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Speculative biology is simultaneously a science and form of art in which one speculates on the possibilities of life and evolution. What could the world look like if dinosaurs had never gone extinct? What could alien lifeforms look like? What kinds of plants and animals might exist in the far future? These questions and more are tackled by speculative biologists, and the Speculative Evolution welcomes all relevant ideas, inquiries, and world-building projects alike. With a member base comprising users from across the world, our community is the largest and longest-running place of gathering for speculative biologists on the web.

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The Species Factory; Empty your mind
Topic Started: Nov 6 2014, 06:54 PM (33,408 Views)
Finncredibad
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Edgy and Cool
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Yea I know. I just think it's a neat idea to discuss
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Dapper Man
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* I am fed up with dis wuurld *
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Some plants do reproduce via projecting their seeds, however. My science teacher showed us clips of these plants, so it is quite possible.
Speculative Evolution:

Manitou; The Needle in the Haystack.
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truteal
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forum bigfoot
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Inspired by this book (and Tim Morris) I decided to make my own real life cryptid concept

The Axehandle Hound

A Fearsome Critter (a creature of lumberjack folklore) it looks like an axe-shaped dog. Its diet consists of the handles of axes left unattended.

My version is not a canid, but a rodent related to the Horned Gopher Its triangle shaped horn makes its body the shape of an axe. The reason why it collects axehandles is that it licks the salt off them (the salt comes from lumberjack hand sweat)
My sporadically updated Youtube page

Do you get it? I hardly ever come here so I'm like something a cryptozoologist would study
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GlarnBoudin
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Disgusting Skin Fetishist
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Based on a squirrel hanging upside-down from a tree branch that I saw a few days ago: sloth-like squirrel descendants.
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Co-creator/corporate minion for the Pop Culture Monster Apocalypse!

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Ànraich
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L'évolution Spéculative est moi

I came up with a great idea for an a semi-aquatic alien sophont. They come from an ocean world covered mainly in water but sporting a few long, stringy landmasses and dotted with tiny islands produced by lava released from undersea volcanoes (or chains of volcanoes). The sophont in question somewhat resembles a crab, though it lacks the claws (except for a very small pair near the mouth used to manipulate food) and has only four legs. I imagine it being about the size of a Volkswagon bug. It has a fully aquatic larval stage about the size of a goldfish that utilizes four external gills. As it grows into adulthood it loses the ability to swim, but it's swim bladders begin to adapt into functional set of lungs. It retains the external gills, though they grow into large, feathery-looking tentacles used as manipulators rather than respiration organs (if you've ever seen the gills inside an actual crab, I imagine them looking somewhat like that).

As they reach adolescence the size of their exoskeleton begins to impair their ability to molt, so I've thought of an interesting solution: key sections of the exoskeleton no longer shed and instead are gradually enveloped by tissue and begin to function as an endoskeleton, giving this species what I believe would be a very functional blend of internal and external skeletons. By the time they are adults the only part of their exoskeleton that has not become an endoskeleton is the parts supporting their complex mouths and oral-manipluation claws and the singular, large plate on their back (which is what gives them their resemblance to crabs), which has large horn-like wings jutting out on either side that hold fluid bladders used to maintain balance.

I'm not sure how plausible this all is but I find the mental image of it I have compelling.
We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

Tree That Owns Itself
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JohnnyLuken
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Newborn
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Polymetamorphosis
Taking the idea of metamorphosis a step so that a specie has a tree of different stages it can "choose" to morph between depending on stimulus, with the ability to reproduce in different stages.
Maybe you even get a idea of one species creating its own isolated food chain, where different forms of itself cannibalise other forms.

Predatory terrestrial cetacean descendant
Human sized or larger, hairless, tailless and front heavy, semiaquatic, social with high intelligence, nocturnal with high acoustic sensory and communication capability, and with a vestigial fin, macropredator with robust orcalike jaw.

Sapient "quadromanual" animal
The humans' opposable thumb is championed, but we are ironically one of the less advanced of the Great Apes in terms of grasping capability, so a modest example of this concept would be if a tree dwelling primate became sapient without having to leave the trees and abandon two of its hands.

Biological juggernaut
Heavily armoured omnivorous quadruped, spends its post juvenile life trundling in a radial direction from a breeding sight.
Very slow, stupid, with poor senses, but practically invulnerable, doesnt age and has no clear size limit.
Has burrowing and aquatic capability, and a complicated jaw mechanism that allows it to devour a range of foods. Reptile descendant.

Hopping exhaustion hunter
Even more efficient than a human.
Ancestor; jumping mouse.
Edited by JohnnyLuken, May 23 2016, 02:10 PM.
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CaledonianWarrior96
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An Awesome Reptile
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How could it be immortal? And in what sense, like it can't die from old age or it's like Vandal Savage from DC comics? (completely unkillable)

Note; I just saw he edited it before I posted this but instead of deleting this I'm acknowledging he's changed it from immortal to doesn't age
Edited by CaledonianWarrior96, May 23 2016, 01:55 PM.
Come check out and subscribe to my projects on the following subforums;

Future Planet (V.2): the Future Evolution of Life on Earth (Evolutionary Continuum)
The Meuse Legacy: An Alternative Outcome of the Mosasaur (Alternative Evolution)
Terra Cascus: The Last Refuge of the Dinosaurs (Alternative Evolution)
- Official Project
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The Beryoni Galaxy: The Biologically Rich and Politically Complex State of our Galaxy (Habitational Zone)

- Beryoni Critique Thread (formerly: Aliens of Beryoni)
The Ecology of Skull Island: An Open Project for the Home of King Kong (Alternative Universe)
The Ecology of Wakanda: An Open Project for the Home of Marvel's Black Panther (Alternative Universe)

(Click bold titles to go to page. To subscribe click on a project, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "track topic" on the bottom right corner)


And now, for something completely different
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CaledonianWarrior96
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An Awesome Reptile
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Before you go adding more, instead of just making numerous posts in a row with different species just put them in one post as a list; makes it easier to read and doesn't clog up space on the forums
Come check out and subscribe to my projects on the following subforums;

Future Planet (V.2): the Future Evolution of Life on Earth (Evolutionary Continuum)
The Meuse Legacy: An Alternative Outcome of the Mosasaur (Alternative Evolution)
Terra Cascus: The Last Refuge of the Dinosaurs (Alternative Evolution)
- Official Project
- Foundation
The Beryoni Galaxy: The Biologically Rich and Politically Complex State of our Galaxy (Habitational Zone)

- Beryoni Critique Thread (formerly: Aliens of Beryoni)
The Ecology of Skull Island: An Open Project for the Home of King Kong (Alternative Universe)
The Ecology of Wakanda: An Open Project for the Home of Marvel's Black Panther (Alternative Universe)

(Click bold titles to go to page. To subscribe click on a project, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "track topic" on the bottom right corner)


And now, for something completely different
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JohnnyLuken
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Newborn
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Will do.
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Ànraich
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L'évolution Spéculative est moi

Came across this gif while queuing up posts for the SE tumblr page:

Posted Image

I think it would be interesting to take this species of crab and make it into a clade of free swimming organisms replacing fish, or using them as the basis for a fish-like alien organism. I may do some sketches later, I'm just posting it here so I don't forget about the idea.
We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

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Carlos
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So basically like the silver swimmers.
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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LittleLazyLass
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Proud quilt in a bag

No, because those were neotonic in nature, these wouldn't be.
totally not British, b-baka!
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I don't even really like this song that much but the title is pretty relatable sometimes, I guess.
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Sayornis
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That is one adorable crab!

Elaboration upon something I posted in the Project Ideas thread:

The Eiderdown Tree, a seaside tree with mangrove-like roots; the Bark Barnacle, which settles on the tree's roots as a substrate; and the Barnacle Tree Goose, which eats the barnacles (prying or cracking their shells with a specialized beak). In large numbers, the barnacles can damage or destroy the tree roots, so the bird is a cleaner symbiote.

Furthermore, the Eiderdown Tree encourages the barnacle-eating birds to stay close by growing seed pods full of down, not just to aid in seed dispersal but for the birds to use as nesting material, whence the name. Production of seeds and down is synced with the birds' breeding season. Old and large trees also grow cavities (by programmed cell death or merging branches? I don't really know if or how this part would work) where the birds can nest. Soon after hatching, the young Barnacle Tree Geese jump out and land in the water (like tree-nesting ducks) and soon learn to eat Bark Barnacles.

All this is intended to provide a quasi-realistic retelling/explanation of the medieval myth, inspired by Goose Barnacles, about geese that grow on trees. The seed pods filled with "eiderdown" would also resemble actual goslings sprouting from the tree, as described in bestiaries.
Edited by Sayornis, May 24 2016, 10:04 PM.
The Library is open. (Now under new management!)
Dr Nitwhite
Aug 19 2016, 07:42 PM
As I said before, the Library is like spec crack.
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Ànraich
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L'évolution Spéculative est moi

Another alien sophont idea, and another arthropoid one at that. Decapodal, about the size of a capuchin monkey (not including its five pairs of limbs), and a cephalothorax resembling that of a jumping spider. Six eyes: two large ones facing forwards and two pairs of smaller ones that point upwards and downwards at 45 degree angles respectively. It feeds using a soft, flexible proboscis that retracts into the face when not in use. The outermost edges of the proboscis are lined with a series of radulae that break down food into small bits. It's diet consists mainly of partially decomposed organic matter, though the soft tissues of vegetation and animals may on occasion be eaten fresh if it is easily digestible. It's ten limbs are arranged with two pairs nearer the front of the abdomen, two nearer the back, and a smaller pair in the middle nearer the underside of the body, all of them end in zygodactyl appendages. The four pairs of larger limbs are characterized by joints with a high degree of hypermobility and are used for locomotion thick canopies while the smaller pair are less flexible and are used mainly as manipulators (originally for food as these limbs more easily reach the mouth but now they are also used for manipulation of tools) but may also be used for locomotion as needed. They are hermaphrodites displaying pseudo-viviparity and develop a single egg inside their bodies until the fetus is nearly completely developed, at which point they lay a hard-shelled egg which hatches within a day or two.

Their homeworld is mainly arid with a large region around the equator being uninhabitable and most of the vegetation clustered in the polar regions. Only the area within what we would consider the arctic and antarctic circles is remotely temperate with the rest being characterized by dense jungles of vegetation sharing many traits with stem succulents. The few large bodies of water that do exist tend to have high levels of salinity and are fed by run-off from the peaks of large mountain ranges: the only real source of fresh water on the planet. Their civilizations began in these mountains where there was an abundance of freshwater rivers and lakes and only spread to other regions slowly as technology developed. They are rather clumsy on the ground and have developed architectural styles utilizing jungle gym-like structures to make movement within and around buildings easier. This has led to a style of city planning with very narrow streets between buildings and in modern cities buildings will often have a network of "monkey bars" built between them stretching far above the ground with entrances to the buildings at many different levels. It would not be inaccurate to say that their modern cities are more like a giant jungle gym with walls and ceilings build around some parts of it rather than individual buildings with jungle gyms built between them as their older cities are. Their appendages can "lock" into place and so an individual falling and getting injured or killed while commuting is incredibly rare.

Their hermaphroditic reproduction style has led to many interesting cultural developments. In ancient times it was common for sex to be treated as combat or a competition in which two individuals wrestled in an attempt to impregnate the other, forcing them to bear the biological and financial cost of raising the child. Some cultures developed systems in which roles recognizable to humans as gender were created. In some cultures it was seen as a sign of prestige to become pregnant as only the wealthy could afford to do so. In others it was seen as something beneath those of power and pregnancy was relegated to slaves or lower class individuals. A few cultures even developed gender-castes with groups of individuals inheriting the duty of pregnancy and having to go to great lengths to move into a higher caste. In the modern era most cultures see pregnancy as something to be shared and often individuals will mate for life and impregnate each other. This has created a trend of twin births and often a sibling will be an individual's closest companion in life until they find a mate of their own. A small number of cultures even consider a sibling-pair to legally be a single individual and mating now occurs between sibling pairs rather than individual citizens.
We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

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Beetleboy
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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Sayornis
May 24 2016, 10:02 PM
That is one adorable crab!

Elaboration upon something I posted in the Project Ideas thread:

The Eiderdown Tree, a seaside tree with mangrove-like roots; the Bark Barnacle, which settles on the tree's roots as a substrate; and the Barnacle Tree Goose, which eats the barnacles (prying or cracking their shells with a specialized beak). In large numbers, the barnacles can damage or destroy the tree roots, so the bird is a cleaner symbiote.

Furthermore, the Eiderdown Tree encourages the barnacle-eating birds to stay close by growing seed pods full of down, not just to aid in seed dispersal but for the birds to use as nesting material, whence the name. Production of seeds and down is synced with the birds' breeding season. Old and large trees also grow cavities (by programmed cell death or merging branches? I don't really know if or how this part would work) where the birds can nest. Soon after hatching, the young Barnacle Tree Geese jump out and land in the water (like tree-nesting ducks) and soon learn to eat Bark Barnacles.

All this is intended to provide a quasi-realistic retelling/explanation of the medieval myth, inspired by Goose Barnacles, about geese that grow on trees. The seed pods filled with "eiderdown" would also resemble actual goslings sprouting from the tree, as described in bestiaries.
Awesome! You should totally do this project.
~ The Age of Forests ~
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