmoworld, is a personal favorite of mine. Ilion is a planet tidally locked to a red dwarf star, and its endemic lifeforms often challenge our expectations for Earth-like ecology. The website boasts extremely detailed information on the setting and its inhabitants, as well as in-universe articles and logs of the various human expeditions to this fascinating world. The project is still active on a very sporadic basis, at least as per blog entries.

Nereus is a xenobiology project created by Evan Black; another reasonably well-known golden age work but one that is unfortunately no longer active. The world of Nereus, orbiting the star Achird, teems with life unfamiliar to the humans which seek to adopt it as their home. Like many specbio projects it adopts a documentarian style, but there are plenty of nuggets of story tucked in the articles.

Serina is a contemporary speculative evolution project created by the legendary Sheather; it is what I would consider the holotype of the "seed-world" branch of specbio. Serina is a planet populated only by the descendants of the domestic canary (and a few other organisms like guppies, snails, ants, sunflowers, bamboo, algae, etc). The project digs deeply into the various unique niches of the world and the organisms that evolve to fill them, and in doing so mixes nature-documentarian style with some of the most compelling and emotionally engaging storytelling I have read in years.

These are just what I think are the essentials. There are numerous other fantastic projects, both contemporary and from years ago, that I would highly suggest investigating! Contemporary honorable mentions that personally inspire me include @alexriesart's birrin, @iguanodont's birgs, @jayrockin's Runaway to the Stars, Christian Cline's Teeming Universe, Keenan Taylor's Kaimere, and my friend Mičkin's Temere!

Speculative Evolution Prompt

Imagine if

Instead of whales

We had

G I A N T P E N G U I N S

Spec biology: typology, seminal works, references

A taxonomy of the main types of speculative biology for the benefit (I hope) of beginners, with examples of the earliest/most influential works and references hopefully useful to make your own. Full list below the cut; will be expanded over time. (Please contact me if a link is down; I’ll try to keep them updated.)

0a. General references: useful for any kind of specbio project. The Speculative Evolution Forum, Laws of Evolution (Pavel Volkov, 2005), Furahan Biology and Allied Matters (Gert van Dijk, 2008, ongoing), Spec Evo Wiki Tutorials (yours truly, ca. 2014; include planets, ecology, physiology, naming, &c), Chase for a Blue Chimera (Volkov & Kilyachkov, ca. 2015; general treatise on SpecBio) Worldbuilding Resources, Alien Biosphere Evolution (Phrenotopia, 2018, ongoing), The Equations of Life (Charles Cockell, 2018), Alien Biospheres (Biblaridion, 2019, ongoing), Exocosm (Abbydon, 2020, ongoing)

0b. Naming: Forming classical scientific names (Grensted & Bradley, 1958); Dictionary of Greek/Latin Roots (Donald Borror, 1960); Guide to Naming (me, ca. 2014); Guide to (Vernacular) Names (Dr Nitwhite, 2021), Common taxonomic affixes (Wiki)

0c. Planets and climate: Geoff’s Climate Cookbook (2006), Worldbuilding Videos (Artifexian, 2014, ongoing), Worldbuilding (Winchell Cheung), Worldbuilding Pasta (2019, ongoing)

Online textbooks on Biology, Chemistry, Geosciences, Astronomy; list of Biological Strategies

Keep reading

Ok so, here’s a funky fact: in the early evolution of fish, the claspers (reproductive organs still present in modern sharks) actually began as a genuine third pair of limbs. Sooo what if instead of becoming purely reproductive, the claspers instead developed into full on legs.

Basically what I’m saying here is six-finned fish -> hexapedal early tetrapods -> hexapedal temnospondyls -> hexapodal tiny weirdo arboreal dendrerpetids that develop membranes to glide -> amphibian dragons

they have little grabby hands and spurt venom out of their mouths and they are my precious new babies

Some bovids of Lishel.

The western savanna is home to Keerso, Vans impala and, Tapper impalas. Keerso are one of the most populous animals in the area, leading to herds being domesticated for meat. Vans impala are seen as blessed animals, and killing them is looked down on.

The mountainous eastern coast is home Guinin, and Tapin. Both have been domesticated, wild populations still exist naturally. Guinin are often used in hauling due to their hefty builds. Tapin are fast, and sure footed. They can jump along tough terrain with ease and are often used for general transport. These species as historically important to the area.

So... My first actual post on this account! This is Rilicai, a Kerilone (race of vaguely equine sophonts) that I've been designing recently. She lives on a swampy planet orbiting a M-Class star.

Four Kerilone outfits for various occasions. Dyes are not very common and quite hard to make, so most everyday clothes are undyed as in the winter outfit. However, red and blue dye - red from a plant, blue from various shellfish - are available. Kerilone courting takes place in the summer. The Kerilone are protandrous hermaphrodites, which means they all hatch male and gain the ability to become female upon reaching maturity. Females are larger than males, with darker colouring, and are less agile but stronger than males. Every year in winter the Kerilone shed their summer coats and grow new, white and fluffy winter coats (not shown in the picture), as well as losing their sexual characteristics as well as their ability to reproduce - the winters are very harsh, so all of their energy is needed simply to survive. After the winter, young adults can become either male or female: they have a modicum of choice in the matter, but it is largely down to environmental influences. However, as they age they lose the ability to become male and remain female for the rest of their lives. Like most Earth species they do not go through a menopause, however the average amount of chicks a Kerilone will rear in their lifetime is only about ten.

Rilicai in the rain. Inspired by how rainy it is where I live at the moment. Rain is pretty common where she lives as well, but she doesn’t normally go to the forest - most of her species live in or on mountains.

Spec Evo Project: Maya 1b

Part 1: The Sophonts

Some background Info:

My spec evo world Maya 1b or Halahal, it's a planet a bit smaller than earth but with a much higher eccentricity and axial tilt than ours that leads to a relatively cold, dry world with extreme seasonal shifts, this project is about exploring how the biology of the creatures and subsequently the culture of the sophont species would work in such an environment

Enough about the world, here we go

These guys are my main sophont species, one that I've tentatively named "Butterfly Hawks", part of the Artiopoditheria (transl. Even-Legged Beast) phylum that contains creatures having 12,6 or 2 legs

The Butterfly-Hawks are a group of dodecapods that have developed powered flight and hunt in packs among the grassy plains of their planet and are starting to display the first signs of sapience

Alright onto anatomy

1) Eyestalks

They possess one pair of retractable eyestalks on the anterior part of the head covered in "fuzz" that serve the fuction of both mechanoreceptors and to protect the eyes

This feature grants them a wide range of vision, a characteristic of their phylum

The head is a bit smaller than pictured here, the fuzz accounts for about 40℅ of its size

2) Antennae

Instead of an ear, they have four feathery antennae-like structures present near the eye stalks

These mainly serve the function of mechanoreceptors, picking up vibrations, auditory & pheromone signals and could be moved around and adjusted like the pinnae of cats or dogs

The antennae are also moved around to help communicate with other members of the species

They are mainly dark in colour covered with spot like designs to facilitate communication by making the it easier to identify and read the movements

3) Feeding Appendages

All Artiopods possess a pair of feeding appendages to capture and ensnare prey and which also often aid in defense often situated above or surrounding the opening to the proboscis

The Butterfly-Hawks possess quite a robust pair of feeding appendages with long inward curved spikes(not pictured here) to quickly kill and tear apart prey

As past of the body it is also covered with picnofibres to help insulate the body

4) Forewings

The first pair of limbs in hexapods is modified to form the first wing in Butterfly-Hawks and their relatives

These are the secondary wings and are slightly rounded to help steer and maneuver the body while flying

Each wing also possesses three fingers

Thus, when not flying, the fore wings are also used to grasp and to manipulate tools

The fore wings surround the opening to the proboscis and also sometimes help in further breaking down food to "swallow"

5) Midwings

The midwings are formed by the fusion of the 2nd, 3rd & the 4th pair of limbs in the dodecapods, three fingers curl inwards to form the wing and the other three are used for griping and standing when not in flight

These are the primary set of wings, broad, muscular and used to generate flight

The Butterfly-Hawks have an average wingspan of about 7 feet

These wings possess an splotchy pattern that is dark at the extremities and yellow or whitish near the centre

This splotchy pattern helps members of a pack to identify one another like seen in the multicolored coats of Painted dogs, and like human fingerprints the pattern on each Butterfly-Hawk is specific to that individual only

6) Hindwings

The hindwings are formed by fusion of the 5th & 6th pair of limbs in dodecapods

Longer and pointer in shape than the forewings this set of secondary wings play a greater part in balancing and steering analogous to the tails of earth birds

While similar in function to bird tails, they have a greater range of mobility and could be unfurled and adjusted to make flight easier

The hindwings are held up in most situations while flying or walking as the large midwings provide a stable enough surface but the could be extended down to provide extra stability to the body while perching or walking

7) Spiracles

Butterfly-Hawks like other artiopods, possess two pairs of spiracles in the upper side of their body, one pair near the forewings and the other near the hindwings

Work alternatively to inhale and exhale air

As such the respiratory system of all Artiopods is distinct from the digestive system making it a more efficient method of respiration than the one humans possess

Aaaaaand we're done for now

This was a very general overview of the physiology of the Butterfly-Hawks, the next part I'll probably upload will shown the other major phylum on this planet, the Perissopoditheria (or the Odd-Legged Beast) in the meantime enjoy this Butterfly-Hawk sitting and thanks for reading

MAYA 1b:

The Planet

The planet that the aliens in this project inhabit is an Uncapped Cryoplanet, it could be understood as an inversion of Earth, a Capped Aquaplanet ie ice on its poles and oceans in the middle

Therefore an Uncapped Cryoplanet has ice along it's equator and frost free oceans & "jungles" at the poles

Such an arrangement is a result of mainly 3 things:

Obliquity: Beyond 54° of axial tilt, the poles receive greater solar input than the equators, Maya 1b has an axial tilt of 70°, such a extreme tilt leads to the formation of permanent ice sheets around the equator

Rotation Rate: The planets rotates slightly faster than Earth (average day around ~ 20 hrs) , which causes a more oblong shape, with higher elevations at the equator and the poles closer to the crust

Continents: The continental arrangement is such that multiple long mountain chains exist along the equator further leading to ice formation

All these things combined together give rise to the odd arrangement of this world

The planet also has much higher eccentricity than Earth, which gives it a more elliptical orbit, that combined with the high axial tilt leads to some extreme seasonal variation across the year

Given the geography of Maya 1b, sophont groups from both Perissopodithera & Artiopodithera evolved separately and independent of one another, each pole is it's own unique biosphere, for long, each pole wasn't even aware of the other's existence and the unique life that it hosted but that would change soon when two brothers venture out from the North Pole to the South, changing the course of history and initiating contact between the two biospheres & their inhabitants......for better or worse

MAYA 1b:

North Pole

Heres a map of the North pole/northern supercontinent (or what remains free of the ice actually) where the Artiopods evolved

The specifics might be subject to change but I'm happy with it as of rn

Two Brother Lepiraptors (Butterfly-Hawks) out on a hunt

Lord knows I'm not touching these for another five months, so have a species dump!! I only chose the best ones, cause yeah..

Top to bottom, left to right

Ahegaosha, Demuku, Ice Walker

Karuotami, Hei'kei and Reiei

Rodspine, Tsurska, Azefa'damēk

Zurimitzu, Predorian

Pardon the shitpost quality :)

i'm cooking guys

(includes spoilers about dragon species which have to do with book events iykyk)

(also the idea of animus magic being like The Force comes from this reddit thread by -Wofster which i found while trying to wrap my head around what the big idea for animus magic or power in general is supposed to be and how in the hell magic powers appear in only one dragon species. very good theory this one)

sunclaws and wavetails are made up by me and i have ocs based off of them