In The Waters Of A Lowland Swamp, A Dramatic Scene Unfolds In Miniature. The Skeletal Remains Of A Long-deceased

In the Shadow of Colossus

Veteris is a geologically dynamic world, with active plate tectonics that thrust huge mountains high into the sky. One of the highest ranges is Colossus, which contains peaks well over 50,000 feet tall. Here on its outskirts, deep valleys have formed, whose unfortunate position robs them of sunlight for most of the daytime.

These twilight conditions are not favorable for creatures with high photosynthetic needs, but provide opportunities for others. The ominous Valley Plate-globes are covered in dark panels that absorb as much sunlight as possible during the short daylight hours. Rising far above the ground are the Skycolumns, who extend their fleshy fronds when the sun is directly overhead. Their main body column is heavily buttressed to prevent being toppled by strong winds.

The particular species of tube carpet that covers the valley floor grows a large glowing bulb which carries a multitude of its microscopic embryos. Once the bulb reaches a certain size and luminosity, it attracts the attention of mobile creatures, who by eating it spread the tube carpet’s offspring far and wide. The primary patron at this bioluminescent buffet is the Ghost Celeriarma, a swift and well-defended denizen of the shadow lands. Like many inhabitants of Veteris, it utilizes a combination internal/external support structure that is both flexible and strong. A turret of eyes extends high above the rest of its body and gives it 360 degree surveillance capability. If eyesight should fail to detect a predator, its quick speed and sharp, moveable spines may keep it safe.

A far less athletic creature, the smaller Pluriped has instead developed camouflage to avoid predation. Lateral markings and a glowing bulbous growth of its own help it blend in to the shadowy sea of tube carpet.

High Above Saturn This portrait looking down on Saturn and its rings was created from images obtained by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on Oct. 10, 2013. It was made by amateur image processor and Cassini fan Gordan Ugarkovic. This image has not been geometrically corrected for shifts in the spacecraft perspective and still has some camera artifacts.The mosaic was created from 12 image footprints with red, blue and green filters from Cassini’s imaging science subsystem. Ugarkovic used full color sets for 11 of the footprints and red and blue images for one footprint.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/G. Ugarkovic

Curiosity

A massive predator on the ocean floor lures in its next naive dinner guest. The smaller creatures that surround it have been waiting for this moment.

Interwoven

Like a giant pink warship, the Rosy Frigate punctuates the endless sea of tendrils. It hosts a crew of disk-shaped ravenous eating-machines called orbics. It is the orbics’ duty to keep the creeping tendrils from strangling and overtaking their home. Fading daylight signals their departure from the safe cluster beneath their giant companion to begin the night’s work of clearing new growth in the near vicinity. Each orbic can consume half its body weight in tube-carpet flesh every night, ensuring they will always have a place to return to at dawn. A Dwarf Blue Cortina observes the melee in confusion. Anything larger than an orbic will send it leaping away for cover, as its curiosity is matched only by its caution. The stoic quartet of Reponos standing solemnly in the background is incapable of seeing or hearing the events taking place nearby. Their role in this ecosystem turns out to be rather bizarre…

Back to the Depths

An entourage of opportunistic creatures accompanies the deep-sea behemoths during their brief ascent to the surface. Releasing their gelatinous strings of embryos here in the sunlight has a significant benefit - there's far more visibility. The swarm of followers are here in search of a quick meal in the form of the gelatin, which is full of valuable protiens and nutrients. After the feast however, the recipients of this apparent windfall become unwitting hosts for the behemoth's multitudinous offspring, which were embedded in the gel. Adapted to develop inside a wide variety of pelagic creatures, the young grow internally - and sometimes even on the surface of - their hosts until such time as they detach and sink back into the darkness. For most host species, this seems to be a mutually-beneficial symbiosis. At the beginning they receive a large and valuable meal, and usually incur very little detriment due to their temporary parasites. The young behemoths will hide in the dark depths for many years until attaining the size necessary to return to the light and repeat the ancient cycle again.

Absolutely incredible work! Do you post anywhere else?

Thank you! Yes I’m on Instagram @exobiotica

Full of Stars

The season's storms had taken their toll, opening up an organic cave in the otherwise sealed mountain canopy forest. Encouraged by the prospect of shelter from more incoming inclement weather, the dacia considers entering the dark, yet inviting refuge. The glittering biolights beckon, but this new environment is far stranger than anything it’s ever known.

Early India ink painting of an aquatic predator. (Un-named)

Passengers

The Purple Slow Walker is primarily photosynthetic, but occasionally it must travel to acquire additional resources. It retracts its mobile roots, extends its tube legs, and begins the tedious journey to better feeding grounds. Groups of slow walkers congregate around a large carcass, exogenously digesting the flesh and absorbing the coctail through their extended roots. This is the opportunity the passengers have been waiting for. Not only do they rely on the walker for shelter and free transport, but also as a source of pre-digested nutrients they can pilfer from their host's method of carrion consumption. Whether the passengers provide the walker anything in return for its efforts is unclear.

This is the native habitat of the megamyriapod (at center). This slow-moving, placid beast is about twenty feet tall and feeds primarily on the purple wave carpet organism that is spread across the floor of this scene- gathering it up with its anterior grasping appendages (at left). Other creatures lurk here, including the greenish motile floating feather duster gourds, the yellow/teal walking platter life-forms, and the purple pilantir balls. Growing around and above these smaller living things are the gargantuan lineated gold air-sponges - the megaflora that constitute the main physical features in this environment. All these creatures obtain energy from a combination of photosynthesis and physical consumption of soil nutrients or living tissue. Basically, the strict division of heterotroph/autotroph (plant/animal) that is exhibited by Earth-life simply does not apply here. Rather there is a gradient between those creatures who gain energy exclusively from light, and those who must consume others to survive. The majority of creatures here utilize both approaches.