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juniorWoodchuck — Sophonts 2: different biochemistry by-nc-nd

#alien #ammonia #biochemistry #exobiology #exoplanet #extraterrestrial #gasgiant #metal #methane #planet #silicon #superearth #xenobiology #hydrocarbons #speculativeevolution #juniorwoodchuck #tidallylocked #specevo #metaloxide #arsenic
Published: 2015-03-30 13:29:17 +0000 UTC; Views: 12040; Favourites: 133; Downloads: 21
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Description Hnaur: The arsenic-based mammaloid Hnaur inhabit a tidally locked dwarf double planet. The rotational axis lies between the two planets and they always present each other the same face. From any position on either body, the other is always at the same position in the sky, or always obscured. The Hnaur terraformed their once lifeless neighbor and connected the two planets via massive towers and hyper-speed space elevators. Despite being highly advanced, the Hnaur's culture is based on a profound spiritual connection to nature. 

Hchrrm: Inhabiting a dry super-earth, the silicon-based Hchrrm are more alike to machines than animals. Their grid-like nervous system works at astonishing speeds, providing them with lightning-fast reflexes. The sensory bristles on their cephalic shields pick up radio-waves emitted by their kin. All their technology is naturally grown from engineered "animals" and "plants".  
( juniorwoodchuck.deviantart.com…)

Gnyogshotha: These ammonia-based sophonts inhabit a large gas giant near the center of the milky way. They stay afloat due to gas bladders inside their bodies and propel themselves forward with the aid of two large siphons. Their architecture is largely based around the porous skeletons of other creatures. Their society is divided into multiple castes that are distinguishable by their appearance. The warrior caste is the most powerful one, ruling their people with an iron facial trunk. 

Hedron: The Hedra are metal-oxide-based sophonts inhabiting an oceanic planet orbiting a black hole. Despite being a relatively young species from an outsider’s perspective, the Hedra are highly advanced. This is due to the massive gravitational fields emitted by the black hole cause time to slow down for their homeworld. Every hour on the planet means several years outside of the gravitational field. The two-mouthed bodies are lined with 24 fins and ten compact eyes on either side of the body.
They do not exhibit any manipulatory organs but interact with their surroundings through electromagnetic fields they generate with multiple coil-like organs inside their "head".

Pfwyt: Hailing from a planet of methane and hydrocarbons, the Pfwyt superficially resemble Terran mammals. Upon closer inspection, one can see the many differences however. Their eyeless heads are equipped with a toothed proboscis as well as a small tentacle used in communication and chemoreception. Their chins are adorned with a single bifurcated grasping arm. Two antenna on their forelegs help them pick up movement in the air and flower-like organs on their back legs help them discern light from darkness.

© by me
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Comments: 45

SonicCaleritas [2019-02-01 02:13:21 +0000 UTC]

This is awsome

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to SonicCaleritas [2019-02-04 10:47:24 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much!

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platypus12 [2017-10-04 21:42:50 +0000 UTC]

It's so nice to see someone design a silicon-based organism that isn't crystalline. I mean, is that sort of design even necessary? Silicon-based life might as well assume that carbon-based life like ourselves (I'm assuming) would be made out of diamond, just because it's crystalline in structure and just happens to be made out of carbon.

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to platypus12 [2017-10-10 08:15:39 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, that was kinda my thought process too...
I still gave it some angular elements as a bit of a nod to the crystalline elements and to kinda hit home the point that they are more like biological machines rather than the kind of life we are used to.

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platypus12 In reply to juniorWoodchuck [2017-10-20 17:54:40 +0000 UTC]

Biological machine? Well, the tentacles look more biological than mechanical.

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to platypus12 [2017-10-22 11:44:23 +0000 UTC]

I meant more in their internal anatomy with nervous system resembling electrical grids and stuff like that

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platypus12 In reply to juniorWoodchuck [2017-10-24 22:45:38 +0000 UTC]

Ah. Yeah, that's definitely quite mechanical-like.

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Arcturus94-j [2016-04-01 18:00:09 +0000 UTC]

These aliens of yours are awesome (my favorites have to be the Hchrrm, the Gnyogshotha, and the Hedron).

I too am a fan of non-carbon based life (although, I recently became a bit skeptical about this concept, though no enough to stop making  deviations about such things in the future).


In your opinion just what kind of weird forms of life could exist in the universe (also will you make more non-carbon based aliens)?

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to Arcturus94-j [2016-04-03 13:53:27 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much, I’m glad you like them!

In my opinion, there could be almost anything… Lifeforms so completely different to us that we don’t even recognize them as lifeforms, maybe lifeforms we can’t physically see at all… I honestly think the possibilities could be almost endless..
And yes, I’ll be doing another one of these with even more outlandish critters that defy our definition of life

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Transapient [2015-05-18 18:38:32 +0000 UTC]

Lots of cool stuff here too!  Man, I gotta start checking this stuff out again.  Anywho, I love the concept of the Hedron.  Their both quite exotic, and adorable!

-----
"Evolve and Grow." -- the Universe

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to Transapient [2015-05-21 13:54:42 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!
Yeah, I quite like the Hedra myself… I reckon they are the most alien out of them all

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Tektalox [2015-04-02 18:13:21 +0000 UTC]

I appreciate the other designs and concepts ( I like the head shape of the Hnaur) but the Hedron is the only one I can talk about beyond saying "Nice design!" or "Cool!".
I like how their geometrical shape gives them the impression of being made from sculpted and grinded metal. I like the Double-Mouth idea, having extra organs/parts make anything more freaky/otherworldly.
And tool using through electromagnetic fields is another favourite of mine. Who said that anything resembling hands must be needed in order to have tools?

And their home world reminds me of a certain move. What is your opinion about "Interstellar"?

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to Tektalox [2015-04-02 18:41:22 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much!
Well, humans tend to think that the human form is the perfect form for intelligent beings so they tend to depict aliens human-like. They do not understand that appearance and intelligence are not linked together...

These aliens are all still very familiar anyways… I am planning a picture with truly extraordinary aliens to show what different possibilities for life there are. I personally do believe that there could be life so drastically different from us that we could not even recognize it as life.

Yeah, I’ve been told that it is kinda Interstellar-y but it was mainly inspired by factual books…
I’m a big fan of the movie. I think it’s great. I really like how it brings astrophysical theories to life in an emotional story.
And I know that there are flaws that are often picked apart but I think that some scientific inaccuracies should not be so severely criticized in a movie that gets most other facts correct. (Especially not if it’s a scifi movie! People don’t criticize the fact that there is sound in space in Star Wars or Star Trek either)

I’m also a big fan of the non-humanoid robots

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Tektalox In reply to juniorWoodchuck [2015-04-02 19:07:29 +0000 UTC]

What extraordinary aliens are these, something Colour Out of Space-y?

There are something in "Interstellar" people can like or not. I personally is just tired of the "Power of Love"-trope, Amelia Brand´s praising speech about love felt just stupid. And I wished to see and learn a little bit more weird exoplanet-stuff (why are clouds on Mann´s Planet made of SOLID ice instead of PARTICLES of ice?). But I do appreciate the movie for trying to depict exotic geometry in freaky-looking but still somewhat comprehensible visuals (especially the singularity scene). And the robots are my favourites too.

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to Tektalox [2015-04-04 18:10:06 +0000 UTC]

I’m not familiar with that but I’m gonna guess that they are similar

Well I just interpreted that as one person desperately trying to see the one she loves again against all odds…
The fact that they didn’t explain anything about the exoplanets seemed pretty logical to me. It would only have take more time and it is of no importance to the plot… most people wouldn’t have cared for the explanation anyways…

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Tektalox In reply to juniorWoodchuck [2015-04-04 21:32:59 +0000 UTC]

So you haven´t read H. P. Lovecrafts "Colour Out of Space"? The eponymous entity is so off and unknowable that it can only be comparable to an unknown color that feeds on living creatures causing radiation poisoning. The story can be read here .

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to Tektalox [2015-04-05 12:49:05 +0000 UTC]

I have not… Might have to read it though, it sounds quite fascinating

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nineslugsart [2015-03-31 16:39:39 +0000 UTC]

Man, these are fantastic! Alternate biochemistries are some of my favorite things to think about... we have a whole universe out there, so why should aliens use the same chemicals as us?

I especially like the Hnaur, that leg configuration is really creative! I imagine they can turn around very fast. Do they use their feet as hands?
Really like the Hedra too... they've got a nice Cambrian feel. Any inspiration from Interstellar for their world's setting? 

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to nineslugsart [2015-03-31 22:14:48 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much!
I already started exploring these themes in an older project that is currently dormant…. I am planning on reviving it though
But I firmly believe that if we ever stumble upon other lifeforms, we will not immediately recognize them. Their biochemistry, appearance and behavior could be so drastically different from what we know or expect that we can not perceive it as life… Maybe their biochemistry is so inconceivably different that we can’t even see them at all… Maybe they are not bound to the same laws and dimensions as we are… the possibilities could be endless...

Thanks again!
Yes, the Hnaur use their feet as hands… they inherited this trait from their arboreal ancestors.
The primary inspiration for the Hedra were Cambrian animals such as anomalocaris but their planet was inspired by a documentary I saw some years ago about exoplanets. I reckon it was from National Geographic, not sure though. I used to be a pretty big space nerd when I was younger. I read hundreds of books about space, different planets, black holes, quasars and so on… Like almost every kid, I wanted to be an astronaut but for me it was more than just a wish, I was intent on becoming one so I filled my brain with everything there was to know… When I found out I could never be an astronaut due to health reasons, I was devastated… I stopped reading about space then…
But even now when I look at the sky at night, I am overcome with this longing… as if I was meant to go… as if my real place was up there…

But anyways, long story short, my main inspiration were books 

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NeilKynes In reply to juniorWoodchuck [2022-06-15 09:47:09 +0000 UTC]

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Sir-Conor [2015-03-31 01:31:17 +0000 UTC]

Aliens with different biochemistry has become one of my favourite types of alien depictions and these designs and info are great(especially the double planet idea!) Every picture you make is just as awesome as the last you never cease to make great alien designs ohh and thanks for the favourite on the Jackal redesign  it's very much appreciated

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to Sir-Conor [2015-03-31 22:16:09 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much!
I have got an older, now dormant project about life on different planets and under different circumstances that deals with these kinds of topics… I am planning on reviving it soon

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Dragonthunders [2015-03-30 18:41:57 +0000 UTC]

Friend, You're awesome, I love these designs, and their characteristics, Good great detail of the different biochemical

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to Dragonthunders [2015-03-30 21:47:54 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much! I’m glad you like it

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PeteriDish [2015-03-30 17:41:53 +0000 UTC]

and yet another compilation of utter amazingness!

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to PeteriDish [2015-03-30 21:48:18 +0000 UTC]

Thank you, good sir
I hope it won’t be the last

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PeteriDish In reply to juniorWoodchuck [2015-03-31 14:48:02 +0000 UTC]

that makes two of us!

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to PeteriDish [2015-03-31 22:17:14 +0000 UTC]

No pressure then   

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PeteriDish In reply to juniorWoodchuck [2015-03-31 22:46:57 +0000 UTC]

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Traheripteryx [2015-03-30 17:41:13 +0000 UTC]

Mal wieder einfach brilliant!
Schon mal drüber nachgedacht, eine Stelle als Gottheit zu übernehmen?

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to Traheripteryx [2015-03-30 21:48:54 +0000 UTC]

Vielen Dank!
Ach weisst du, eine Gottheit zu sein klingt irgendwie so anstrengend…

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WorldBuildersInc [2015-03-30 16:52:46 +0000 UTC]

My god Andrea... this is simply too epic for human consumption!

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to WorldBuildersInc [2015-03-30 21:49:30 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much!
I’m planning on uploading even more epic stuff though

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alpharaptor6 [2015-03-30 15:14:12 +0000 UTC]

love the different biochemistry!!

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to alpharaptor6 [2015-03-30 21:50:09 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!
It’s something that’s not too often explored in exobiology so I thought I’d give it a shot 

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alpharaptor6 In reply to juniorWoodchuck [2015-03-31 01:32:36 +0000 UTC]

I found a list of different biochemistry's ttp://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/A/alternative_forms_of_life. There  some really weird ideas like life on the sun,neutron stars and brown dwarfs.

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to alpharaptor6 [2015-03-31 22:19:29 +0000 UTC]

That link does not lead anywhere… even when I add an h at the beginning...

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alpharaptor6 In reply to juniorWoodchuck [2015-03-31 22:53:20 +0000 UTC]

www.daviddarling.info/encyclop…

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to alpharaptor6 [2015-04-02 11:48:32 +0000 UTC]

Thanks

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Ryan-Bowers [2015-03-30 14:01:18 +0000 UTC]

God sakes woodchuck stop being so awesome! 

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to Ryan-Bowers [2015-03-30 14:23:59 +0000 UTC]

NEVER!
MWAHAHAHAAAA!!!!

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Ryan-Bowers In reply to juniorWoodchuck [2015-03-30 14:32:59 +0000 UTC]

I acidntaly commented instead of repling

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to Ryan-Bowers [2015-03-30 21:56:39 +0000 UTC]

That’s no problem
What did you comment?

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Ryan-Bowers In reply to juniorWoodchuck [2015-03-30 22:05:40 +0000 UTC]

About The planet that prbits a black hole, such cool stuff andrea im upping my game and soon as i get home im doing a few sophonts inspired by the two masters you and transapient! I told you some time ago you two are my favourite artists and the list has grown, have you seen that guy/gal has some awesome stuff

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juniorWoodchuck In reply to Ryan-Bowers [2015-03-31 22:23:06 +0000 UTC]

Well if you have questions about it you do need to ask them

Aww, thank you so much!
Yup, I’ve been watching him for quite some time now

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