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Published: 2014-04-13 19:12:21 +0000 UTC; Views: 17141; Favourites: 287; Downloads: 0
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Description
The Placid Segmaris is the sole food source of the Sky Shepherd. They are essentially floating livestock that are nurtured, herded, and protected until such time as the shepherds need to consume them. The tri-part symbiosis between the Sky Shepherds, the Segmaris, and their large floating counterpart (partially visible as the reddish-brown creature on the right side of the image) is rather complicated, and will be the subject of further works. Helpless on their own, the Segmaris relies on its symbionts for neary everything- protection, reproduction, much of their locomotion, and Hydrogen. The only thing it is capable of accomplishing by itself is the acquisition of food- which is does by filtering particles and small microfauna from the dense atmosphere where it lives. Adults are around 50 feet long at maximum, young start out around a foot long.Related content
Comments: 14
NocturnalSea [2018-07-28 11:33:11 +0000 UTC]
I love the way you made this look like a textbook diagram, or like an informative plaque in an alien zoo.
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SpiderBesider [2015-02-26 16:46:35 +0000 UTC]
Amazing. The combination of your drawing talent and biology knowledge makes an amazing artwork. And yeah they're adorable indeed, they make me feel fuzzy inside xD
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Tektalox [2014-04-14 18:52:38 +0000 UTC]
Those things are adorable :3! Like cute Cambrian balloon maggots.
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MichaelBeaudry In reply to Tektalox [2014-04-15 22:01:27 +0000 UTC]
Ha, thanks! That would have been a better name than the one I chose lol.
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herofan135 [2014-04-14 17:10:18 +0000 UTC]
Such a cool symbiosis, love it! Such an interesting idea and concept!
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electreel [2014-04-14 15:16:27 +0000 UTC]
Astounding work! Your concepts and artwork are really awe-inspiring.
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Hyrotrioskjan [2014-04-13 22:53:42 +0000 UTC]
Beautiful and very well thought creation, it gives a interesting new twist for the giant floater "stereotype"
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MichaelBeaudry In reply to Hyrotrioskjan [2014-04-14 04:47:23 +0000 UTC]
Thanks, I'm trying to reinvent it a bit lol.
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Zippo4k [2014-04-13 20:45:07 +0000 UTC]
This is a beautiful piece of work! Right off the bat, though, I must comment that I don't understand how it is the Segmaris could have evolved the ability to float without being able to secrete or capture the gasses needed for maintaining neutral buoyancy. This seems problematic to me.
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MichaelBeaudry In reply to Zippo4k [2014-04-13 21:54:56 +0000 UTC]
Thank you! And good point as well. The answer is that this is a sort of regressive adaptation. Originally, Segmaris' ancestors had the full capability to produce enough Hydrogen for themselves, and thus were free-living non-symbionts. Over the many generations, they came to rely on the (as yet un-named) symbionts first for nesting purposes, then in more and more ways until the two species had a very close symbiosis. Now evolution has progressed to the point that the Segmaris doesn't have to expend nearly as much of its own resources on Hydrogen production and reproduction as it previously did. So it's a tradeoff- the Segmaris is completely dependent upon its larger symbionts, but it benefits because it expends very little of its own energy for its basic biological needs. I hope this answers your question fully. At some point in the future, it is my goal to put my art and ideas into an interactive website, and a book as well.
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NocturnalSea In reply to MichaelBeaudry [2018-07-28 11:32:15 +0000 UTC]
I love your explanation of how their symbiosis developed. It makes total sense. And I'd quite enjoy a book. We really do need more thorough speculative evolution books out there. Print-on-demand makes it so much easier to do nowadays.
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