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Description
Idea here is a highly derived descendant of the sea turtle that has completely adapted to a marine existence, with no need ever to return to land. The male and female stay together after mating, and when the female is ready to give "birth," the couple assume a face-to-face copulatory-style posture that facilitates the transfer of the eggs into a marsupium-like pouch in the male's plastron. The expecting parents then part ways, and the male carries the eggs to term. When they juvenile turtles hatch and leave the marsupium, they stay close by, sheltering beneath the father's massive flattened tail flukes. These paddles, originally evolved to provide surface area for direct oxygen extraction, have become specialized display devices in the males, with females choosing males with the largest and most vividly colored and patterned paddles during mating competitions. After the young hatch, the flukes provide a food source, supplying an abundance of nutrient-rich algae that is quickly replenished by solar exposure as the ravenous juveniles feed. Once the young have left the father to begin the next phase of their life cycle, the algae dies, exposing the vibrant display paddles and signalling the females that this individual is again ready to mate.

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This guy actually started out as a potential pinnimorph, but as I was working from the reference photo (of the pteropod Cavolinia tridentata), I started noticing a superficial similarity to the body shape of a sea turtle. I played with turning the creature into an alien flower/turtle hybrid (the tail lobes reminded me of an orchid blossom), but eventually settled on an aberrant but straightforward terrestrial turtle evolution. The idea of the "male marsupium" was inspired by the seahorse.

Posting as a WIP because he's not shaded or colored, but you know what?, I kind of like him this way. The anatomy is kind of wonky and asymmetrical, but that's partially because I was working from a pteropod and partially due to my initial indecision about how flower-like to make it. I like the fact that the detail is visible, at least. Maybe I'll just leave him the way he is...Hasn't he been through enough already?

Having said that, if anybody wants to take a crack at coloring him, be my guest! Hah, maybe I should have a contest.

Description
Idea here is a highly derived descendant of the sea turtle that has completely adapted to a marine existence, with no need ever to return to land. The male and female stay together after mating, and when the female is ready to give "birth," the couple assume a face-to-face copulatory-style posture that facilitates the transfer of the eggs into a marsupium-like pouch in the male's plastron. The expecting parents then part ways, and the male carries the eggs to term. When they juvenile turtles hatch and leave the marsupium, they stay close by, sheltering beneath the father's massive flattened tail flukes. These paddles, originally evolved to provide surface area for direct oxygen extraction, have become specialized display devices in the males, with females choosing males with the largest and most vividly colored and patterned paddles during mating competitions. After the young hatch, the flukes provide a food source, supplying an abundance of nutrient-rich algae that is quickly replenished by solar exposure as the ravenous juveniles feed. Once the young have left the father to begin the next phase of their life cycle, the algae dies, exposing the vibrant display paddles and signalling the females that this individual is again ready to mate.

* * *

This guy actually started out as a potential pinnimorph, but as I was working from the reference photo (of the pteropod Cavolinia tridentata), I started noticing a superficial similarity to the body shape of a sea turtle. I played with turning the creature into an alien flower/turtle hybrid (the tail lobes reminded me of an orchid blossom), but eventually settled on an aberrant but straightforward terrestrial turtle evolution. The idea of the "male marsupium" was inspired by the seahorse.

Posting as a WIP because he's not shaded or colored, but you know what?, I kind of like him this way. The anatomy is kind of wonky and asymmetrical, but that's partially because I was working from a pteropod and partially due to my initial indecision about how flower-like to make it. I like the fact that the detail is visible, at least. Maybe I'll just leave him the way he is...Hasn't he been through enough already?

Having said that, if anybody wants to take a crack at coloring him, be my guest! Hah, maybe I should have a contest.