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Such a wonderful creature! The markings remind me of a baby emu.

strange star

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Hands and feet. I think I nailed the feet, but the hands are still a bit hard for me to nail down. "While their forelimbs are adapted for the killing of their prey, their feet, the remnants of an arboreal ancestry have evolved to aid in the capture of their prey."

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Illustration for the short story posted here and here:

It has been over five centuries since the colony ship Scarlet Palace departed from their tempestuous home and it has started to decelerate for the first time in all these centuries. The manoeuvre began with the main booster being shut off and the collection funnel closing to allow the reverse boosters to slow down the vessel relatively fast. Its passengers are suspended in a fluid of equal density to their bodies, being slowly brought back from cryptobiosis.

With all of his five eyes open, the first to awaken pushed himself through the liquid towards a large round screen surrounded by smaller screens.

"Look who's awake." the ship's AI said "Last to sleep, first to awaken."

"My body is eager to set foot on firm land." the First said "Show me what we've got!"

"A two for one deal!" the AI's on-screen avatar gestured from a nearby screen.

The First's string-of-beads-like pupils constricted until it was reduced to a single round opening.

On the large screen was a ringed planet with a single continent with a mountainous interior featuring many caldera lakes surrounded by abundant cloud cover, vast shallow seas and many island chains surround this singular continent. It was orbited by two moons, the furthest moon was much larger and colourful and had an atmosphere.

"Fascinating! We will do so much science!" the First raised his flag feathers, their tips glowing with excitement.

"We've been ripped off, though." the AI said "The big one is inhabited." they answered the First's confused expression.

"I wouldn't call that a rip off." the First answered.

"Are these aliens?" someone else asked "Or just another lost colony?"

"No signs of space-based infrastructure or radio transmissions." the AI's avatar looked through a magnifying glass "I reckon it's safe to assume that they're actual aliens."

"We'll still do a lot of science down there!" the First said as more awakened colonists emerged from the honeycombed walls.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." the AI's avatar was now dressed in construction equipment "We have a colony to build. Then the fun can begin."

As the ship came to rest in orbit of the larger moon, the colonists moved from the fluid-filled tubes where they were held in stasis to the housing modules, which detached from the ship's skeletal body in sequence.

Hundreds of colony-building modules rained down from above into the moon's rugged and swampy surface.

The First was among the last to leave the recently landed module, they were near the edge of a precipice without a hint of complex life on sight, around them the modules deployed the necessary construction equipment to help the colonists lay the foundations for their future home.

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AAAAAH!

Happy holidays, tumblr! (feat. Shyam and Talita)

PATREON | STORE | Runaway to the Stars  

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These are some nice notes to take.

My notes from my "Drawing 'Creepy' Creatures" Makerspace class at MICE, I thought it might be interesting to post them here because I don't usually share my process. I printed out fact sheets for different animals and then encouraged people to draw their own animal characters (and even mix different animals together for some fun creature design!).

I am very passionate about drawing animals that others might find off-putting or unsettling and I wanted to share that in my class. All animals are important to their ecosystems and have so much to offer, especially the ones that don't conform to the human standard for cuteness!

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This all looks really nice!

Part of an educational project I collaborated on with Tyler Rhodes; children used evolutionary principles to design their own life-forms, and I then painted a selection of them :)

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A Married Couple from the Chlâsle culture displays their outfits The Chlâsle (Beader) culture, also known as the 'central' culture(s) is by far the most widespread culture among Chenesht. Here a married couple, Shêdach [Sheedat] (left) and Mhachâp [Mataap] (right), show off traditional garb for Married Adult Chenesht. Garb is conveniently labeled for our sake. More in depth descriptions below the cut.

Shêdach's Outfit

Shêdach is wearing a Ghelâlcha, a Mhach, a pair of Mhsêlba, and a Nhêdlba. A Ghelâlcha [Gelaalta] directly translates to 'Ghelâ Cover'. Named for its vauge resemblance to the Central Ghelâ when fully unrolled. The Central Ghelâ is a small amphibious quadruped descended from the same common ancestor as Chenesht and populates the waters, sometimes hunted for food. Some Ghelâlcha are patterned specifically to look like the pelt of a Ghelâ, though some find this practice garish and offputting. Shêdach's Ghelâlcha is made of silk, though most are made of a lighter fabric.

A Mhach [Mat] directly translates to 'Cape' or 'Cloak' and is a common item for everyday wear. A Mhach is typically made of hand woven linens crafted from fibers stripped from aquatic plants. On occasion, sturdier fabrics like a canvas weave or even silk are used, but these are typically more expensive as they require more effort and skill. Mhacha are more or less elaborate depending on the occasion, and are frequently decorated with beads along the edge. Shêdach's Mhach beads are in the 'flyfish' (front 3) and 'bloom' (the rest) patterns, and the Mhach itself is clasped with an airjelly beaded pin.

Mhsêlba [Mseelba] directly translates to 'Tie Pants'. Mhsêlba are typically simple and unpatterned as they spend most of their time hidden beneath the Mhach. They're similarly made of linens or silks and are tied with either a flat ribbon or braided chord to keep them out of the swamp below. When untied, Mhsêlba reach the ankle.

Nhêdlba [Needlba] directly translates to 'Tie Shirt'. Nhêdlba are much the same case as Mhsêlba, spending most of their time hidden beneath the Mhach. Patterned Nhêdlba are more popular among unmarried adults and teens. Nhêdlba are tied around the waist with a flat ribbon or braided chord and fall just above the tail when untied. Their hems are typically tucked inside the Mhsêlba.

Shêdach comes from a wealthy family, and so he owns more items made from expensive fabrics and items with more beads/more complex beaded patterns.

Mhachâp's Outfit

Mhachâp is wearing a Mhachlcha, a Mhachnhâl, a Nhêddhan, and a Shochlba over a pair of Mhsêlba. They also carry a Ppamh.

Mhachlcha [Matlka] directly translates to 'Cape Cover', named for its resemblance to the common Mhach. The Mhachlcha is comprised of two parts, a tighter headwrap typically made of linen or silk, and a translucent mesh or sheer linen covering pinned to the headwrap with a decorative fastening. Mhachâp's Mhachlcha is pinned with one of her shed rhamphotheca casings from their canines. The casing was filled, capped, and fired to preserve it and make it sturdier before being used as a fastener. It's decorated with tentacle patterned bead strands.

Mhachnhâl [Matnaal] directly translates to 'split cape/cloak' or 'slit cape/cloak' and is a variation on the more traditionam Mhach. Mhachâp's Mhachnhâl is decorated with 'vine' pattern beads and is tied up under her arm that rests on her Ppamh.

Nhêddhan [Needan] directly translates to 'wrap shirt'. Traditionally a Nhêddhan is one large piece of unpatterned linen or silk wrapped around the torso and arms and pinned at the side, hence its name, though more modern cuts of Nhêddhan appear more like the t-shirts of earth. Patterned Nhêddhan are more common among unmarried adults and teens. Mhachâp wears a modern linen Nhêddhan.

Shochlba [Shotlba] directly translates to 'tie skirt'. A Shochlba is typically a split piece of patterned linen tucked into the tied waistband of a pair of Mhsêlba then draped over them, as demonstrated by Mhachâp. Schochlbâ are much longer than expected, and some worn for parties or fancy events drag along the floor. These, understandably, are only worn to places in which a dry floor is present.

Ppamh [Ppam] directly translates to 'stick', but is more commonly translated as 'staff' or 'cane'. A Ppamh is a simple mobility aid for Chenesht, typically constructed of varnished wood and held together with silk threads. Ppamha typically come in two parts, a base and an extension. The extension is used for when the ground is unstable or squishy, and accounts for the Ppamh sinking slightly into the soil. The extension can also be used to adjust for height and is especially useful for teenage chenesht. Ppamh are sized to a Chenesht's comfortable bipedal stance.

Mhachâp comes from a middle class family and considers their Ppamh to be their 'highest quality' item due to the time and care taken to craft it to her proportions. She needs her Ppamh for weakness and chronic pain in her back legs.

Grammar note, 'a' is appended as a suffix to denote multiple. In words that already end with a, it's changed to â. So Mhach -> Mhacha, Ppamh -> Ppamha, Shochlba -> Shochlbâ, etc.

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"Once thought to be extinct, black-footed ferrets are the only ferret native to North America, and are making a comeback, thanks to the tireless efforts of conservationists.

Captive breeding, habitat restoration, and wildlife reintegration have all played a major role in bringing populations into the hundreds after near total extinction.

But one other key development has been genetic cloning.

In April [2024], the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced the cloning of two black-footed ferrets from preserved tissue samples, the second and third ferret clones in history, following the birth of the first clone in December 2020. 

Cloning is a tactic to preserve the health of species, as all living black-footed ferrets come from just seven wild-caught descendants.  This means their genetic diversity is extremely limited and opens them up to greater risks of disease and genetic abnormalities. 

Now, a new breakthrough has been made.

Antonia, a black-footed ferret cloned from the DNA of a ferret that lived in the 1980s has successfully birthed two healthy kits of her own: Sibert and Red Cloud.

These babies mark the first successful live births from a cloned endangered species — and is a milestone for the country’s ferret recovery program.

The kits are now three months old, and mother Antonia is helping to raise them — and expand their gene pool.

In fact, Antonia’s offspring have three times the genetic diversity of any other living ferrets that have come from the original seven ancestors.

Researchers believe that expanded genetic diversity could help grow the ferrets’ population and help prime them to recover from ongoing diseases that have been massively detrimental to the species, including sylvatic plague and canine distemper. 

��The successful breeding and subsequent birth of Antonia's kits marks a major milestone in endangered species conservation,” said Paul Marinari, senior curator at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. 

“The many partners in the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Program continue their innovative and inspirational efforts to save this species and be a model for other conservation programs across the globe.”

Antonia actually gave birth to three kits, after mating with Urchin, a 3-year-old male ferret. One of the three kits passed away shortly after birth, but one male and one female are in good health and meeting developmental milestones, according to the Smithsonian.

Mom and babies will remain at the facility for further research, with no plans to release them into the wild.

According to the Colorado Sun, another cloned ferret, Noreen, is also a potential mom in the cloning-breeding program. The original cloned ferret, Elizabeth Ann, is doing well at the recovery program in Colorado, but does not have the capabilities to breed. 

Antonia, who was cloned using the DNA of a black-footed ferret named Willa, has now solidified Willa’s place as the eighth founding ancestor of all current living ferrets.

“By doing this, we’ve actually added an eighth founder,” said Tina Jackson, black-footed ferret recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in an interview with the Colorado Sun. 

“And in some ways that may not sound like a lot, but in this genetic world, that is huge.”

Along with the USFWS and Smithsonian, conservation organization Revive & Restore has also enabled the use of biotechnologies in conservation practice. Co-founder and executive director Ryan Phelan is thrilled to welcome these two new kits to the black-footed ferret family.

“For the first time, we can definitively say that cloning contributed meaningful genetic variation back into a breeding population,” he said in a statement.

“As these kits move forward in the breeding program, the impact of this work will multiply, building a more robust and resilient population over time.”"

-via GoodGoodGood, November 4, 2024

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Here is a reference sheet for a spaceship, the Blue Dawn, an exploratory vessel. It started out as a stationary Bernal sphere inhabited by Akina until they was offered the chance to explore the cosmos, the bridge came with an AI to help the crew. At the time, it only had a single food production ring, with more being added as the crew grew and other species were discovered. Crew tend to go on space walks and draw on the hull, sometimes doing large scale artwork, eventually covering most of the hull with graffiti. The numbered components are these: 1. Whipple shield, it is silvery with a black spiral painted into it; 2. Bridge, installed on the habitat at the same time as the thrusters and fuel tank and later upgraded by the Pale Spires with a biological brain into which the ship's AI was downloaded, someone laser engraved their name into it; 3. Frontal sensor array, allows the Blue Dawn to «*see*» directly in front of it, it is heavily shielded and has redundant components; 4. Extendable sensor clusters, contain the more sensitive sensors and retract behind the shield when traveling at relativistic speeds; 5. Food production and alien accommodations, they possess advanced life support systems to house various alien species as comfortably as possible; 6. High gravity accommodations, for those who prefer higher gravity, installed before the other two rings around the original food production facility; 7. Bernal sphere, the original habitat, its interior is a cool and urban with high humidity and an average temperature of 40-45ºC and extensive gardens of home world fauna and flora, it also contains many fuel tanks which serve as radiation shielding; 8. Hangar ring, this is where shuttles, probes and drones are made, repaired and maintained; 9. External fuel tank, not much to say apart that it is internally divided to prevent sloshing and excessive fuel loss if punctured and it has a target painted on it; 10. Main thruster, powered by monopole catalysed fusion and baryon decay, it emits a prodigious amount of radiation; 11. RCS, same technology as the main thruster, but smaller and able to be aimed to some degree. !!Attention, the radiators have been omitted.

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This is my first attempt to produce a comic. No named characters here. I hope I have conveyed that they're in a cylindrical habitat well enough. Here Dmalá and Akina are…partying, one is smoking, another is snorting a long line of something and another was licking psychedelic mold off a wooden plank, another is flying under the influence and another is tripping. And, yes, prey and predator are quite similar in appearance. The predator species is unnamed, the prey species are the Dmalá and the bird guys are the Akina.

This habitat is part of a large spaceship, it has the axial lighting array in the middle, which perfectly imitates {Amdala}´s five sunned sky while housing another habitat inside, the habitat itself has {ten} floors connected by elevators and trains with maintenance decks under them. The prey and predator species live on the habitat's surface in a Victorian England type of society, while the bird guys call the decks their home.

This comic takes place in a hunting reserve, where the hunters walk naked as their ancestors, naked as their prey. Their nation is not monitored by those living on the decks, who may be warned of such activities by Dmalá informants and then disruptive activities such as the ones pictured in this comic happen.

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I coloured Trissida.

In the beginning, I thought of this purple-white contrast between the «belly» and the rest of the body as a form of aposematism like honey badgers, because they have the temperament of one. The purples, reds and greens are supposed to be brighter, but I'm using pencil and still rusty.

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Note: Akina have five fingered zygodactyl hands, which is not obvious here (I should have drawn a hand). Despite being Unisex, Akina tend to go by masculine terms, because...the meta reason is that my notes are in Portuguese. Still not decided on his coat colours, but it's standard Akina colours, iridescent purple back, head and neck and white underside, the tail is metallic red with a green, blue and black eyespot

An Akina who's usually found boldly going where no one has gone to (which, 9 times out of ten is a barren rock) in a ship called Blue Dawn. On his off time, he is often found sparring, playing videogames, exercising or training for his position in the bridge. Despite being a pugnacious and foolhardy carnivore, Trissida doesn't like slaughtered meat, since he has eaten meat from a tissue replicator Despite Trissida having waterproof feathers and being from a cold, watery world and a good swimmer by necessity, he hates the cold and large bodies of water. Due to coming from a higher gravity world, he is larger, stockier and stronger than baseline Akina, on top of being flightless. He very much enjoys sparring with his friend Zaxshara and likes to change the «scene» by sparring with other species. His preferre fighting style being gladiatorial combat. If you're not into gladiatorial combat, video games are something he enjoys very much as well, the more over-the-top violence they contain, the better. When on an appropriate place, he likes to don his flight pack and get flying. Like most Akina, he has a few belongings, among which is a mechanical watch, a dagger and sheath he often uses for wood carving, a scroll style computer and a satchel to contain all of it.

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Do you like character references? I'll be posting two today.

Tried making a flower brooch, because she likes flowers and finds some yummy.

Her coat is an orange ochre with a white spot and black stripes on the lower back.

She has a small case of gigantism as females of her species are 2.5m tall on average, she's around 3m tall. Males are 2m tall. The only animal product she consumes is honey and she absolutely adores it, especially wild honey, which is rather hard to obtain. Offer her a steaming cup of tea and you'll have her attention, especially if you put flower petals on it and if it is accompanied by honey biscuits. Unlike your usual Dmalao, she enjoys combat sports, unfortunately for her most people are under her weight class, fortunately for her, there's no shortage of either Akina or people who think she's «easy prey» for being a herbivore. She also likes knife throwing. She enjoys sprawling her body under the scorching midday suns. Puska dislikes sand.

Still have to flesh out Puska's relationship with Uskna-ma, but his harem is part of the royal court and has those who are closest to him alongside a number of … let's call them ... concubines.

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Just a butcher in their place doing their job. Buying or selling?

The carcasses are from a different species, so no cannibalism.

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Under the reflected light of the planet’s ring and two full moons, a young, bright eyed Dmalao child hugging a serpentine doll approached the Akina, sitting besides the feathered being who turned one eye towards him as he wrapped his tail around the alien’s jointed tail. The Akina pointed a flag feather towards the encroaching child in acknowledgement of his presence, ignoring his violation of personal space. “What is life like up there?” the child pointed at one of the moons with a hand before once again hugging the doll “Someone thinks there’s a lot of work.” his ears drooped a little. “Most of the hard work is done.” the alien pointed both flag feathers towards the moon, whose surface is coloured by teeming seas and bare land[…]

"Their children are astonishing, being born head first, already half the size of an adult Akina, they immediately start walking and hopping clumsily but well enough to accompany the adults and are able to start learning any language with alarming proficiency, the child assigned to interpret for us, named Achya, while unable to speak our language is able to understand any vocabulary within their hearing range. During their first year of life, they more than double in weight[...]"

There's a rocket in the distance.

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A young lad of a yet unnamed species similar to the Dmalá provoked an Akina into chasing them. Clothing is hard.

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A tall Dmalao lady and a tall Human man.