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YellowPanda2001 — Lineart (Detailed) - Alien Fish Anatomy

#aliencreature #fish #xenobiology #alienanatomy #speculativeevolution
Published: 2021-09-24 09:48:55 +0000 UTC; Views: 10570; Favourites: 74; Downloads: 1
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Description A simplified demonstration of the inner anatomy of a typical alien fish:

1. Mouth - The mouth is composed by a stretchy matrix of muscles that can extend into a proboscis to get to food. It can also be used to gulp atmospherical air. The extension of the proboscis is supportable by an articulated arrangement of bones, similar to a jaw.
2. Digestive system - The digestive system is simple, containing an esophagus, a stomach and an intestine, leading to a cloaca in the back of the body.
3. Reproductive system - Females have large ovaries in the upper part of the cephalon. These lead to two tubes that converge back to the cloaca. The fertilization is external, in both males and females.
4. Air bladder - The air bladder is an organ that works as an air chamber. It can be used to control buoyancy or for detection of vibrations around the water, or to regulate gases across its body. It can be refilled by a channel that is connected through the mouth. Its expansion and contraction is aided by articulated sections of the exoskeleton and endoskeleton.
5. Gill filaments - The five to six pennaceous filaments at the top of its cephalon are used as gills to catch oxygen in the water. More intricate filaments are found in the base of the pennaceous filaments that are heavily irrigated with red blood, as they are closely connected with the heart.
6. Heart - The heart is three-chambered, though, it has one "atrium" and two "ventricles", unlike the other way around.
7. Brain - The brain is located right after the weird wide open skull and close to the eyes.
8. Eyes - The eyes are compound eyes and organized in very short eyestalks that can be moved around with the aid of a special bone.
9. Exoskeleton - The exoskeleton is composed of a bony carapace that protects the cephalon. Only the tail isn't protected by the exoskeletal carapace. The carapace is divided by at least four basic sections, one protecting the rostrum, another protecting the air bladder, another protecting the back above the tail, and another protecting the belly and behind below the tail. The first and second sections are articulated and can move around according to the expansion or retraction of the air bladder. The others are immobile, specially the one covering the belly which is much denser and aids in the stability of the body.
10. Endoskeleton - The endoskeleton is complex. It includes an elongated but very simplistic and incomplete skull that does not enclose the brain entirely (unnecessary due to the exoskeletal carapace). An intricate vertebral column with a rib cage extends across the lower part of the cephalon and into the simple flattened tail.
11. Tail - The large flattened tail is the only method of locomotion for this armored alien fish, granting it a simple underwater movement, but overall not the most effective. As a result, it sacrifices speed for armored protection.
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Comments: 2

Inmyarmsinmyarms [2021-09-24 13:40:09 +0000 UTC]

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YellowPanda2001 In reply to Inmyarmsinmyarms [2021-09-25 07:32:21 +0000 UTC]

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