HOME | DD

whalewithlegs — Field Notes - Jet Snails

Published: 2008-11-15 08:16:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 1371; Favourites: 21; Downloads: 32
Redirect to original
Description Jet Snails have an extremely complicated digestive system and excrete into their vestigial shells. Their feces ferment internally and form a dense matter which acts as a compact and highly flammable jet fuel to get them airborne. Most, like the Inkhorn, are gliders, but a few have become decent true fliers.

One species, the Bloodwriter, is surprisingly found in a subterranean environment and has lost flight capability. It uses its jet as a weapon as well as to enable it to leap great distances.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I didn't want to upload these as they represent actually only 1/3 of the jet snail species, but I've been lazy and they're just sitting around. The two branches not included have mostly either large central fins or impaling wings.

stock - represent (for the paper) .. the eucalyptus leaves are jes plain ole-fashioned google image vomit. Still trying to figure out a better way to fill in the empty space surrounding early creatures on maps like these.

I also used 's tutorial: [link] to learn how to do the paper look, though I did use an entirely different photo editor, so I take partial credit for figuring it out XD
Related content
Comments: 35

oyog [2008-12-27 20:52:27 +0000 UTC]

those guys are super ultra nifty.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to oyog [2008-12-29 16:20:36 +0000 UTC]

i had a lot of fun with this one! I think the way it ended up looking made it really successful, with the leaves and whatnot .. i should try to do this a little more.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

barefootgen [2008-12-22 12:16:17 +0000 UTC]

brothers from another mother

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

The-Odd-Gentleman [2008-12-13 01:16:00 +0000 UTC]

OMG! you are a master of illustration! ^_^

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to The-Odd-Gentleman [2008-12-14 01:02:51 +0000 UTC]

thank you! This is something new for me, & it's a lot of fun!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

The-Odd-Gentleman In reply to whalewithlegs [2008-12-15 01:33:49 +0000 UTC]

I would say! they are just excellent quality illustrations!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Magoot17 [2008-11-25 01:51:39 +0000 UTC]

fantastic, i really enjoy how your show their evolutionary divergence, thats a unique thing that ive only seen one other person on DA do. all ur stuff is creative and extremely odd, ill be waitin for a new post in the future

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

kecen [2008-11-20 03:29:15 +0000 UTC]

Fuel efficiency, yeah! Suppose one of them can use their behind as a flute.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to kecen [2008-11-20 03:53:35 +0000 UTC]

THAT is an amazing idea that I will use!!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

kecen In reply to whalewithlegs [2008-11-21 00:29:46 +0000 UTC]

Inspired by the art of Native American flute!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

SpydrXIII [2008-11-19 04:39:20 +0000 UTC]

pretty cool

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Sphenacodon [2008-11-17 06:21:53 +0000 UTC]

Gad, more amazing creature evolution... These guys look sorta Aztec-y, for some reason.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to Sphenacodon [2008-11-17 15:46:50 +0000 UTC]

it's the design elements ... make anything have a lot of internal design that's somewhat geometrical, and you'll get that kind of look

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Sphenacodon In reply to whalewithlegs [2008-11-19 06:53:43 +0000 UTC]

It's very pretty.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

commander-salamander [2008-11-16 22:33:53 +0000 UTC]

Maws!
It's your style that always gets me, instantly recognisable and instantly likeable. Even when the critters look like they would take your leg off, they're so damn pretty that you wouldn't mind.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to commander-salamander [2008-11-17 00:07:15 +0000 UTC]

awwwww, thanks! Yeah man, in my obsessive bouts of categorization, i've ended up with 2 body 'alignments' that are based just on their aesthetic properties

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

commander-salamander In reply to whalewithlegs [2008-11-17 20:22:11 +0000 UTC]

Well nature selects for that too doesn't it? As long as it was aesthetic to other jet snails, that is...

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to commander-salamander [2008-11-17 21:41:04 +0000 UTC]

it does & it doesn't, i guess would be the best way for me to say what i'm thinking!! Are naked mole rats attractive to each other? They must be!! Interspecies body design appreciation (or at least just people liking animals) though, is a sort of phenomenon in itself, i guess.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

commander-salamander In reply to whalewithlegs [2008-11-17 22:54:42 +0000 UTC]

Jet Snail Fanciers?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to commander-salamander [2008-11-17 23:10:54 +0000 UTC]

you can breed new types!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

lizander1888 [2008-11-15 20:48:19 +0000 UTC]

I can imagine the one in the bottom right and the other one in the right with the amazing patterns as worshiped creatures, their shapes are amazng and just imagine them flying as a jet with those colors andshapes in their pseudowings, they are just beautiful beasts, pets of acient gods and powefull beings of the wild lol.. Realli liked the one in the right bottom XD

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to lizander1888 [2008-11-16 08:02:16 +0000 UTC]

I kind of imagined that they, along with another unrelated group called the deco bugs, would have somewhat stained-glass-like wings that would cast a colored shadow as they flew

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

lizander1888 In reply to whalewithlegs [2008-11-16 16:57:14 +0000 UTC]

That would be amazing to see

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Rayn-Hammer [2008-11-15 13:59:06 +0000 UTC]

All I can picture now because of the bottom right one is vicious jet propelled butterflies with fangs.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to Rayn-Hammer [2008-11-16 07:57:35 +0000 UTC]

I have more of those, sans the jets ... unfortuntately, it looks like i've lost a page in the middle of them .. i'm going to have to redraw it i think. ... but: [link]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Rayn-Hammer In reply to whalewithlegs [2008-11-16 16:06:35 +0000 UTC]

holy crap, did the wings become the upper jaw?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to Rayn-Hammer [2008-11-17 00:01:09 +0000 UTC]

nah, it's a baleen-derived armored filter, like the vent on the front of a car, BUT that is a fantastic idea!!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Rayn-Hammer In reply to whalewithlegs [2008-11-17 02:49:31 +0000 UTC]

Wow that's cool as well, I can picture wings becoming like venus fly traps, but I'm sure you can think of something much better.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to Rayn-Hammer [2008-11-17 15:54:28 +0000 UTC]

nah, that's a great idea! If the occasion presents itself (and i'm sure it still will) i'll definitely do something like that!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

thomastapir [2008-11-15 08:30:08 +0000 UTC]

Whoa, these combine so many elements I'm wild about! The guys on top right recall Jenny Hanivers, for example...I love the mottled texturing and blade-like rostrum of the guy on the middle right, and his "sails" ("fins"? What would you call these??) remind me of mandarinfish...the beady crab-like eyestalks...And of course I'm digging the paper texture, eucalyptus leves, and calligraphic script, as I'm all in favor of anything that gives that worn, distressed, "field journal" look. Plus the overall concept behind their propulsion reminds me of the "ass-blasters" (or whatever they called them) from "Tremors 3," and is a great riff on nature's sometimes inelegant biological economy/efficiency. Fantastic work overall!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to thomastapir [2008-11-15 08:55:01 +0000 UTC]

Ahahahaha .. assblaster ... ok, you always send me on these really interesting lookups for a lot of the terms and concepts you reference, but ass-blaster was not kiddie-friendly ... oh noes

Yeah, i forgot to mention those central guys at all! They are bright red due to the many many veins under their skin and bleed a lot in ritual battle, something like elephant seals, making them smell terrible. The ...flags? sails? have become display mechanisms, like bright plumage. I imagined that they would actually be blood drinkers.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

thomastapir In reply to whalewithlegs [2008-11-15 23:57:05 +0000 UTC]

OMG, I never even considered the ramifications of doing an unfiltered Google search on "ass blaster"!

Hmmmm, "ramification" sounds just plain bad in that context. I'd like to rectify it, but "rectification" sounds pretty bad too.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

whalewithlegs In reply to thomastapir [2008-11-16 08:06:09 +0000 UTC]

uh .... poop!

👍: 0 ⏩: 2

whalewithlegs In reply to whalewithlegs [2008-11-16 23:53:28 +0000 UTC]

eh heh heh

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

thomastapir In reply to whalewithlegs [2008-11-16 23:33:47 +0000 UTC]

I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but that is...no, wait...um...yeah, okay, it is the worst emoticon I've ever seen.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0