Non-Humans R Us Newsletters

Biology

At some point, we all ask the question: “Were did I come from?” Normally your parents will give you that whole “When a mommy and daddy love each other very much” speech. Of course, most of us have gone through Sex Ed, and Biology, and as a result, we know that we are products of Internal Fertilization and Live Birth.

When it comes to creatures, there might be that question; where did it come from? The obvious cop-out is “from my head”. But, what if you wish to “create” the creature, make it “real”? In that case, you need to figure out their biology; how they reproduce, get nutrition, select a mate, the way they move. In many cases, we can look to our own planet’s creatures for inspiration.

With most creatures, the best mate is the one that’s the most “fit”. This fitness might be actual strength, like with deer- females tend to chose the bucks that win fights, it might be territory, like with alligators and crocodiles- females like males that have a nice stretch of the river/marsh, it might be how well they sing, or decorate their home, as with birds. With humans, it can be hard to nail things down, but money and power are big factors. Any and all the above might be deciding factors to your creature when it picks out a mate; even in sentient beings, there’s a preference for “powerful” mates- you’d sooner pick the Village Champion, as opposed to the Village Idiot, to include as a member of the family.

Then there’s reproduction. In many species, it takes two to get pregnant/produce offspring. Then there are those where it takes just one. I’ll do a quick run-down of possible methods. You might use them, or a combination.

“Typical Mammalian” Pregnancy: Baby is born alive, looking like a blend of the parents, to a degree.

Marsupial (Kangaroo): Young isn’t fully ready when born- placed in a pouch afterwards, until it is ready for the outside world.

Egg-laying: Young is contained in a protective casing. One or both parents, or none, care for the eggs until they hatch. Typically they are laid in a “nest” of some sort.

Internal Fertilization: Occurs internally- semen from the “male” race to find the “female’s” egg, to get the one pregnant.

External Fertilization: Similar to fish and amphibians. Female lays egg, male deposits semen onto egg.

Separate Genders: With most species, there are definitely males and certainly females. Females are normally smaller than males, and give birth to the offspring/egg and in most cases, care for them.

Hermaphrodites: In the case of earthworms, slugs, and other similar creatures, each creature has Male and Female parts, but it still takes two to get pregnant.

Asexual Reproduction: Some creatures can produce clones of themselves, by splitting in two, or by budding, or even getting themselves pregnant.

Child Care:

Abandoned: Offspring is left to fend for itself.

Left with Food: Many insect eggs are laid in “food”- dead rats for carrion beetles, dung for dung beetle, and spiders for some wasps.

Single Parent: One parent, usually the female, cares for the offspring.

Two Parents: Both care for the offspring, bringing food and so forth.

Communal Care: The group cares for the offspring together.

Possible Diet types:

Herbivore: Eats plants.

Carnivore: Eats meat.

Omnivore: Eats both meat and plants.

Specialist: Eats only certain things- like Panda bears and bamboo, and other such creatures and their diets.

Vore: As discussed in the previous newsletter, this is typically the eating of sentient beings by other sentient beings.

Physical adaptations: A body part can tell how it’s used, and what for. A look at our own body says that we are meant to walk on two legs, with our upper limbs being free to grasp things. Our teeth tell us that we are mainly herbivorous, with some ability to eat meat. Of course, the body can show weaknesses- humans can’t exactly catch and hold onto prey, unless they take advantage of certain situations, or use tools.

Teeth: Big indicator of diet. Cow-like teeth indicate that one might chew/grind their food, mainly tough plant material. Dog-like teeth indicate that meat is the preferred diet of the animal. Other animals’ teeth have different features- some snakes, like rattlers, essentially have hyperemic needles for teeth, which inject venom into the prey, and this helps to facilitate the digestion of the prey.

Eyes: In many ways, eyes can determine if a creature is a hunter, or not. The next time you play with your dog or cat, look at their eyes- they tend to be on the front of the skull, so that they can focus and hone in on a target. Now, look at a horse, or a cow, and you’ll see that their eyes are on the sides of their head- they have a greater field of vision, and can keep an eye out while grazing- they don’t get surprised too often. Other creatures don’t use their eyes, or see differently, like with heat vision.

Claws: Those finger/toenails can tell a lot. Look at the claws of a mole- they are used for digging. Now look at those of a cat- useful for climbing up trees, and holding onto prey, not to mention protecting themselves. As for those of a human- useful for gripping things.

Tails: Tails can be used in many ways- grabbing onto things, acting as an aid while moving, sending messages, swatting flies, and a few other things.

Size: This can be an indicator of how often they might need to eat. A shrew needs to eat its weight in food several times over the course of a day, while an elephant might go up to a week between meals. Of course, cold-blooded creatures can go longer, up to a year or more. Of course, the metabolism of your creatures might be different- faster or slower.

Locomotion: The way limbs are positioned, or lack of, can affect movement. Does your creature walk like a human, like a prowling cat, fly like a bird, or slither like a snake? Does it climb trees, or swim in the water? Or does it ooze, like a river of lava, or flow like one of water? Is it slow or fast? One must think about this.

Death: What happens when your creature dies? Is it a pile of flesh and bones that decays at a rate similar to a human? Does it dissolve in a puddle of acid? Or does it turn to stone? Or does it burst into flame? It all bares thinking about.

These all affect how you make your creatures. Do your creature right, and it will seem believable. Have fun on your journey.