ASTROVITAE ISSUE 05 (English)

CONTENTS
ISSUE CONTENTS:
04 - EDITOR’S NOTE 76 - ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SECTION CATEGORIES:

By Domenic Pennetta Learn about featured artists and the Each article within the body of the magazine is tagged with an icon that best summarizes the
06 - SPEC NEWS process they use to conceptualize their type of content it contains. Listed below are all of the existing icons for readers to familiarize
creatures and worldbuilding projects: themselves with:
08 - BOOK REVIEWS
Cryptozoologicon by John Meszaros 78 - GLIMPSE OF PLANET KAHLANEA
The Yaetuan Sagas by Domenic Pennetta By Maryana Simpson SOFT SPEC ALIEN SPEC
Light research with an Xenobiological anatomy,
82 - SUSPECTING SUSSOCARIS
16 - CAPTIVATING WORLDS emphasis on conceptualization biology, and evolution
Take a glimpse at life on other worlds! By Domenic Pennetta
Below is a collection of interesting 88 - VEKIA'S FIRST FIVE BIOMES
speculative projects: HARD SPEC PLANET SPEC
By Veknor
Heavy research or use of data Focus on planets and their
18 - RETURN OF PHTANUM B in worldbuilding unique features or physics
92 - CREATURE COMPENDIUM
By Paul Drenckhahn (SteveMobCannon) The universe is teeming with bizarre
28 - HAR DESHUR forms of life! The compendium EARTH SPEC UNIVERSE SPEC
By T.K. Sivgin catalogs these organisms as they Involves Earth or organisms Unnatural or otherworldly
appear on planets around the cosmos. from present day physics and matter
36 - FREELOADER PLANTS
By Alejandro Martı́nez Fluxá
104 - CONTRIBUTORS
40 - FUTURE FLOODED SOUTH AMERICA List of all the creators who PALEO SPEC MYTH SPEC
By Hunterseth (Bio Speculo) participated in this issue! Involves organisms from Related to cryptids, fantasy,
Earth’s past history and mythology
47 - WELCOME TO GALARIUS
By Pedro Manoel Modanezi Martins
54 - EXTRATERRESTRIAL ROCKS MICRO SPEC ENVIRO SPEC
By Maja Oreš ković Igrić Focus on small organisms like Emphasis on environment,
mites, viruses, and cells landscapes, or scenery
62 - BATRACHITERRA
By J.F.
68 - FLIGHT OF THE WYVERNS
By Aldrich Hezekiah
2 ASTROVITAE | APRIL 2021 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM 3

EDITOR’S NOTE
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR:

Dear Reader,
Thank you for your interest in Astrovitae Magazine! This �irst issue of 2023 marks the third year
the magazine has been around, and we hope that the publication can continue into the future to
support artists and creators within the community. With the release of Avatar: The Way of Water
and the con�irmation of the second season of Prehistoric Planet, it feels like creatures, prehistoric
or imagined, are more real than ever. The artists featured in this issue and their projects express
so much passion that it begins to rival these large budget media—a testament to the community's
creativity and imagination!
Not only does this issue cover a variety of speculative projects, but there are also two reviews of
speculative biology-related books. Literature has always been an important backbone for the
genre of speculative biology, and it is why Astrovitae Magazine will be looking toward printing
formats or alternatives in the near future. There is nothing of�icial to announce to the public quite
yet, but let it be known that there might be plans to make the magazine more tangible for you!
Thank you for reading this issue’s note from the Editor, and hopefully you’ll enjoy another Astrovitae Magazine is a biannual digital publication created by Domenic Pennetta.
collection of amazing projects full of bizarre biomes, creatures, and worlds!
Sincerely,
Any written abstracts, articles, projects, pictures, book or movie reviews, and other media related
Domenic Pennetta to the genre of speculative biology may be submitted and considered for publication within the
Founder of Astrovitae & Chief Editor
magazine. There is no responsibility assumed for statements made by its contributors.
Submissions should be sent via email as a Microsoft Word document, PDF document, or linked as
a Google Doc. Submitted digital images should be 300 dpi resolution, .PNG or .TIF �iles. Submit to
Although Astrovitae is very much a labor of love, a small donation or two would really support the
astrovitaeof�icial@gmail.com or visit www.astrovitae.com/submissions for more details.
editor, the magazine, and its featured artists. If you would like to donate, please visit the link below:
www.ko-�i.com/astrovitae.
Copyright 2023 by Domenic Pennetta.
4 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 5

SPEC NEWS
SPEC NEWS: 2022 ASTROVITAE NEWS

Have some interesting news to share? Anything special going on in the community that has ASTROVITAE FOUNDER PRESENTING
sparked your interest?! It could be a blog post, a new YouTube video or book release, or even AT SPECPOSIUM 2023!
a video game! Whatever it is, Astrovitae Magazine is looking to feature more speculative This year the founder of Astrovitae Magazine is planning to
biology news! If you’d like to help the Editor-in-Chief out, send a brief description and link to present in Specposium 2023—an informal virtual conference
astrovitaeof�icial@gmail.com, subject line “SPEC NEWS”. The magazine would love to share
focused on the �ield of speculative biology. The lecture will
whatever caught your interest! ~ Domenic Pennetta
explore the origins of the magazine, its current and future
goals, and how to take information from your own spec
project and turn it into a submission. For dates and event
3 updates, follow Astrovitae’s Instagram page!
SPEC PROJECT
PROJECT RHYNIA GETS A REBOOT

March 28, 2023
Project Rhynia began in August of 2022. The premise was this: crew from an interstellar shuttle travel
YOUTUBE VIDEO to Proxima Centauri b to look for intelligent life. No life was found, but instead, a huge abandoned space
station was discovered orbiting the planet’s star. This station contained many bizarre forms of life all
NEW EPISODE OF PROJECT ISLA RELEASING SOON genetically related to prehistoric animals from Earth’s past.
May–June, 2023 The project recently lost a pivotal member—a loss which will lead to many changes and essentially
Movement and migration are important facets of animal life and are behaviors exhibited by reboot the whole project. All the story and characters have to be rewritten, with many iconic animals
countless species. But how would we see such actions differ among fauna which have evolved on such as the ‘chimaera�lies’ and ‘hoppers’, which will now be decanonized. In addition, the project’s
a planet far different from earth? On a planet without day and night cycles, or seasonal change, website will be receiving a new, fresh look in order to better represent these new changes.
would migratory behaviors still evolve? How would organisms navigate such a planet? “I think the project is going to be in a much better place,” says Bobsicle, the co-creator of Project Rhynia.
In episode 5 of the Isla Project, all of these topics will be discussed, and we will see the biosphere “The creative control is now entirely in my hands. But to be honest, we are still in the early stages of
of a tidally locked world expand signi�icantly. New fascinating species will be explored, as well as rebooting the project and it's dif�icult to conclusively say where things are going to go in detail.”
their interactions with the broader ecosystems around them. We will look into the anatomy This is an exciting time to begin watching the project grow, as there will be new characters and
which enables movement on planet Isla, as well as group behaviors behind herds, and the packs creatures to watch interact, adapt, and evolve. You can see the project yourself by visiting
of species which hunt them. Stay tuned for the next episode of the Isla Project! www.spacestationrhynia.blogspot.com.

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | CRYA FIELD GUIDE TO
THE CRYPTOZOOLOGICON
THE BIOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND MYTHOLOGY
OF HIDDEN ANIMALS
BY JOHN MESZAROS INSTAGRAM: @johnmeszaros

WEBSITE: www.johnmeszarosart.com
As creatures that skirt the boundaries The book covers classic creatures like
between folklore, mythology, and bigfoot, the Beast of Gé vaudan, and the
scienti�ic plausibility, cryptids make ex- alleged “plesiosaur” carcass hauled up
cellent subjects for speculative biology. by the Japanese trawler Zuiyo-Maru, as Book Cover & Spread. The book is a celebration of
Although to give cryptids a good, well as more obscure animals like the the myths, legends, evolution and biology of hidden
realistic depiction that holds true to Congolese mbielu-mbielu-mbielu, the animals reimagined!
their descriptions from folklore, not only con rit of Southeast Asia, and De Loy’s
is it necessary to have a thorough Ape of Venezuela. There’s even an entry
knowledge of the cryptozooligcal folk- for �lying rods, tiny aerial creatures that
lore and literature, but one must also allegedly move so fast they can only be
have a strong background in biology and seen in video cameras. chupacabra, for example, is reimagined The illustrations in Cryptozoologicon
natural history. Lucky for readers, Each entry begins with a history of as a large, carnivorous possum-like are naturalistic, often showing animals
authors/illustrators Conway, Kosemen, the cryptid’s development in folklore marsupial—not too far-fetched since partially obscured or in deep shadows to
and Naish possess just such a suite of along with famous sightings and the marsupials are common in South and depict what a real-life encounter with
interests and expertise. Their book history of expeditions and investigations Central America. This speculative design one might look like. Particularly
imagines what cryptids such as bigfoot to �ind them. Next follows a skeptical also �its well with some descriptions of evocative is a scene of yetis strolling
and the chupacabra might be like as explanation for the cryptid, often ex- the beast that describe it as having through a Himalayan mountain valley
actual living creatures. They develop plaining them as misidenti�ications of a kangaroo-like legs (the more humanoid, blooming with magenta �lowers.
their cryptids with a hard scienti�ic known animal or an elaboration of and “blue hairless dog” versions of the The entries often include satirical
eye that incorporates each animal into folklore. The last section of each entry is chupacabra are discussed in the entry as and hyperbolic remarks about how
its environment and provides a where the speculative biology comes in well, with the former explained as pop mainstream science just doesn’t want to
believable explanation for how each as Conway, Kosemen, and Naish re- culture folklore and the latter as unusual accept the truth of the authors’
could have evolved. create the cryptid as a real animal. The coyote-wolf hybrids). “�indings”—a playful jab at crypto-

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | A FIELD GUIDE TO MERMAIDS
THE YAETUAN SAGAS

THE NEXT STEP IN A SPECULATIVE BIOLOGY
PROJECT IS EXPLORING INTELLIGENT LIFE
BY DOMENIC PENNETTA
It is a great accomplishment to take the and Fermi's Paradox are explained, and
culmination of your speculative biology despite these arguments against �inding life
project and produce a book out of it, but it out there in the cosmos, we are shown
is another thing to do it twice! Author and many habitable worlds teeming with life
Flying Rod. Flying rods are elongated visual artifacts appearing in photographic images and video artist, Christian Cline, recently released forms. Instead of taking readers to explore
recordings, but the book depicts them as if they are actual creatures. his newest title “The Yaetuan Sagas: A these worlds like in The Teeming Universe,
Chronicle and Account of the Yaetuan The Yaetuan Sagas instead focuses on the
Species”. On April 3rd, 2023, The Yaetuan development and history of the Yaetil
zoologists and other investigators of the
Additional information about the Sagas was of�icially published on Amazon System, giving us a much narrower yet
mysterious who can be all too eager to
authors is available on their websites: and is in some ways a direct sequel to detailed view of alien life and evolution.
gush over their own �limsy theories.
Christian’s �irst book, The Teeming Part 1 of the book explores the entirety of
While these jabs are playful, they can C. M. Kosemen: Universe. Although The Yaetuan Sagas is a this star system composed of 7 planets, like
occasionally become a bit too mocking as http://cmkosemen.com/ bit different—its predecessor was a the gas giant ‘Tonuka’, and another gas giant
the authors’ frustrations with the
John Conway: classic exploration of alien planets and made of ice ‘Yaelisa’, and of course, the only
credulity and defensiveness of some
https://johnconway.art/ speculative lifeforms, but The Yaetuan habitable planet within the system called
cryptozoology enthusiasts show
Sagas goes one step further. It explores ‘Yaetu’ (which the majority of the book’s
through. Darren Naish: the evolution and development of one setting is located). Yaetu is much heftier
There is much cross-over in the https://tetzoo.com/ intelligent alien species, from its compared to Earth, around 80% more
speculative biology and cryptozoology
animalistic stages of life, to a race of massive, composed of mostly silicates, and
communities, and fans of both will
civilized and technological spacefaring has two moons named ‘Ael’ and ‘Yanta’.
appreciate this imaginative and
beings spanning across worlds. Since the planet is signi�icantly further
scienti�ically-rigorous book. Interested
The Yaetuan Sagas begins with an away from its host star, one Yaetuan year is
readers can get a copy of
introduction to the possibility of life in the roughly 466 Earth days, with an average
Cryptozoologicon at Irregular Books:
universe. Here concepts like the Great Filter day of 29 hours!
https://irregularbooks.art/

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | YAETUAN SAGAS
Kekatian Spirit. Arecita, left, and her fellow dancers (or

telangari) dance in poise and stead to welcome the
beginning of the summer solstice; this dance is an ancient
staple of Kekatian culture and identity.

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | YAETUAN SAGAS
The Platyderms The Vexisqualians
Desmoodes
Cartilaginous Yelun
Vermops Columnates
Neocolumnates
Proteroeryoans
The Eryotoids The Triparapodians
Pladiotemnoids
From Tibe to City. Comparison between the early
hunter-gather Yaetuans, the Andago people, and the
Native Animals of Yaetu. A collection of animals from Part 1 of the book. megacities that will come thousands of years later.
Here on planet Yaetu is where we �ind sapiens or ‘Yaetuans’. This chapter marks
an intimate look at the origins of a the end of a focus on speculative biology, In conclusion, The Yaetuan Sagas is taking into account Amazon deals and
complex alien species, called the with the book more interested in de�initely a must read for anyone shipping costs). Astrovitae is proud to have
‘Yaetuans’. Like Earth, Yaetu has a long and exploring the development of culture and interested in the evolution of intelligent Christian as a contributor, and we hope
complex evolutionary history. In- civilization of the Yaetuan species. Part 2 alien life in our universe. If you haven't that our readers can support his art too!
vertebrates like ‘Triparapodians’, stubby is clearly inspired by the disciplines of read Christian’s �irst book, The Teeming
tri-radial symmetric creatures which can paleonanthropology and archaeology, Universe, you may �ind a brief overview of
walk in any direction, and vertebrates like following the exploits of early-Yaetuan the book and its contents in Issue 2 of
the aquatic ‘Vexisqualians’, and am- peoples, from nomadic hunter-gatherer Astrovitae Magazine. You are not expected
phibious ‘Eryotoids’ (which act like tribes, to the �irst agricultural villages. to read the �irst book to follow along in
modern day earth amphibians), all Parts 3, 4 and 5 are the peak of the The Yaetuan Sagas, but it is a great BUY HIS BOOK
companion containing 300 pages jam- ON AMAZON
evolved to �it into ecological niches in book, where we see the Yaetuans at their
TODAY!
various biomes. Among all the life on �inest developing bustling industrial cities packed with speculative biology worlds,
Yaetu, the most peculiar are the to interstellar technologies for exploring biomes, and creatures. If interested, you BUY NOW!
‘Platyderms’, terrestrial hexipodal animals the universe. I shall not go into detail about can pick up your own copy today from
which eventually speciate and evolve into these section, as I’d rather not spoil its Amazon where it is listed for $40.00 USD
the sapient race known as the Yaettis details... That’s what buying the book is for! (but perhaps this price is more or less

CAPTIVATING WORLDS By Paul Drenckhahn (SteveMobCannon)
CAPTIVATING WORLDS | THE RETURN OF PHTANUM B
THE RETURN OF PHTANUM B

BY PAUL DRENCKHAHN ( STEVEMOBCANNON ) INSTAGRAM: : @phtanum_b_official
TWITTER: @stevemobcannon
ARTSTATION: stevemobcannon
In the last issue of Astrovitae, Phtanum B and Teshub, all three cold rocky worlds
and its core features were introduced. with icy surfaces.
The planet itself, deuvertebrate anatomy, Progressing into the outer system, we
geologic timetables and four select encounter Yan Wang—another super-
clades were presented. Now, Phtanum B earth with a surface consisting largely of Distal Messenger. A lone deuvertebrate gazes out into the landscape.
returns once again for all to see! rock and ice and a thick, dusty
One big aspect of the project that atmosphere. Behind it lies our second light of day. A number of these are mids are more diverse than ever before,
has not been mentioned thus far is the gas giant, Seraphiel. Seraphiel is a considered Aneucnemids—a deuverte- inhabiting heaps of niches in every
layout of the Phtanum system. The roughly Saturn sized blue marble, not brate group that split off from the main imaginable environment. Many inhabit
Phtanum system is somewhat bigger too indifferent to an oversized version of branch before the latter became niches comparable to insects, living as
than ours, harboring 11 rocky and giant Uranus or Neptune. After it comes terrestrial. These animals independently tiny decomposers, hunters, and herb-
planets instead of our 8. The innermost Me�ismo—an atmosphere-less cratered took to land or to the sky, as the waterjet ivores. Others �ly in larger swarms to
of these is Phtanum B itself, of�icially ice husk of a world. Nearing the end we propulsion tunnels of early deu- avoid predation, not too unlike some
named Manzat after its discovery stumble upon our �inal gas giant, vertebrates turned into through-lungs birds of Earth. And again, others are
(although both names can be used Asmodeus. Asmodeus is unique in that once on land. Early aneucnemids some of the single most intimidating
interchangeably). Following Manzat is its atmosphere houses a complex eventually adapted their tunnels to organisms of the planet.
Dhara, a rocky world between the size phosphorus cycle, causing the planet to pump the thick atmospheric air, turning A scream cuts through the air. Like
of Mars and Earth with notable tectonic change color in a cyclical manner every them into �lying �ish of sorts. These loud drums or a faulty diesel engine,
activity. Further out is the �irst gas giant earth year or so. From white, to yellow, partly aquatic aneucnemids independently something like a plane passes by at high
of the system—Haneul. Haneul is to red, to purple and back again to white. evolved lungs on their own, opening the speeds. Though, this is not a plane.
slightly bigger than Jupiter. Enormous On the outer edge of the Phtanum system way for fully non-aquatic ones and Causing the noise in the air is nothing
internal heating allows its surface to be rests Culsans—a frigid world with a independently evolving legs to land on other than a ramjet dragon—this one, a
warm enough to house water clouds, surface covered in nitrogen ice. solid ground. Mirrorback, is an aerial apex predator
giving the planet its grey-blue color. Returning to Phtanum B, a few new Nowadays, nearly 400 million years reaching 12 meters long. Known as
After Haneul come Euterpan, Maricha imposing clades have emerged to see the after the phylogenetic split, aneucne- Autostochus miradorsum by its binomial

Phtanum System | Terrestrial Planets
name, these imposing hunters are only evolved to �ill a lot of roles as species windwhale, reaches wingspans of just treeline, larger ones do not have it that
one of a number of large predatory diverged. over 200 meters. The bulk of their body easy. With the help of their retractable
aneucnemids that call the sky their own. Smaller dragons usually go for and especially their wings are �illed with tube feet, they can “kitewalk” like their
Ramjet dragons are named after their smaller game, ejecting projectiles of lungs and a complex air-chamber system smaller relatives, but their sheer scale
propulsion tunnels are made of a chain semi-hardened burn�luid that splatter however, reducing their density makes hiding impossible. This counts for
of chambers that get smaller the further up on impact. Some, like the enormous considerably and allowing them to grow the air as well, as their rumbling air
towards the end you go. This pushes the �irewall ramjet, release a wide “curtain” to the maximum physically possible size pumps produce a lot of noise. Sub-
air together, speeding it up in the of burn�luid that is perfect for taking limit. But being a �lying mountain of sequently, many larger deocardids opted
process. The dragons don’t rely on down swarms. And again others, like the meat has its drawbacks. Due to their size for threat displays instead of staying
igniting the air in their tunnels, the air Mirrorback, are hyperspecialized on and low density, big deocardids must hidden, including but not limited to
pressure alone gives them by far enough taking down large game like deocardids avoid storms by waiting out on the colorful, bright and vibrant patterns
speed. A feature that unites all of them is by spraying the backs of their prey with ground, tightly anchored to the ground (known as ‘aposematism’).
their ability to spray burning, napalm- burn�luid ejected from six individually via their tube feet that jam like stakes Yet should a large deocardid be
like liquid from specialized pores on moveable pore-turrets. into the soil. Otherwise they risk being attacked anyway, a good number have
their underside, nicknamed burn�luid, The prey of the latter is no less torn apart by the winds. multiple defense mechanisms. The �irst
con-nected to the digestive system. imposing. Deocardids are the largest Avoiding predation is another matter. would be symbiotic �lyers that follow the
These “pores” are a feature that unites deuvertebrates on Phtanum B by sheer While many smaller deocardids can �lying giants around like a living aircraft
most modern aneucnemids, and they scale. Their largest member, the red spend a good amount of time closer to carrier. These feed on dead skin, waste
ground or attempt to hide under the material, use the whale as laying ground

Phtanum b Maps | Biome Map (left) and Plate Map (right)

supercontinents: Ehebalis in the north become part of the mat, then turning into
Phtanum System | Giant Planets and Kyovanis in the south. These resources for more plants and organisms
enormous landmasses are composed of that grow above and so on. This process
many smaller continents that eventually has caused biomats to get ten meters tall
merged together. This map shows the in certain regions (biomat savannas) and
various biomes and habitats that exist on dozens of meters tall in the most extreme
the planet. Many of these are self- cases (biomat jungles). This enormous
explanatory, though there are a few terms amount of biomass is the result of
here that may be confusing to the new phtanumbian life turning inorganic
phtanumbian citizen: matter into organic one more ef�iciently
For one, a “biomat“ in Phtanum B‘s at the cellular level. In tropical regions,
context is an at least ten-centimeter thick biomats are prone to water-�illed
carpet of decaying, organic material sinkholes.
similar to peat, that forms the soil for “Dry Forest“ is a term for pretty much
organisms above it. These are fueled by a any forest that does not grow on biomat
constant cycle of short-lived regrowing ground. It is not a singular biome, but
plants above, which eventually die and instead a group of vaguely related
Ramjet Dragons. Side pro�iles of various ramjet

for their own polyps or co-feed on the attackers and cause them to turn back, dragons: Body shape and pore con�igurations hint
at various lifestyles.
occasional cloud of aerial junk that the the latter ones are used to snipe the
whale feeds on. If the whale is under predators out of the sky. Yet this whale in
attack, these symbionts will work particular is weakened. With its own
together in order to get rid of the pores empty and with �lesh already
unwanted guests. Emerald disk�lies use charred deep, it will no longer manage to
their iridescent shimmer to confuse hold itself in the air for much longer.
predators, or tumblecutters slash down Should this hunt be successful, the
attackers for example. dragons will visit the crashed carcass
Should this line of defense fail, the over a period of multiple weeks, until it
whale will start to utilize its own is eaten and eroded away. This marks an
resources in an attempt to defend itself. end to our tangent into a dramatic
Covering its entire body are modi�ied hunting scene.
pore-turrets of two types, which eject Phtanum B‘s geography is different
clouds of foul-smelling black mist and from what we are used to here on Earth.
hardened waste pellets respectably. Instead of split smaller continents that
While the former ones should blind adorn the globe, Phtanum B has two

Deocardids. Side pro�iles of various deocardid species. Body shape and size hint at various lifestyles.
biotopes that all differ in various ways. project, but not towards its organisms,
As for highlands: The majority of rather its people. The Phtanum B
Phtanum B's biomes are located in universe plays a good chunk of time in the
regions with high air pressure. Highland future, where an ideologically-motivated
areas are unique in that they present an diaspora of humankind made its way to
alternative as a colder environment with this world in haste. But why? Human
earthlike air pressure and less volatile history in this universe is long, bizarre
atmospheric chemicals. More alien and complex, and we will be taking our
biomes such as iron bogs, frost forests, �irst look into why humans are in this
chemotroph forests, storm�lats, lightning inhospitable world in the �irst place.
forests and the stormwall itself may be
covered in future issues of Astrovitae.
This concludes our current ex-
pedition to Phtanum B. In the next issue,
we will be yet again taking a look at the

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | HAR DESHUR
HAR DESHUR
VISIONS OF AN ALTERNATE & HABITABLE MARS
BY T.K. SIVGIN INSTAGRAM: @t.k.sivgin

WEBSITE: www.hardeshur.blogspot.com
Mars has always been a �ixture of the atmosphere generator John Carter³ had
human imagination, ever since the �irst to rescue. By the 50s and 60s, however,
apes looked up into the night sky and even �irm believers of life on Mars in the
saw a strange red star �ly on even scienti�ic community had to dial down
stranger courses. In our minds it has their expectations. Map of Mars. This map shows the climate found on the surface of Mars. White areas encased by a
been home to many wonders and Our observations by that point still solid black line mark regions of permanent ice. The blue area between the two isotherms is where
menaces, from near-human Christians in left many things mysterious, but it the MAT rises above freezing, while the red dotted areas the MAT is above 10°.
the �irst Renaissance era pieces of became clear that Mars was too
planetary �iction to Lowell’s soph- inhospitable of a place to become the speculations, check out the 1962 paper his illustrated vision of lowly plant and
isticated canal-builders¹, and to the home of any remaining civilization or Martian Biology by Frank Salisbury in animal life he hoped still lived in the
utterly inhuman cephalopods regarding large beasts. But the hope for the journal Science). These observations corners of Mars that were simply not yet
Earth with envious eyes (which made extremophile plants and animals on the in�luenced depictions such as Walt photographed by the space probe. Any
H.G. Wells famous). Even as our surface was still there. And why should Disney’s Mars and Beyond documentary such hopes were inevitably lost with the
telescopic and spectroscopic ob- there not have been? Telescopes clearly and the movie Robinson Crusoe on Mars. Viking landers⁵ and further missions,
servations of Mars progressed, fantastic showed blue-green patches across the Astronomer Carl Sagan was also a �irm showing that Mars’ surface has only
speculations did not die down, as Edgar Martian surface changing with the believer in Martian botany, even after the 0.6% of Earth’s air pressure, the dust and
Rice Burroughs simply put his Barsoom² seasons, a clear sign of vegetation, it was Mariner-4⁴ mission showed us �irst soil are laden with toxic chemicals, the
on life support with the iconic thought (for an amusing read on such close-up images of Mars’ desolate wastes radiation received from space is cancer-
in 1964, for three years later he wrote a inducing at best and the average
Footnotes: story for National Geographic featuring temperature is -60 degrees Celsius. The
¹Lowell’s canal-builders - Percival Lowell, an American astronomer, was a proponent in the Footnotes:
erroneous belief that there were canals on Mars made by intelligent civilizations.
⁴Mariner-4 - A spacecraft that conducted a �lyby of Mars in 1965, offering the �irst closeup
²Barsoom - A collection of stories presenting a �ictional representation of Mars created by scienti�ic photos and observations of the planet.
American pulp �iction author, Edgar Rice Burroughs.
⁵Viking Landers - Pair of identical American space probes, Viking 1 and Viking 2, which landed
³John Carter - John Carter of Mars is a �ictional protagonist from the Barsoom stories. on Mars in 1976.

seasonally changing patches were simply habitable at the surface long enough for
dust storms and the infamous canals astronauts to pick up some space bugs?
were an optical illusion. The surface of What if the vision of Sagan and others
Mars is dead. If life still persists on the from the mid-20th century was the
planet, it can now only be found deep in correct one? Har Deshur, named after
the geothermal underground and likely Mars’ designation in Egyptian mythology,
in a unicellular state. explores this idea. Through the accounts Onychognatha. These animals possess
But of course, it was not always like of a future astronaut, we explore an an endoskeleton and descended from
this. Mars has gone through many alternate, slightly more habitable Mars multi-limbed ancestors.
climatic changes throughout its history, (though one still grounded in modern
with some current work indicating that data), its perilous geography and
in rather recent times of strong obliquity, weather, its exotic lifeforms and the
the planet’s poles likely thawed enough in�luences their discovery has had on would feel atop the Alps on Earth, and for the growth of sparse shrublands. In
to allow for higher air pressures and humanity. A Mars that never was but very the average global temperature is just 2 red the MAT rises above 10 degrees, but
liquid water on the surface and that this well could have been... degrees Celsius. Most of the water is the lack of precipitation makes this area
may happen again in the future. Maybe Brave New Mars. Mars is a harsh, trapped in the ice caps and permafrost so dry that we know it as the Great
we just caught Mars at a bad time. What desolate world. Average air pressure at and while it may snow sometimes, it Dustbowl Desert. Unique is the deep
if Mars stayed just a little bit more the datum is only 0.5 bar, the same you almost never rains. But, due to the Hellas Basin of the southern hemisphere.
planet’s varied landscape, these Its warming air pressure, combined with
conditions are not uniform. Mars’ Great a high water table, allow a sort of alien
Dichotomy, the signi�icant difference in savannah to persist here.
height between the low northern and tall Dust Slugs. One of the major phyla
southern hemisphere, is unique among on Mars are the Spiriferia, a group of
the planets and generates distinctive animals which move with segmented
temperature and climate zones (seen on pseudopods and which are covered in a
Pg. 29). The completely white areas are row of dorsal plates. Their mouthparts
regions such as the poles and the Tharsis in some ways resemble an oversized
Plateau, which stay covered in version of the corona seen in rotifers
permanent ice the whole year. The (small microscopic plankton), and it is
darkened area of the highlands is where an ef�icient tool for sucking up
the mean annual temperature (MAT) particulate food like a vacuum. In the
stays below freezing and is dominated by class Lobostomia, the corona consists of
an eternal tundra that thaws only for two arms beset with hundreds of setae,
short periods during Martian summer. In whereas in the Verticutia the upper
blue are where the MAT is between 0 and “lip” has been modi�ied into a toothed
10 degrees Celsius and where seasonal whirl that functions similarly to a
The Dust Slugs. Animals with segmented pseudopods for locomotion. meltwater from the icy regions allows garden scari�ier⁶. “Dust Slugs” are a

polyphyletic group of various spirifers phyletic Archaeocephalia and the

living in the great northern desert which monophyletic Cuneocephali. The former
have convergently evolved symbiotic are the ones who retain the ancestral
relationships with iron-reducing micro- mandibular jaws, while in the latter the
bes in their gut. This lithotrophy⁷ mouthparts have further fused with the
actually allows them to process the skull to form a sort of beak. Only the upper
abundant dust on Mars into energy. As jaw is movable, sort of like a toilet seat.
such metabolisms are inef�icient, how- Beneath the Ice Caps. (Not pictured)
ever, this is not the main diet of the dust Another major phylum on Mars are the
slugs, who mainly feed on plant matter Antitremata (named after their U-shaped
or smaller animals. gut in which the mouth and cloaca are
Onychognaths. Onychognatha are next to each other). Ancestrally, these
the closest analogue on Mars to were bivalvious, shelled, sessile animals
vertebrates, as they possess an very similar to Earth’s brachiopods, but
endoskeleton (albeit one that mixes many forms have signi�icantly modi�ied
apatitic with siliceous elements). They this bauplan. The amstiel walk ontop the
descend from multi-limbed ancestors roof of a subglacial lake, evolving
which evoked arthropods in shape and crustaceous legs out of its stalk. Another
largely evolved through thagmosis: four animal, the rhoson represents a different The Hellas Savannah. Many martian planimals and wildlife inhabit these plains.
former limbs have fused with the kind of development: its valves have
cephalon to become antennae, while fused into a turtle-like carapace, its the only region on Mars where ambient range and habitat, displaced by newer
the jaws themselves derived from cellulose stalk has become a swimming temperatures and high groundwater clades. One of them is the Spongisporia,
chelicerous pincers. Their eyes are also tail and former lophophores are now �ins allow for the existence of a savannah �iltering organisms which resemble a
solid discs made of biosilicon⁸, perhaps a and a retractable proboscis, with tooth- analogue. Flora on Mars, excluding mix between fungus and sponge. Giant
protective measure against the frequent like mouthparts reminiscent of a sessile planimals, is principally divided forms, the tube-trees, are common in the
and abrasive dust storms on Mars. They polychaete worm. Atop the carapace sits into four separate kinds: most primitive savannah, growing in clusters that form
breathe through ori�ices in front of every a cranium with mineral eyes derived but also very common are the land reefs. The other group is the
limb pair. Two grades are distinguished from aesthetes. macroareonts (which are multicellular Fractaria, whose main characteristic is a
within the Onychognatha, the para- Hellas Savannah. The Hellas Basin is organisms composed of prokaryotic glide symmetry. Through symbiosis they
cells, similar to some myxo- or engage in true oxygenic photosynthesis
cyanobacteria, just macroscopic in size). and have become the most common �lora
Footnotes: Then come Arephyta, which structurally across the planet. Most complex among
resemble Earth-plants the most, but are them are the Polyfractaria, such as the
⁶Garden scari�ier - Machine that removes layers of old grass stems and other debris from a lawn.
restricted to an archaic form of non- scale-tree on the left, which are
⁷Lithotrophy - The process in which organisms use inorganic substrates for respiration.
oxygenic photosynthesis, where hydro- composed of multiple clonal individuals
⁸Biosilicon - Also called Biogenic silica (bSi), biogenic opal, or amorphous opaline silica; one of the
most widespread biogenic minerals.
gen sul�ide is turned into sulfur. Once working together as one.
dominant, they are now restricted in Tundra of Mars. Wide and desolate

shifted towards bipedalism and the most amusingly resemble a face.

famous of Mars’ featherless bipeds is the Hortax and Yrp. (Pictured on Pg.
great ushabti of Hellas. Humanoid as it 102-103)Trichordates like the hortax
appears, it has fooled many early are star�ish-like land creatures, whose
astronauts into thinking of it as a sapient endoskeleton looks like it was stitched
being, but alas, it is about as smart as a together from three snake-tails. Using
deer. This has not stopped authors on ocelli at the tips of its arms, it hunts for
Earth from writing inaccurate Mars prey like the Yrp, a highly derived
�iction with intelligent ushabtis living in onychognath that has fused most of its
tribal societies. limbs with the cephalon.
Malacoda. (Pictured on Pg.
102-103) A clam-like organism, the last
of its kind. Through its fused
rostroconch shell it operates a
muscular foot it slithers on, three
eyestalks and a proboscis with a beak.
If viewed from behind, its spiracles
Tundra of Mars. Landscape with red fronds and �lying animals overhead.
is Mars’ giant alpine tundra, for most of a diverse clade of antitrematans de-
the long year temperatures here are scended from forms similar to the
below freezing. But once summer comes, rhoson. While some, like the bennus,
things spring to life. Red fronds, have become bird-like bipeds, forms
primitive fractarians, digest their such as the dyles have developed their
biological antifreeze and become active exoskeletal tail into a third leg and
again, as do the �ilulithophores and became tripods.
�lechtoids, overgrown microbial scum Great Ushabti. (Pictured on Pg.
that carpets the soil. Flying organisms, 102-103) Dyles are not the only tripods
from microbial aeroplankton to on Mars. Among the cuneocephalian
arthropodous wadjets, migrate here to onychognaths has evolved a group
lay their eggs in the bogs that form atop named Deltadactylia, who lost a whole
the permafrost. They are followed by limb segment while fusing another one
�lying dyles, one-legged ballousaurs and into a single leg at the front of the body.
various terrestrial animals trying to feed How or why this awkward arrangement
on the summer bloom. evolved remains a mystery. Fact is,
Striped Hellasic Dyle. Periostraca is multiple of these tripods have later Striped Hellasic Dyle. Dyles are bird-like creatures with tails that act as a third leg.

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | FREELOADER PLANTS
other decomposing matter in the soil.

These are the larvae of the Tartarus
moths (Tartaropogon sp.), the most
common insects that can be found inside
FREELOADER PLANTS of these cave systems.
Although dominant, they're not the
THE WONDERFULLY WEIRD CAVE ECOSYSTEM only sessile organisms that call these
OF THE OUREAN MOUNTAINS caves home. As surprising as it may
seem, several species of plants can be
found in these pitch black caverns, such
BY ALEJANDRO MARTÍNEZ FLUXÁ INSTAGRAM: @artechocene_explorer as the Batswatter Ferns (Necrodactylum
TWITTER: @ArtechoExplorer sp.) and the Widow's Anna�ir (Na�ir
spectralis), the only cave plants in the
world. Both employ the same strategy to
Thirty-nine million years into the future, they serve as a conveyor belt for survive with a complete absence of light,
during the Artechocene period, the nutrients to move into the cave in the and unsurprisingly, the answer is fungi.
uplifting of the Mediterranean sea has form of guano. This guano accumulates They effectively "enslave" the fungi in the
resulted not only in massive mountain over time below the colonies, forming early stages of their development and Pollination. Tartaropogon fungus moths poll-
chains, but also the formation of soil that can be exploited by a whole inate widow’s anna�ir, allowing the growth of
make the fungi share nutrients with the
thousands of lightweight seed �ilaments.
incredibly intricate cave systems deep in plethora of organisms, which form the plant, even though the plant doesn't
the limestone layer. Kilometers and base of a strange yet fascinating share nutrients back like its sporophyll whose sporangia open once
kilometers of caverns snake through ecosystem. photosynthetic surface relatives. With it's matured. However, because there's
these mountains like burrows from Fungi dominate these ecosystems, this relationship established, the plant minimal air currents, spores wouldn't
massive worms! Although, most of these digesting the bat droppings and can now develop its root system to be able to travel far, and when
caverns are connected to the outside breaking them down into more available connect to more individuals of that germinating the young plants would
world, providing potential habitats to all nutrients to incorporate into their speci�ic fungi species, unfairly sharing compete with the parent plant for
who are able to survive in this biomass. The hyphae of these fungi nutrients with them and accumulating resources. To combat this, batswatter
environment. behave like grass in this environment— nutrients in its roots during the winter ferns have developed a fascinating
One of the animals that has bene�ited acting as the main food source for (when bats are hibernating). At the adaptation to disperse far and wide not
the most from the new abundance of dozens of species of insects and other beginning of the summer, the plant will only within a bat colony, but in between
caves are bats, which can create colonies invertebrates that call the cave home. use these stored nutrients to produce its other colonies and caves.
that number in the tens of millions in the Cockroaches, opiliones (harvestmen), speci�ic reproductive structures. But this Apart from being very long and thin
places near abundant food sources. And and larvae of various insects like �lies is the point where the life cycles of these (making it harder for it to be detected
although they're not exclusively living and moths feast on the innumerable two plants diverge. Batswatter Ferns are with echolocation) it has a very strange
inside of them their whole lives, they white �ilaments embedded into the soil. achlorophyllous Ophioglossid ferns found surface texture. The macro and micro-
have become a vital component to the Among these thoughts, some ditch the in caves all across Eurasia that do not structures formed by the epidermis of
ecosystems within these caves, since fungi and feed directly on the guano and produce �lowers or seeds, but a long the sporangia and the sporophyll has

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | FREELOADER PLANTS
evolved to, when impacted by the

Widow’s Anna�ir frequencies used for echolocation, return
Na�ir spectralis an ampli�ied sound that interferes with
the rest of the bat's signals and interferes
Batswatter Fern
Necrodactylum sp. with them. This confuses the animal, and
more often than not, causes the animal to
Flower of N. hit the sporophyll, releasing millions of
spectralis spores that stick to its hair and the hair of
nearby bats. This disperses the spores to
wherever the bat moves, or to
N. Spectralis
coiling the stem
neighboring bats who preen and clean
and �lowers of a themselves (a behavior which transfers
batswatter fern. spores to the neighbor).
The Widow's Anna�ir is an orchid in
A. the Na�ir genus, which contains a bunch
of photosynthetic as well as non-
B. photosynthetic species. All these species
Accidental Pollinators. Bats knock into bat-
share one trait: being pollinated by
swatter ferns and cause spores to eject into the
fungus moths in the family Tineidae. In
air. Spores fall to the �loor or are carried by the
the case of this Anna�ir, it specialized in
bat within its dense fur.
attracting Tartarus moths, adapting its
Ripe fruit of
N. spectralis smell to the pheromones of the local in spores, but some of the seeds of the
Tartaropogon species' females. Once orchid sticks to their fur, dispersing
Seed of pollinated, the ovary dries and opens up alongside the fern. This makes it so it's
N. spectralis exposing thousands of tiny, lightweight more likely for the orchid to grow near
seeds topped with a pinnated hardened these ferns when it germinates.
�ilament. But that's not the only trick These tactics of deception and
Lower stem and this plant uses in order to reproduce. taking advantage of other organisms
roots of N. spectralis Before �lowering, the stem grows might seem cruel and unfair to an
horizontally, searching for one speci�ic outside observer, but that judgment
thing: the stem of a batswatter fern. fails to take into account the complexity
Once it reaches the stem, it starts coiling and beauty of these life cycles. All of
around the sporophyll of the fern and them evolved thanks to trickery, but
�inally �lowers more or less at the same trickery allowed these plants to
height as the fern's sporangia are colonize places never before seen and
A). Fully mature individual of Necrodactylum sp. located. This way, when bats collide with deep within the mountains.
B). Spores of Necrodactylum sp. under the microscope. the fern, not only do they get covered

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | FUTURE FLOODED SOUTH
FUTURE FLOODED
SOUTH AMERICA
BY HUNTERSETH ( BIO SPECULO ) INSTAGRAM: @bio_speculo
In the future, humanity has collapsed success of many endangered South

and the Earth has suffered through the American carnivores. Although most
subsequent consequences of our species. non-native populations would die off in Stilt Wolf & the New Carnivores. Size comparisons of
Among the most tragic of events caused time, the damage of their presence had the Stilt Wolf (top left) and two carnivorous
by humanity was called the ‘Great already been done, and the strain was predators, the Giant Slinker (top right) and the Big
Releasing’—which was the melting of too great for the South American Cervids Headed Dog (bottom right).
Antarctica. The cause of ancient hu- and Camelids (deer and camels), both
manity’s collapse is as of yet unknown, lineages pushed to extinction. With these South American continent. Because of
and those few human populations that changes, many niches became open and this, the upgraded predators evolved to
remain can only speculate. Those of many new creatures rose to �ill them. hunt them by recognizing their distinct
which remain now inhabit a ‘Flooded This is the premise behind the Future shape and color. Speci�ically, the massive
South America’, a continent separated Flooded South America. packs of Big Headed Dogs (descendants
once again from its neighbor, and now Hunter Turned Prey. With the native of bush dogs), with their crushing bite
inundated with water. With such drastic camelids gone and cervid population and powerful limbs, which could take
changes, the continent’s available re- beginning to decline, the populations of down larger herbivores with ease. This
sources increased in abundance, in- carnivores that were made massive by would in time lead to an inevitable
evitably driving the radiation and the increase of non-native fauna from con�lict with their native canine cousins. unnatural pressure brought upon them
formation of several new species and long ago, set their sights and tastes on Due to their resemblance in color and by nature. Thus, with the camelids gone
genera. The continent was not without their own cousins. These newly upgraded shape to that of deer, the Maned Wolves and the cervids slowly vanishing, and
its fair share of extinction, however. canines could not distinguish their long- (Chrysocyon brachyurus) of this Future with the ever impending hunger of their
Following the Great Releasing, non- legged deer-like relatives from the South America would continually �ind brothers at their heels, the genus
native fauna ravaged the land over many cervids they were so adapted to hunt. themselves being targeted by their pack Acteocyon soon emerged. Named after
generations, increasing in population The only cervids that were then still hunting kin. After many generations of the Greek myth of hunter turned prey, the
and number. This massive increase in extant, were the Marsh Deer (Blastoceros running away in fear and being mistaken earliest members of the genus Acteocyon
prey created the perfect conditions for dichotomus) for they had in previous for deer, these Maned Wolves would would rise to take the place of the now
an increase in predators, leading to the generations thrived on the Flooding eventually succumb to this unusual and open camelid niches. In time, they would

newly stabilizing cycle would feed the these monstrosities feed on �lower
growth of newly emerging plant species nectar and �lightless hymenopterans
which would then in turn fuel entirely (ants, bees, and wasps) primarily, but
new habitats and ecosystems as well as also supplement their diet with honey
make certain biomes more prevalent. and bone marrow.
With these changes in place, and with the Tapir Titan. The largest member of
ever increasing availability of resources, the genus Tapirtitanae, the Tapir Titan
the continent would see the radiation (T. gigaterrestris) is just one
and appearance of new megafauna. evolutionary end of the tapir radiation in
Among those that would rise to �ill South America. Somewhat convergent
these new and open niches, the tapirs with ancient elephants, this titan
were among the �irst to radiate into a occupies a niche somewhere between
variety of forms. The largest of these forms that of hippos and elephants, mostly
would become the Tapir Titans (Tapir- feeding on aquatic vegetation, but
titanae gigaterrestris). These massive occasionally on other plant life.
herbivores like to spend most of their Snouted Sloth. Named after a
time in and around water. Since they monster in Brazilian folklore, the
The Megafauna. Size comparison of the large Tapir Titan (left) and the Snouted Sloth (right).
primarily exist on a diet of aquatic Snouted Sloth (Magnurostra mapinguari)
become the Stilt Wolves, the tallest descended from bush dogs (Speothos vegetation, any large and prominent surely lives up to its name. As a massive
organisms to now inhabit South America. venaticus). Named after the brother tusks therefore appear to be absent. anteater descendant that primarily
Stilt Wolf. The largest member of the monster to Cerberus in Greek mythology, Although monstrous in size, there is at exists on a diet of nectar from giant
genus Acteocyon, the Stilt Wolf (A. Big Headed Dogs are an ef�icient least one other species that could rival banana �lowers, the species obtains its
draskelykos) is a descendant of the maned predator capable of taking down prey the titan status of these giants. The other dietary requirements by sucking
wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) with few much larger than themselves. Snouted Sloth (Magnurostra mapinguari) on bones for their nutrients and also
natural predators. Early ancestors of the The New Megafauna. The Stilt Wolf, is also among the new megafauna to feeding on massive insects.
genus were continuously hunted by their although the tallest, is not the largest emerge. Named after a monster in Examples of Coevolution. The two
canine relatives due to their super�icial species to now inhabit South America. Brazilian folklore, this massive most arguably iconic species that now
resemblance to camelids and cervids. Instead, South America would see the descendant of an anteater is the end inhabit this Future South America
Upgraded Carnivores. The Giant radiation of two distinct lineages; one result of a surprising radiation. As the happen to be two species that are clear
Slinker (Chimeira vorsipellis) is a giant obvious, the other surprising. Following continent’s climate was continually examples of coevolution. While the
mustelid relative that predominantly the collapse of humanity and the altered by massive amounts of water hunter was turning to prey, the fruiting
preys upon Cavykeys and Alpecari. It is a subsequent Great Releasing, sea levels thus favoring the formation of larger plant its ancestors most commonly fed
pursuit predator that takes down prey began to rise along the eastern side of �lowering plants, the insects that fed on upon was in the process of reaching for
by means of wrapping its long neck South America. This abundance of water those plants also grew larger. This new heights. The result was a lineage
around the prey item before suffocating at �irst generated massive deforestation, appears to be the primary pressure that branching from the Wolf Apple (Solanum
it. The Big Headed Dog (Speothos especially in the Amazonian region. But, pushed these anteaters into such an odd lycocarpum) that increased in size to
orthrus) is a pack hunting canine as the years went by this somewhat niche. After ages of eating ants, now become a new species of tree, the False

Acacia, also known as the Stilt Wolf Tree Banana Tree (Musa mutarae) is now
(Solanum psuedocacia). As the ancestors widespread across Future South America. The New Trees. Size comparison of
of the Stilt Wolf continued their journey The tree produces massive �lowers that the Giant Mutant Banana tree (top)
increasingly becoming more herbivorous attract both M. mapingauri as well as a and the False Acacia tree (bottom).
due to competition and con�lict with number of �lightless hymenopterans. It is
their relatives, the plant they commonly another example of coevolution in that
fed on was slowly becoming larger. Now, the Snouted Sloth has speci�ically adapted
the small fruit from the False Acacia to feed on its nectar as well as the
constitutes 90% of the Stilt Wolf’s diet. ginormous insects it attracts.
The Stilt Wolf is well adapted to eating Other Examples and Oddities. The
this fruit and so possesses a long neck species above are only a few of the most
and long stilt-like legs (for which it gets shocking examples that display how the
its name). Flooded South America has changed in
The other example of clear coevolution the future. Although there are likely many
is that between the Snouted Sloth and the new species yet to be discovered across
Giant Banana Tree (Musa mutarae). After the continent, below are a few other
the collapse of humanity, the banana examples of oddities beginning to arise:
plantations in South America spread The Macawalk (Terrara purpura) is a
across the continent, mutating in the giant �lightless parrot with a somewhat
process. As the �lowers of these fruiting convoluted history. It is unclear whether
trees became larger, so did the insects that these terrestrial parrots descended from
fed on their nectar (as mentioned above). different populations of �lying parrots or
This inevitably aided in the emergence of if a single population of ancestral �lying
the Snouted Sloth as a species, which has, parrots turned �lightless thus forming all
as a result, evolved to feed on the Giant Macawalk species. Whatever the case,
Banana �lowers’ nectar. one thing is clear, all species enjoy
False Acacia. The False Acacia feeding on large melon-like ground fruits.
(Solanum pseudocacia), also known as The Alpecari (Alpecari alitis) is
the Stilt Wolf Tree, is a large tree perhaps one of, if not the, most peculiar
resembling the acacia trees of Africa. It is creatures to now inhabit South America
descended from the Wolf Apple (Solanum (see Species Chart). Often referred to as
lycocarpum) and its speciation is partially the “doink '' the Alpecari is a pig relative
responsible for the emergence of that has served as a replacement for
Acteocyon as a genus, and therefore is a deer. After the unfortunate extinction of
prime example of coevolution. cervids on the continent, peccary
Giant Mutant Bananas. Descended radiated to �ill the niche, with the result
from introduced bananas, the Giant being an odd tall pig-deer creature that

WELCOME TO GALARIUS
BY PEDRO MANOEL MODANEZI MARTINS INSTAGRAM: @pedro_m_specbio
The human race was at the peak of our its lightly colored rocks responsible for
technological knowledge and development re�lecting 10-15% of the star’s radiation.
while beginning their search for a Surprisingly there is life living in this
habitable planet. Many star systems with arid biome. The Aetariusicarius
planets were observed and casted aside, rubrarpon, meaning “lonely bronze
Size Comparison. The two species of tree, the animals featured in the article, plus a few additional but after much research and struggle, a being with a red harpoon”, is about the
species lined up to compare sizes.
perfectly habitable planet was found. size of a T. Rex when not on all fours. It’s
Orbiting around an A-type-star, Galarius is a liquivore-carnivore which hunts alone;
loves to frolic through the rainforests that at some point armadillos became a low gravity planet, with its diameter a distant cousin from Rupons (a species
and grasslands. arboreal. As of yet, this is not yet known. being ¼ times smaller than Earth's. It is that inhabits the Wine Desert). When it
South America is also now home to Another thought is that its odd roughly the same size as Mars in �inds a suitable mating partner, a mono-
many equinoids (see Species Chart). This assemblage of digit-legs might be related comparison, and its atmosphere is thinner gamous relationship is formed with the
is possible because the �looding has to the cause of humanity’s collapse. and less dense due to more radiation female giving birth to 3 individuals. The
divided the landmass into three Whatever is the reason, its four front legs blowing across the planet by its sequence species has two sexes and little to no
geographic regions, each with its own are actually elongated �ingers not unlike star. Despite life’s struggle to evolve on sexual dimorphism (they rely on
equinoid, and each species does not a horse’s, only more specialized. Galarius, life still found a way to survive pheromones to differentiate one of
share the same diet. They are the Although unique in appearance, the and thrive among these harsh conditions. another). The purple-ish fungal organism
Slowpoke (Tardiungula mavrozoni) an Hexdilliorse occupies a niche between The Rocky Plains. Since the attached to a larger rock (seen on the
anteater, the Cavykey (Roderequus that of its distant cousins the Slowpoke mothership landed on Galarius, probes left) is an organism that generates
rhindolichos) a rodent, the Neohorse and Snouted Sloth. were released with the mission of energy through heating—in this case it’s
(Novequus maculosus) a tapir, and the As an isolated landmass, the south reconnaissance. One of the �irst biomes using the heat provided by the rock (as
Kelpie (Hippoproteus kelpie) a hippo. american continent has produced many ever discovered were the Rocky Plains, a consequence of the sun heat) that it’s
Last on this list is the Hexdilliorse new and bizarre specimens yet again. desert of stone with little rain and annexed into. The taller ones are dark
(Dactylopodi panopliippos), a bizarre astonishingly hot days and cold nights. green in color for absorbing as much
xenarthran. Descended from armadillos, This rocky formation reaches to the far light as possible; using its large leaves
it is speculated that this new genus had extremities of the planet’s poles—with for the same purpose. This species are
an arboreal ancestor. This would imply

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | WELCOME TO GALARIUS
Dionysus una, a name meaning “single communicating among themselves

Dionysus”, is the �irst ever animal through whistles and grunts in complex
cataloged. Peculiarly, the team hasn’t patterns.
found any other species related to it The Vertebra Walls. Another biome
genetically. The coloration of the skin on found on Galarius is a bizarre one. It has
this species isn’t derived from the an interesting discovery which was
bacterium within the desert sands and recorded by a team of human explorers
likely comes from another source. With as they experienced the Vertebra Walls
uncovered skin and any kind of scales or for the �irst time:
wrinkles, perhaps this species is adapted
for dealing with high temperature CATALOGING DESERTIC PLANTS #1:
environments caused by solar heat?
There is a thick fat layer on its back "My team and I have discovered
where it stores water which the species plant-like life beyond the canyon's
�inds in oases. Its antennae are used to formation. They average around 1.80
maintain its orientation and navigational meters tall… one of ours tried to gently
senses; using the planet’s magnetic �ield push the plant from its actual site, but it
along with their heightened sense of was in vain. The plant hasn't budged a
hearing and smell. They have been centimeter! Perhaps this is due to
observed to be quite social creatures, unusually deep roots…”
The Rocky Plains. An arid plain environment populated by rocks. The creature on the right is
known as the A. Rubrarpon, a liquivore-carnivore which roams these plains.
just like cactuses from Earth— are called the “Wine Desert” for a
accumulating as much water as possible reason—it is made up of sand that is
to survive with defensive mechanisms mostly purple in color due to the shells
like long, sharp spikes. The small dark of a certain species of bacteria. During
ones are funguses; if any creature gets average months, the sand does not adopt
perforated by any of its spikes, the spikes this coloration as the bacteria are
break apart and the organism continues inactive when in dry substrates. But
its life inside of the attacker, growing when contact is made with water, the
perpetually until the animal’s organs sand takes on its vibrant tonality.
ruptures and dies. Plants in the Wine Desert are tall but
The Wine Desert. It's ironic that are little in quantity. Like plants found on
after the rainy season the desert grounds Earth, seeds are produced in multitude
become the driest substrate on the to spread across the barren land via
entire planet. These expansive deserts wind or water. The Wine Desert. Three D. Una traverse the desert plains as day becomes night.

Planuganis malleusut. This species has clamps on

its head to cling to surfaces during periods of rest and
sleep. Their elongated wings make them nimble �liers.
The Vertebra Walls. Large roots from native plants found on Galarius harshly drop downward
stretching sometimes hundreds of kilometers.
CATALOGING DESERTIC PLANTS #2: CATALOGING DESERTIC PLANTS #3:
“There are roots that extend far away “It goes down the entire canyon
from the main body of the plant. After formation until reaching an aqueous
completing our observations, we solution [water]. New roots structures Planuganis malleusut. This is the �irst
decided on following the direction of one are grown down here... It looks that the aquatic creature found on Galarius. It
of these tall plants and its roots for about main plant is totally dependent on this has a �lexible body and can squeeze
half an hour. The team and I were biome, and perhaps all other plants are through tight spaces (similar to that of
octopuses on Earth).
amazed by what was found! We seemed interlinked. If one individual collapses,
to have stumbled into an entirely new then so will another, and another... Also,
biome, formed by the roots of these we've found an unknown group of
bizarre plants! creatures �lying there..!”

The Planuganis malleusut. This Animal Senses. The team is still

creature is a distant cousin of the researching how exactly Galarusians
‘strangles’, but their reproduction is can see the world. One of the best
similar to the aforementioned hypotheses is that these creatures use
species. P. malleusut occupy different some kind of hyper sensitive compass
niches and is a carnivorous being. upon their head apparatus, similar to
Just like the difference between how cows, penguins, and many other
modern butter�lies and prehistoric animals back on Earth know how to
ones, liquivores and carnivores both �ind their way back home. Perhaps
have mandibles, respectively. They there are electromagnetic sensors
always hunt in schools of about 25 that help enhance or assist in
individuals. They have an unusual navigation?
clamp found atop their heads which
is used during periods of rest or
sleep, similar to bats on Earth and
how they use hang on surfaces
during periods of rest.
The Amalgascinsectum partilantis.
This is the �irst aquatic creature
found on Galarius. It has a �lexible
body. This �lexibility is used for
navigating through tight spaces
(similar to that of octopuses on
Earth). When threatened, the animal
rapidly swims up the water column
and then breaches the water’s
surface. Its long antennas are used
to search for food as well as for
vision. The reproductive system is
found on the specimen's back for
females and on the other side for Capilovermis gigas. A worm-like creature
males; so both sexes can keep on that feeds on debris and smaller organisms
swimming in a stable way while it can get a hold of. Sexarmalaput batable. This species inhabits dense forests and can reach 2.6 meters tall.
keeping an eye open for any possible
obstacles or predators.

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | EXTRATERRESTRIAL ROCKS
Astrovitae Magazine and Arti�icial Intelligence: The extraterrestrial rocks

pictured in this article were created with arti�icial intelligence (AI), speci�ically
with Nightcafe Studio, using only terms from mineralogy and photography for
EXTRATERRESTRIAL ROCKS prompts. There is much controversy surrounding the use of AI in the online art
community, and although I personally have an anti-AI stance myself, I felt that the
EXPLORATIONS OF SPECULATIVE MINERALOGY contents of this article were signi�icant enough to warrant publication. Many
speculative biology projects neglect geobiological interactions—and by sharing
speculative minerals, I hope to open the eyes of many artists and inspire them to
BY MAJA OREŠKOVIĆ IGRIĆ INSTAGRAM: @songsforotherearths
WEBSITE: www.extraterrestrialrocks.wordpress.com create similar interactions within their own imagined worlds. ~ Domenic Pennetta
evolution of a planet as a whole. A Earth. Libraetite is a hydrated sulfate
“ We see this intertwined co-evolution of the geosphere

and biosphere. Life begets rock, rocks beget life.
DR. ROBERT HAZEN, SCIENTIST RESEARCHING THE ROLE OF MINERALS IN LIFE’S ORIGINS.
discovery of a planet with alien life also
means a discovery of alien minerals, and
this is a whole new landscape that
invites us to explore!
We have yet to discover alien life, and
while it is exciting to think about what
mineral with copper and aluminum. In
the picture we see it as small, tabular
blue crystals that follow the growth of
the microscopic life forms—with the
whole formation being just 3 cm tall.
Libraetite's composition can vary in
Extraterrestrial Rocks is a project realistic because they are heavily based aliens might look like morphologically or water content and therefore varies in blue
concerned with the discovery of on minerals that already exist here on behaviorally, we know that they must be coloration as well. It appears that life
minerals that have been formed by Earth, even though I often hypothesize immersed in their planet's forms use the mineral as a shell for
various imagined life forms around the about their biological origins on other geochemistry—they need to �ind ways to protection and as water storage in periods
Milky Way galaxy. I imagine visiting planets. manipulate available geological materials of intense drought. When life forms decay,
these different exoplanets that have If life evolved on other planets, then into their private biochemistry; which libraetite is deposited in layers of rock
already been discovered but yet to be these planets will certainly have opens a door to all the potential that can give the landscape a gentle blue
observed—visualizing the native life minerals evolving alongside organisms. possibilities that may arise. It excites me shine that can even be seen from space.
and, more importantly, its interaction Exotic life forms may produce diverse to think about life not as something that Samhan. Samhan is a mineral found
with available matter. This project mineral formations, and vice versa. I am simply grows on planets, but as a force on an exomoon that orbits an exoplanet
removes the focus from biological life personally interested in this area of that creates planets—a force that creates called Upsilon Andromedae c. The
forms and instead puts emphasis on exploration because it allows us to think its own environment on a small or large Upsilon Andromedae star is located 44
geological forms. Biological processes about life from a different perspective— scale, and therefore actively participates light-years away from the Earth. Samhan
are often a vital part of geological observing new possibilities and con- in planetary evolution. is a soft rock of various hardness due to
processes, so I try to imagine how these straints all based on different geological Libraetite. Libraetite is a mineral the variability of its water content.
interactions may play out to produce formations that may display bizarre found on an exomoon that orbits a Jovian Microscopic life forms use samhan as a
colorful and exciting new minerals. interactions. It allows us to think about exoplanet 23 Librae b that orbits the star medium to live within, and they are able
These imagined minerals are chemically the holistic effects life can have on the 23 Librae, 85 light-years away from the to actively manipulate the rock. The

rocks are high in water content, and as away from the Earth. Wisite was formed
they grow in a hyperbolic¹ manner, around biological activity of miniature Libreatite
microorganisms direct the shape of the life forms whose metabolism depended Group: hydrated sulfates
rock by releasing more water into it, on changing oxidation states of Crystal system: orthorhombic
making the rock soft and sometimes organocopper³ compounds. Part of the Composition: Cu, Al, S, O, H2O
even gelatinous (this whole process is copper is deposited outside of life forms Color: blue
visible inside the rock). This process is where it forms blue and green minerals. Habit: crusts, tabular crystals
how Samhan-inhabiting life forms Colors depend on the amount of copper; Hardness: 1.5
change their environment, and because with blue rocks containing more copper. Cleavage: none
Samhan is a widespread silicate rock, it The color is also affected by the acidity of Fracture: uneven
is how life is directly involved in shaping the immediate environment, with carb- Luster: silky
the exomoon's surface. onated water from biological, acidic Streak: blue
Doradoa. Doradoa is an oxide rock waste products making the rock look Speci�ic gravity: 2.5
found on an Earth-sized exoplanet, greener. The wisites pictured on page Transparency: translucent
TOI-700 d, which orbits within the 44-45 are just 1 cm wide, the picture (a)
habitable zone of a star 101 light-years is showing the early stage of growth
away from the Earth. Doradoa is an old whereas the (b) is showing the advanced
rock, several hundred million years old. stage. It is estimated that it takes about
It is a remnant of ancient bioprocesses 1000 Earth years to proceed to the
that depended on organotin² compounds advanced stage. The life forms are quite
Samhan
which ancient microscopic life forms long living. Sometimes large areas of
used in their metabolism. When colonies planetary surface are covered in blue Group: silicate
of life forms decayed, and organotin green pebbles from both living and Crystal system: amorphous
Composition: Si, O, H2O
compounds decomposed, tin was decayed life forms.
Color: cyan, light blue, yellow, red, white
leached and it crystallized into oxides Rossy. Rossy is sulfosalt found on
Habit: massive
that can be found in pockets near the Ross 128 b, an Earth-sized exoplanet
Hardness: 1-6
places where life forms lived. that orbits a star 11 light-years away Cleavage: none
Wisite. Wisite is a rock found on from the Earth. Rossy consists of silver Fracture: conchoidal
Gliese 514 b, an exoplanet 25 light-years and it was deposited by biological Luster: vitreous
Streak: white
Footnotes: Speci�ic gravity: 2
Transparency: translucent
¹Hyperbolic - A hyperbola, which is a type of smooth curve or line lying in a plane.
²Organotin - Compounds with at least one covalent bonds between tin and carbon.
³Organocopper - Compounds containing a carbon to copper chemical bond.

processes in the distant past hundreds of TRAPPIST-1d, an exoplanet in the same

millions years ago, where microscopic system as the previous one. Trap from
life forms used silver's high electrical iron rock formed in hydrothermal veins
Doradoa conductivity for their metabolism. Rossy by iron deposition by iron metabolizing
Group: oxide itself is not conductive unless it interacts life forms (yellow layers). In the picture
Crystal system: tetragonal with electrolytes and then it displays green layers are also visible, these are
Composition: Sn, O, impurities ionic conductivity along sulfur-silver richer in copper. (Purple parts are
Color: brown, black, purple bonds. It is believed that ancient life microcrystalline silicates.)
Habit: prismatic
forms mediated conductivity by such Pictorite. The last mineral, pictorite,
Hardness: 6-7
interactions because similar bioelectrical is found on an exoplanet HD 40307d, 42
Cleavage: indistinct
processes still exist on the exoplanet. light-years away from the Earth. In the
Fracture: uneven
Luster: adamantine
Spitzerite. Spitzerite is a sulfate rock picture it is visible as tiny blue and
Streak: white found on TRAPPIST-1e, an exoplanet that purple masses on the surface of a
Speci�ic gravity: 7 orbits within the habitable zone of miniature life form (4 cm in size). These
Transparency: transparent to opaque TRAPPIST-1. Spitzerite is normally an life forms are one of many that grow on
iron rock but due to the biological volcanic material and they use these
activity of microscopic life forms whose mineral masses to remove extra copper
metabolism is tied to copper, it becomes from their systems. Tiny blue and purple
blue if exposed to copper containing masses fall off the life forms and create
decaying biological matter. localized blue surfaces, a beautiful
Trap. Trap is a mineral found on scenery on the exoplanet.
Wisite (Early Growth Stage)
Group: carbonate
Crystal system: monoclinic
Wisite (Advanced Growth Stage)
Composition: Cu, C, O, H, impurities
Color: green, black, blue Group: carbonate
Habit: massive, botryoidal Crystal system: monoclinic
Hardness: 3-4 Composition: Cu, C, O, H, impurities
Cleavage: perfect Color: green, black, blue
Fracture: brittle Habit: massive, botryoidal
Lustre: adamantine to silky Hardness: 3-4
Streak: green, blue Cleavage: perfect
Speci�ic gravity: 4 Fracture: brittle
Transparency: translucent Lustre: adamantine to silky
Streak: green, blue
Speci�ic gravity: 4
Transparency: translucent

Rossy Trap
Group: sulfosalt Group: carbonate
Crystal system: trigonal Crystal system: trigonal
Composition: Ag, Sb, S, impurities Composition: Fe, C, O, Cu, impurities
Color: violet, red, black Color: yellow, red, brown, green
Habit: massive, prismatic Habit: massive, botryoidal
Hardness: 2 Hardness: 3-4
Cleavage: distinct Cleavage: perfect
Fracture: uneven Fracture: uneven
Luster: adamantine Luster: vitreous, pearly
Streak: purple Streak: white
Speci�ic gravity: 6 Speci�ic gravity: 4
Transparency: translucent Transparency: translucent
Spitzerite Pictorite
Group: sulfate Group: sul�ide
Crystal system: monoclinic Crystal system: hexagonal
Composition: Cu, Fe, O, S, impurities Composition: Cu, S
Color: white, blue, green Color: blue, purple
Habit: stalactitic Habit: foliated
Hardness: 2 Hardness: 1.5
Cleavage: Cleavage: perfect
Fracture: brittle, conchoidal Fracture: uneven
Luster: vitreous Luster: resinous
Streak: white Streak: gray
Speci�ic gravity: 2 Speci�ic gravity: 4.5
Transparency: translucent Transparency: opaque

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | BATRACHITERRA
toad. Without competition from other

frog species, the common toads
specialized to learn different behaviors
and habitats, and adapt to new diets.
BATRACHITERRA Bufo gigas, the giant toad, is a species
that evolved to predate upon everything
Cane toad
Rhinella marina
AN AMPHIBIOUS WORLD SEEDED BY FROGS that �its in their mouth, and thus, evolved
a larger size in order to hunt a wider
WEBSITE: www.sites.google.com/view/batrachiterra
variety of prey like other toads and
BY J.F.
DEVIANTART: joaovitor45556 invertebrates. They are resistant to the
bufotoxin of other toad species and have
actually started to lose their own
Colorado river toad
Batrachiterra is a seed world project intended to live outside laboratories, nor paratoid glands, glands which are used Incilius alvarius
incorporating many species of frog. The evolve freely. to secrete the bufotoxin used in defense
frog species which were seeded were: The �irst millions of years will be against predators (which the giant toad
Rhinella marina (the cane toad), Incilius signi�icant for evolution on Heqet, as the now no longer has in the wild).
alvarius (the Colorado river toad), introduced animals and plants now The other two species, B.
Phyllomedusa bicolor (the giant leaf present on the world will �ill vacant viridiverruca and B. stracus are
frog), Bufo bufo (the common toad) and niches—niches which would have been respectively adapted to a semi-aquatic
Dendrobates spp. (poison dart frogs). �illed by other organisms back on Earth. lifestyle and a burrowing one. B.
Giant leaf frog
Other Seeded Species. Along with This will lead to new exciting viridiverruca, the green-warted toad, is Phyllomedusa bicolor
the species of frogs aforementioned, evolutionary forms as there will be little undoubtedly the most water-dependent
numerous invertebrates including competition to speciate across these toad species as it spends most of its life
myriapods like millipedes and niches. underwater hunting for aquatic prey
centipedes, dipterans such as Heqet During the First Millenia. such as insect larvae, isopods, and
mosquitoes and assassin �lies, The planet Heqet has three major land tadpoles of other species and sometimes
hymenopterans such as carpenter bees masses. First there is Bu�ia, the smallest even their own. Due to increased
and �ire ants, and marine invertebrates continent (see the map) which is seeded cannibalism by their own species B. Common toad
like tunicates and barnacles, were all solely with common toads and alder�lies. viridiverruca learned parental behaviors, Bufo bufo
incorporated into this seeded world. The Second is Batrachia, pictured in the such as the male toad protecting a clutch
project is on the early stage of evolution middle which was seeded with giant leaf of eggs until they hatch, and later,
taking place on the planet Heqet, which frogs and the poison dart frogs. And the defending the tadpoles who entirely rely Green & black dart frog
had been abandoned by humans after last continent, Incilia, is seeded with the on their father for safety. B. stracus, the Dendrobates auratus
they terraformed it into a hospitable cane toads and the Colorado river toads. spiky-butted toad, is a burrowing toad
world and used it to study batrachotoxin While exploring the newly evolved with dark skin used for camou�lage in
of the yet-to-be "seeded" frogs. The life on the continent of Bu�ia, here the dark environments and also possesses
species brought to the planet were not sole endemic toad species is the common two pointy warts on its rear-end used to

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | A FIELD GUIDE TO MERMAIDS
The Uncommon Toads The Desert Dwellers
Incilius fuscus
Bufo Stracus
Bufo bufo 3.5 cm
Bufo viridiverruca
3.5 cm
Incilius alba
Bufo gigas Incilius alvarius
Incilius fscucephalus
defend its burrow from predators. They coloration to better blend in with the The New Dendrobates
also have short but strong limbs used to surrounding leaves of trees and other
push dirt around and create their plants they climb. As the most scansorial
burrows. of all the dendrobates, D. saltatorius 3.5 cm
There are two genera of frogs on evolved stronger hind limbs compared to
Batrachia, the Dendrobates spp. and the their ancestors.
Phyllomedusa bicolor, two frogs which do D. terrestris is, as its name implies,
not compete directly due to a great very terrestrial. Its coloration
difference in size; leading to niche supposedly mimics the dead leaves of
partitioning without much competition. the forest �loor where they reside in
The poison dart frogs experienced groups of 6-10 frogs—all �iercely Ancestral D. Tinctorius (left) D. azureus (left) compared Ancestral D. Tinctorius (left)
many changes in size, with a few species �ighting for territory. These frogs enter a compared to D. Vulgaris (right) to D. Hydrica (right) compared to D. Vulgaris (right)
growing twice the size of their ancestors state similar to hibernation called
on Earth. They also started to adopt less ‘aestivation’, where they sleep through coloration, with the darkest area being order to avoid predation.
conspicuous coloration that once was the driest season in a burrow to wake up located in their backs and the belly being The largest amphibians on the
used to warn predators of their high in the autumn when it is more damp. D. lighter in comparison. Their tadpoles can continent are the leaf frogs. These frogs
toxicity. After 1 million of years of a vulgaris is the most common of the new tolerate brackish water, a trait possessed are highly arboreal and may spend their
severe lack of predation, these tiny frogs dendrobatids even though their range is by the ancestral D. tinctorius, and they entire adult lives on the forest canopy
started to grow hungry for new diets and smaller than the range of D. terrestris. use this trait as an advantage since no where they have an accentuated sexual
lifestyles besides feeding entirely on D. hydrica is the most divergent of the other frogs can tolerate as much salt in dimorphism where the females are more
small prey such as ants. dendrobatids, they are semi aquatic and the water as they do. The larvae of D. or less the double of the males s-v length
D. saltatorius is the smallest species; have turned their blue aposematic hydrica tend to stay in brackish water in (snout to vent length). The females fold
they have more inconspicuous coloration into a countershading

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | BATRACHITERRA
The Gluttons
5 cm
Rhinella amphibia Rhinella marina Rhinella erythra
leaves and lay their eggs inside the toad seeking out invertebrate prey
folded leaves so that the eggs hatch and instead of vertebrates (even though the
drop directly to the water below. frog won't hesitate to feed on another
P. gigas is not that different from the toad). And the toad R. amphibia returned
ancestral leaf frog, except that as their to a more water dependent lifestyle
name suggests, they are usually larger different from that of the highly
than their ancestors (even the males). terrestrial ancestral cane toad. With the
This is likely due to their tendency to desert dwelling Incilius alvarius, to avoid Map of Heqet
hunt much smaller frogs. competition with the �ierce competitors
P. hidricus is the largest frog with a that cane toads are, this toad has
truly semi-aquatic lifestyle on the adapted to pretty different behaviors.
continent, possessing webbed hind feet. P. The Brown river toad I. fuscus is the
gradus has a completely different lifestyle smallest amphibian in the continent;
Map Key:
to that of the other leaf frogs; they are they are quite adaptive and habitat
primarily terrestrial, walking slowly generalists, hunting underground, on the
through the forest �loor and also on the surface, or underwater, even though they
savanna feeding on centipedes, are considered fossorial. I. fuscucephalus
millipedes and other frogs if the is large and competes directly with the
opportunity arises. The �inal continent is cane toads.
Incilia, where two species of true toads The last frog we will see is the White
were seeded: the voracious cane toad and toad I. alba which live in the most arid
the hallucinogenic Colorado river toad. regions and tend to hunt crepuscularly,
As in other continents the am- that is, during sunset or sunrise in order
phibians here followed the trend of to avoid competition with toads who also
either becoming fossorial or aquatic, hunt at night.
with R. erythra being the smallest cane

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | FLIGHT OF THE WYVERNS
FLIGHT OF THE WYVERNS

BY ALDRICH HEZEKIAH INSTAGRAM: @kiabugboy
This project is an exercise in taking one wings. Instead of leathery wings like
familiar animal from our world with a bats, theirs are still covered in large
slight modi�ication and imagining how overlapping scales, looking much like the
evolution might take them on a path that dewlap of an iguana.
morphs them into something resembling The �irst wyvern agamid discovered
legends. Garden lizards have always lived in remote isles somewhere in the
been a permanent �ixture where I live. fuzzy borders of Sulawesi and the
Nimble tree climbers that seem to Philippines; where it resembled the
default to jumping straight down at the common green garden lizards that’s
slightest hint of danger. A perfect animal widespread throughout South East Asia
to perhaps gain a stretched membrane and most likely shared a common
over elongated �ingers that slows their ancestry with Bronchocela celebensis³
descent. Unlike the Draco volans¹ with that diverged around the same time
their expanded ribs, these wyvern humans began spreading out of Africa.
agamids² would stretch out their two The strong island breeze, abundance of
last pair of �ingers and have better palm trees, and small rocky outcrops in
control over their gliding direction as the coasts made gliding bene�icial for the
their arms can adjust the angle of the territorial lizards.
Footnotes:
¹Draco volans - Also called the common �lying dragon, this lizard can glide using its ribs that form
a winglike structure.
²Agamids - Iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, Southern Europe; many species
are commonly called ‘dragons’ or ‘dragon lizards’.
³Bronchocela celebensis - Species of lizard endemic to Indonesia.

More agamids were later discovered, forming a ring species complex as different
island chains exhibit different striking colors of lizards. Some preferred the gray
craggy rocks, others the tree tops deeper within the island jungles or the more open
beaches with sparse palm trees.
Footnotes:
⁴Ring species - A connected series of neighboring populations, each of which interbreeds with
closely related populations

Wyverns in Sarawak. Sarawak is now in a severely depopulated state following many famines and
dustbowls. Strong winds and decline of human activity hasallowed the lizards to thrive.
Calotes wyverns in Sarawak, now a environment, natural selection favored

severely depopulated state following the lethal. The agamids have always had
famines and dust bowls. The strong a certain level of toxicity in their saliva, it
winds and decline of human activity has is only a matter of time before the
allowed these lizards to thrive. As we wyverns began to develop more potent
move past the age of man, the venom.
anthropocene has stripped the world The very �irst spitters needed their
bare of its previous biodiversity, ability as self defense, from larger wyverns
however the wyverns persevered. Some and other predators. The scales covering
of the early agamids have made it into the wings also began to be more specialized
the pet trade and established themselves in the same way bird feathers were.
in the urban environment, escaping their
home isle’s watery grave just as the last
remnants of human society begin to
dwindle.
Now, what was once a genus has
�lourished into a family. Gone are the
days of the bright colorful tropical
agamids, the wyvernidae lizards �ind
themselves living in wind-swept ruins
and tall limestone mountains once
covered in cloud forests (but now a mere
rocky skeleton of itself). In this harsher

Further into the future, the Earth is Although the wyverns make clumsy
recovering and in a similar state to the crawlers on land, the environment suits
early Triassic period. Animals begin to their way of hunting. Multiple wyverns
radiate out to �ill empty niches, weird would congregate in a feeding circle
organisms that would have died out to around one of the many bushes sparsely
�ierce competition in the past now roam dotted throughout the plateau, as the
the warming Earth. Any possible sapient phosphorus rich cliffs provide them
lifeforms trying to inherit the planet ample resources for their matchstick
must now face the wrath of a �ire- snouts which create sparks. They would
starting animal—the wyverns have leapt get themselves covered in the
out of the imagination of man long after phosphorus dust and, using the same
humanity perished. head-bobbing motion that was once a
territorial display for their ancestor,
they’d spark �ire on twigs, rocks, and
dried leaves.
Feeding circle. Some animals, those who are too fast for the wyvern to catch or ferocious enough to
intimidate (like corvids and varanids) have taken advantage of these feeding circles to catch the
�leeing prey on their own.
Fire breath. Their coarse and

phosphorous tipped snouts act
like a matchstick, while their
saliva glands spray out an oily
substance that help spread the
initial �ire.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT By Maryana Simpson
CAPTIVATING WORLDS | GLIMPSE OF PLANET KAHLANEA
GLIMPSE OF PLANET KAHLANEA

BY MARYANA SIMPSON INSTAGRAM: @arapaima_illustrations
ARTSTATION: maryanasimpson1
Nearly 2 years ago, I stumbled across the and is similar to our own regarding its
�irst spec bio project that would pique atmosphere, climate, and geography.
my interest. One soon became many, and Much of the planet’s surface is covered
before I knew it, I was sucked into the by vast, deep oceans which are home to
world of speculative biology. These sagas an array of creatures. A common sight in
of distant futures and far-away planets, the oceans of Kahlanea are various
along with the strange new life that cnidarian-like species, ranging from
dwelled within them, reawakened in me simple �ilter-feeding lifeforms to large,
a nostalgic wonder and fascination with complex animals possessing membranes
the universe that I’d had earlier in my stretching across their soft bodies. These
life. Before long, I decided to take the membranes can contract and release, Lurking in the Deep. A gargantuan, deep sea cnidarian-like animal inhabiting Kahlanea.
plunge and switch the main focus of my allowing for more deliberate movements
art to speculative biology. and enabling these animals to �ill the disorient predators with an undulating attacks. Over the course of my project, I’ll
I’ve learnt and grown a lot as an artist niches of more active predators. dance. Iridescence as a means of self- explore various regions within the planet
since then, and I’m so grateful for this Cephalopod-like animals, serpentine defense is not an uncommon trait among and go into detail about the different
wonderful community and all the creatures, and mammalians equipped the species of this archipelago, with the environments and lifeforms found within
support and interest I’ve received for my with tendrils used to grapple prey are giant molluscs often sighted in the them. You’ll see locations ranging from
creations. I’m Maryana Simpson, or among the other species that dwell rockpools exhibiting a similar means of an arid desert, to the depths of the ocean,
“Arapaima Illustrations” on Instagram, within the Kahlanean oceans (the latter self-defense. to a frozen continent—along with the
and I’m a game design student and of which have some land-dwelling Another trait often found among the various creatures that call these places
illustrator from Malta. My spec bio relatives). The volcanic islands located species of Kahlanea is keratinous armor. their home. Exploration of the planet is
worldbuilding project, Planet Kahlanea, near the planet’s equator are home to a Armored species have been noted currently focused on its Southern
has been in the works for over a year few of these species, including semi- occupying various niches within the hemisphere, with the North remain-
now, and I’d love to properly introduce it! aquatic predators that use venom to ecosystems of this planet, aiding prey ing a mystery for now—yet I have
The World of Planet Kahlanea. My subdue their prey, and an avian relative animals to avoid deadly wounds and some exciting plans for what shall be
project is set within an Earth-like world that uses the iridescence of its skin to protecting predators from defensive found there.

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | GLIMPSE OF PLANET KAHLANEA
style book, I’ve chosen to instead style style illustrations, aged paper back-
the e-book as the journal of an explorer grounds, and possibly a handwritten font
traveling the planet and seeing its to really capture the “explorer’s
various locations and creatures �irst- notebook” style.
hand. I’m hoping that introducing the I’ve recently slowed down my
world of Planet Kahlanea through an progress on Planet Kahlanea to allow
explorer’s journal will make for a fun, myself some time to create artworks
more light-hearted read! based on different themes and avoid
The E-book will feature more in- burnout, although I shall certainly
depth descriptions and observations of continue to work on bringing this project
the planet’s different locations and to life. I cannot wait to share my
creatures, some snippets about the completed creations with you, and I hope
expedition itself, and of course, plenty of there will be more to come in future and
illustrations. I’m also working on the that I’ll continue to be a part of this
aesthetic of the book to have it express growing Community!
my chosen style, adding old photograph-
The Frabora. A pair of Tropical Frabora, creatures from the planet Kahlanea I have yet to
explore in the project.
Cryptid In�luences. One of my main itself—both living species, and pre-
sources of inspiration for this project are historic ones. Much of what can be found
Earth’s cryptids. A good cryptid story on Earth is sometimes already surreal
invokes that same air of mystery and and alien looking—take life in the deep
want for exploration that makes sea, or fossilized �inds such as Opabinia
speculative media so beloved to me, and (an arthropod from theCambrian with a
often, I �ind myself gravitating towards segmented trunk and fan-shaped tail).
various legends from around the world Taking inspiration from Earth’s strangest
when searching for inspiration. More- life forms and giving it an extra-
over, using life that might exist on our terrestrial twist is another way I come
own planet as a starting point in my up with creatures for Kahlanea.
process suits the Earth-like theme of my The E-Book. As my project grows,
project quite well. Other sources of I’ve been working on compiling it into an Lumbering Behemoth. A Kahlanean Titanoid, inspired by legends of unknown beasts from the
inspiration come from life on Earth e-book. Rather than writing a bestiary- Mojave Desert on Earth.

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | SUSPECTING SUSSOCARIS
SUSPECTING SUSSOCARIS
BY DOMENIC PENNETTA
This Artist Spotlight entry is a bit bizarre-looking group of arthropods,

different. Instead of choosing to focus on which lived in the Ordovician until
my own speculative biology art and the Late Cretaceous. However, Hop’s
experience, I’d rather share a story about thylacocephalan was different. This
another artist I know online. This artist illustration depicted a peculiar species,
found himself in an interesting an individual with two eyes seemingly
predicament—he drew a �ictional creature merged together (jutting out from the
as a joke, and through miscommunication carapace instead of beneath it like other
and deliberate online tomfoolery, people thylacocephalans), ridiculously long
believed that it was real. Several larger raptorial appendages, a shortened
content creators have beaten me to this cylindrical carapice, and a severe lack of
story, but I personally know this artist any pleopod appendages.
myself from my circle of art friends online, Thylacocephalans already look quite Sussocaris saliti. The illustration above was created by Hop. Originally it was an old creature
and have a �irst hand experience of the weird, but Hop’s thylacocephalan was design he redrew in his new and improved artistic style.
phenomenon. Here, I want to chronicle the especially weird. The description
events as they take place and explore how accompanying his post read, “Paleoart of A Joke Gone Too Far? The next day versions of the creature, even getting
some people online came to believe in a the recently discovered thylacocephalan on February 16, other artists noticed some paleoartists on Twitter involved as
fake animal. sussocaris, thought to use its long claws to Hop’s peculiar illustration and went on well. This blitz of online art spiraled in
The Origins of Sussocaris. On dig up worms.” Having known Hop myself, to make their own depictions of popularity, engrossing more and more
Wednesday, February 15, 2023, the I read this post in his usual sarcastic tone— sussocaris. Two speculative biology artists while leaving people looking at
Twitter user and speculative biology a tone which later proved imperceptible to artists, Sava (@DeadAlienFish) and their Twitter feeds bewildered.
artist by the name of Hop (also known as many online. Clearly this was a speculative Christian Cline (@ChrCline) created Inevitably questions began to arise, the
Qoralinius) posted an illustration based creature; one inspired off of the videogame illustrations of the animal, which then main one being, “Is sussocaris real?”
on an old drawing in his new and Among Us and the memes that surround appeared in other people’s feeds. Whenever the validity of sussocaris was
improved artistic style. This illustration the game which, unfortunately to this day, Eventually, other speculative biology questioned in comments, a plethora of
depicted a thylacocephalan—an extinct, still live rent free in our heads. artists began illustrating their own users would eagerly insist that the

creature was actually a recent February 16, where Hop retweeted a

paleontological �iniding. As a spectator post by another user who fabricated an
looking in, this was an obvious ploy to image of sussocaris as a fossil. This
make fools out of gullible people, but fabricated image was created with
there were several factors that helped arti�icial intelligence and then edited
in�luence people to believe sussocaris with Adobe Photoshop, a process which
was in fact real. prevented people from reverse image
What supposedly made this searching the fake fossil, �inding it
phenomenon spread so fast and fool so nowhere else online.
many people is its seemingly goofy, yet The day after, on February 17, Hop
uncanny air of plausibility. Paleo- retweeted the fossil again, but this time,
ntologists have named extinct animals with a fabricated screenshot of a
after pop-culture icons before, like the scienti�ic paper titled “The Description
trilobite han solo (2005) and the theropod of a New Deep Sea Thylacocephalan from
Thanos simonattoi (2020), which the Albian of South-Western England,
immediately come to mind. So naming a Sussocaris saliti”. Another Twitter user
species inspired by Among Us, which had created this screenshot by using an
grown massively popular in recent years, actual scienti�ic paper about thylaco-
felt somewhat believable. It surely does cephalans, which some commentators
not help that most thylacocephalans even pointed out. Nevertheless, many
already vaguely resemble the playable people still believed that sussocaris was Fake Scienti�ic Paper & Fossil. Other artists
characters in Among Us already! Another real. As Hop’s posts grew in popularity, fabricated a false scienti�ic paper and a fake fossil
notable factor in this phenomenon is the of�icial Among Us Twitter account which aided in fooling those on Twitter.
Hop’s choice of location. Sussex is located commented on Hop’s original post, ‘paleontological hoax’ territory, as BioLogos, and brie�ly circulated on
in the United Kingdom, and it is a site “Thank you, I hate it.” This seemed to fabricated images were deliberately Twitter during the aftermath. The article
home to many aquatic invertebrate fossils further validate the existence of this made in order to validate something used sussocaris to argue against the
from the Cretaceous, such as echinoids, �ictitious animal for some. However later unreal. However unlike past practice of paleontology and other
brachiopods, gastropods and bryozoans. that same day, Hop made a post paleontological hoaxes, sussocaris had scienti�ic disciplines, however, this
Thylacocephalans, which lived at the explaining that sussocaris was in fact a no ulterior motive other than fooling article was later discovered as a hoax to
same time period as many of these extinct fake animal, saying “To clear the air, people on Twitter into believing that this capitalize on the popularity of the
aquatic species, would not be a far- sussocaris was a joke creature that got silly creature was somehow real. Some sussocaris phenomenon.
fetched discovery. out of hand. I’m deeply sorry for anyone paleontologists even found sussocaris Hoaxes Aren't New. Sussocaris has
The combination of a semi-plausible that thought it was real.” And the two amusing, while others bemoaned, brought us full circle—it shares its
name, location, and new art being users who fabricated the fossil and claiming that this ordeal hurt the �ictional place of origin in Sussex,
published every hour perplexed and scienti�ic paper followed suit. public's trust in science. On Saturday, England, the home of the �irst fraud in all
fooled many online. But the peak of this Perhaps this is where the February 18, an article about sussocaris of paleoanthropology—the Piltdown
phenomenon occurred on Thursday, phenomenon crossed some lines into appeared on the creationist website, Man. Perhaps Hop chose this

inexpectatus was ‘discovered’ in Hell What Have We Learned? Despite all

Creek Montana, the same environment the misinformation, perhaps there is
once inhabited by Tyrannosaurus rex. some good to be found in the whole
Developers of the videogame, Saurian, sussocaris ordeal? It's interesting to
were asked by fans to add Spinosaurus note that sussocaris is probably the most
as a playable character in the game. illustrated thylacocephalan, which is
Saurian’s goal was to create an actual silly to think about when we have
depiction of Hell Creek for players to discovered and already know about
explore, so there was one problem with many species of these animals.
adding Spinosaurus—the species did not Invertebrates are often sparingly
occur in the Hell Creek formation. illustrated in paleoart, so in some way,
Developers joked over their live streams this phenomenon introduced many
about the abundance of fans hounding people to these animals and allowed them
them to add Spinosaurus. Eventually the to search and �ind real paleontological
developers referred to a spinosaurid �indings out of curiosity. The biggest
found in the Hell Creek as “Montanaspinus lesson, I hope, is that we are now aware of
inexpectus”, an obvious jab at the fact that how fast misinformation can spread over
it would be entirely unexpected and even social media. All of us should think twice
miraculous to �ind a spinosaurid there. before believing if something is real
Diving with Sussocaris. Perhaps one of the silliest art inspired by the creature is this illustration by Some fans were inspired by this �ictitious without any hard or clear evidence, and
the digital artist ‘Release The Hodari’ (@HodariNundu). Divers are sometimes depicted in paleoart to name and went on to create depictions of should be wary of sharing news that may
compare a human �igure to a marine animal… the image is literally a paleomeme within a paleomeme! the spinosaurid. Like sussocaris, these be falsi�ied. Sussocaris may have fooled
images circulated rapidly online, fooling some of us, but now we are all more likely
intentionally, but in the early 20th of rearranged pieces of real fossils to look many into thinking this dinosaur was a to look at claims made online and say
century, Sussex was at the center of a like an undiscovered dinosaur. Sussocaris recent discovery. ‘that’s sus man’.
great hoax. Bone fragments said to have is nowhere near comparable to these
been collected in 1912 were presented hoaxes in severity, but mentioning the
References:
as the fossilized remains of a previously Piltdown Man and Archaeoraptor
unknown early human, referred to as illustrates the fact that hoaxes have been • www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8WcAbMDyBw&ab_channel=HenrythePaleoGuy
• www.nmpdn.blogspot.com/2016/06/just-say-no-to-montanaspinus.html
‘Piltdown Man’. In 1953 these bone perpetuated for a long time in
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=43qnyWZdlqc&ab_channel=AZFK
fragments were exposed as a forgery. In paleontology and is something we should
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeoraptor
1999, National Geographic published an always be aware of.
article on a fossilized chimera called In recent years, a similar online More Information on the History of Hoaxes in Paleontology:
‘Archaeoraptor’, which was believed to phenomenon to sussocaris occurred • www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSzwnwaC_d4&ab_channel=GSOCGeologicalSocietyoftheOregonCountry
be the missing link between dinosaurs over social media (which coincidentally • www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5bpTnwHbNo&ab_channel=DinoDiego
and birds. Scienti�ic investigations found also began as a joke). A new species of
that the fossil was actually a combination spinosaurus named Montanaspinous

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | VECKIA’S FIRST FIVE BIOMES
VEKIA'S FIRST FIVE BIOMES

BY VEKNOR INSTAGRAM: @species_of_vekia
DEVIANTART: species-of-vekia
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/@francistheriault5288
For the fourth issue of Astrovitae, I'd like surface. It is a cold and dark place
to present several scenes from my teeming with life.
ongoing speculative evolution project To design the abyssal organisms of
that I've �inished so far. Instead of offering this habitat, I experimented with texture,
a summary for those of you who are bioluminescence, and trans-parency.
unfamiliar with my work, I humbly invite Deep sea gigantism, which affects many of
you to go view the project's introduction the vekian deep sea species, is the
video. The complete scenes are also propensity for deep-sea creatures,
available in high quality on DeviantArt, particularly invertebrates, to grow to
and new biomes will inevitably be added much larger sizes than their counterparts
Coastal Sea Biome.
because this project is still in progress. in shallow water. No vegetation can be
Coastal Sea Biome. I began working found down there.
on this biome �irst, and since then, I feel Forest Wetland Biome. The forest Northern Tundra Biome. In this type Desert Salty-geyser Biome. This
as though my art has progressed wetland biome is a mist-shrouded, of ecosystem, short growing seasons and biome's numerous salty geysers have
signi�icantly. This �irst subcategory swampy area that is primarily covered freezing temperatures make it dif�icult allowed life to �lourish despite it being a
depicts a marine environment that can be in mosses and bogs with countless for trees to thrive. The vegetation of the sweltering desert. Salt builds up at the
found in temperate regions of the moon, shallow lakes and lagoons scattered tundra is made mostly of small shrubs base of the geyser chimneys as a result of
with water no deeper than 100 m. throughout. Violet vines can be found and grasses.The soil contains a sizable the constant water vapor emissions from
Although the coastal sea biome is home to in this biome, they have sharp blades amount of degraded biomass stored as the geysers. The plant and animal species
a wide diversity of marine life, it is best and grow leaning against the massive methane and carbon dioxide in the have adapted to the salty environment,
known for the bioluminescent plankton light-emitting trees. A towering and permafrost. In this frozen landscape, you and they don't seem to suffer too much
�ilm that covers the moon's surface. dense canopy of vegetation covers may observe herds of large grazing fury from it. There aren't many other
Twilight Zone Biome. The this biome. This biome is teeming animals pursued by the predators that predators since the elusive sandworms,
twilight zone biome is located just with life and breathtaking sounds are hunt them. During the colder months, which ambush anyone crossing the
outside the range of sunlight, between emitted by countless living creatures many animals migrate or hibernate. desert, �ill the predator niche.
200 and 1 000 m beneath the ocean's of all sizes.

CAPTIVATING WORLDS | VECKIA’S FIRST FIVE BIOMES
Twilight Zone Biome. Northern Tundra Biome.
Forest Wetland Biome. Desert Salty-Geyser Biome.

CREATURE COMPENDIUM By Pedro Manoel Modanezi Martins
CREATURE COMPENDIUM
SPRING IN AN ALIEN WORLD
BY MICHAL "MIČKIN" JANOVSKÝ INSTAGRAM: @mickin.specualtive.bio

PATREON: www.patreon.com/mickincreate
WEBSITE: www.tambaqi.wixsite.com/mickincreate
On Earth, we are accustomed to an axial tilt of 23.5 degrees which causes our planet's seasonal
changes. But what would happen if an Earth-like planet had an axial tilt of 60 degrees? Let's
explore some of the unique effects it would have on life.
If a planet had an axial tilt of 60 degrees, the southern hemisphere would experience total
darkness for a quarter of the year, and despite a full season without sunlight, moderate
temperatures would persist thanks to the heat capacity of the ocean and thick atmosphere.
Without the energy from their star, life forms have had to adapt by becoming nocturnal,
hibernating, or surviving in the form of dormant eggs and spores. As the star rises over the horizon
at the beginning of spring, temperatures increase, and powerful air currents cause heavy rainfall—
triggering the blooming of phototrophic, snow�lake-resembling aeroplankton called ‘zore’. Billions
of these aeroplanktonic creatures have spent the winter as spores within the soil. Zore forms the
basis of the food chain, as there are few truly multicellular photosynthesizers. It may come as a
surprise that, still, vast areas of land are covered in forest.
Each spring, tree analogs of this world called ‘haluzes’ (descendents from a motile worm-like
ancestor) extend their feathery bristles to feed on the abundance of aeroplankton. A mutually
bene�icial relationship has been established between these air-sifters and their prey. Nowadays,
most zore exist in two forms: free-�loating and symbiotic. Each haluz grows leaf-like organs to
accommodate colonies of zore, nurturing them with waste products and harvests of their
photosynthesis in return. At the same time, massive swarms of reproductive life stages are
released, attracting air-sifters that migrate for thousands of kilometers to feast on them… but that
is a story for another time.
WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 95
CREATURE COMPENDIUM
THE SOUTHERN OCEAN OF SINEDEY
BY SAVELY KOCHNOV TWITTER: @SavaAlienFish
Giant madarna, a member of a unique branch of the

ratoon sea serpent family, chases a �lock of small fovits
near the surface of warm open waters, teeming with
various heliophytes—unique, mostly aquatic, mixo-
trophic organisms capable of actively swimming
through water columns.

CREATURE COMPENDIUM
COLOSSOSAURUS BASILUS
BY NOAH CREUTZIGER TWITTER: @noahcreutziger
As it did throughout the Mesozoic, the title of apex

herbivore goes to the titanosaurs. Interestingly, these
giants are not descended from great titans such as
Dreadnoughtus or alamosaurus, but instead from
small armored saltasaurids. Thanks to their coating of
armor and their huge size, modern titans such as
Colossosaurus basilus are dif�icult to tackle, even for
the biggest of tyrannosaurs. Much like elephants,
titanosaurs manipulate and maintain the health of
their environment around them. Their movement
creates paths through dense forests, their claws till the
earth, and their large amount of dung helps fertilize
the region.
98 ASTROVITAE | SEPTEMBER 2022 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM 99

CREATURE COMPENDIUM
THE PURPLE MUDBIRD (CHAETOMOLPASTES PORPHYR)
BY BRAEDEN LAROCHE (TWISTED DEPTHS) INSTAGRAM: @twisting.depths
The purple mudbird is a small, aquatic tick descendant which dwells in muddy shallows. It
detects and snags prey with its long bristles which also serve to protect the organism from
potential predators (of which they have many due to their 10-12 centimeter size). Uniquely,
this animal swims with jerky, undulating motions which make their bristly arms seem to
“dance,” which is a more graceful process in their six-limbed larval stage before they molt
and develop their fourth pair of legs: a trait derived from their tick ancestors.
100 ASTROVITAE | SEPTEMBER WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM

CREATURE COMPENDIUM
C.)
A.)
B.)
COLLECTION OF MARTIAN ANIMALS
BY T.K. SIVGIN INSTAGRAM: @t.k.sivgin

WEBSITE: www.hardeshur.blogspot.com
A.) The Great Ushabti.

B.) Malacoda.
C.) Hortax and Yrp.
102 ASTROVITAE | SEPTEMBER WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM

CONTRIBUTORS
ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS:
CHIEF EDITOR SPECIAL THANKS

Domenic Pennetta Special thanks to the three artists below for
offering to help proofread this issue. Helpers
NEW ARTISTS
like you are invaluable to the magazine, and
Aldrich Hezekiah
your assistance is much appreciated!
Maja Oreš ković Igrić
Oliver Gries-Hoffman
Noah Creutziger
Reinhard Gutzat
Pedro Manoel Modanezi Martins
J.F.
T.K. Sivgin
KO-FI DONORS
REOCCURRING ARTISTS
Everyone listed below donated to help support
Alejandro Martı́nez Fluxá
Astrovitae. Thank you for your generosity!
Braeden Laroche (Twisted Depths)
Darin C.
Christian Cline
Florenzo D.
J.F.
Francesco T.
John Meszaros
Foxnerolf
Maryana Simpson
Vince R.
Michal "Mič kin" Janovský
Paul Drenckhahn (SteveMobCannon)
Savely Kochnov
Veknor

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CONTENTS

04 - EDITOR’S NOTE 76 - ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SECTION CATEGORIES:

2 ASTROVITAE | APRIL 2021 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM 3

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR:

Copyright 2023 by Domenic Pennetta.

4 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 5

SPEC NEWS: 2022 ASTROVITAE NEWS

PROJECT RHYNIA GETS A REBOOT

6 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 7

BY JOHN MESZAROS INSTAGRAM: @johnmeszaros

8 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 9

THE YAETUAN SAGAS

10 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 11

Kekatian Spirit. Arecita, left, and her fellow dancers (or

12 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 13

The Platyderms The Vexisqualians

14 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 15

THE RETURN OF PHTANUM B

18 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 19

Phtanum System | Terrestrial Planets

20 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 21

Phtanum b Maps | Biome Map (left) and Plate Map (right)

22 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 23

Ramjet Dragons. Side pro�iles of various ramjet

24 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 25

26 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 27

BY T.K. SIVGIN INSTAGRAM: @t.k.sivgin

28 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 29

30 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 31

polyphyletic group of various spirifers phyletic Archaeocephalia and the

32 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 33

shifted towards bipedalism and the most amusingly resemble a face.

34 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 35

other decomposing matter in the soil.

36 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 37

evolved to, when impacted by the

38 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 39

In the future, humanity has collapsed success of many endangered South

40 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 41

42 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 43

44 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 45

46 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 47

Dionysus una, a name meaning “single communicating among themselves

48 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 49

Planuganis malleusut. This species has clamps on

50 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 51

The Planuganis malleusut. This Animal Senses. The team is still

52 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 53

Astrovitae Magazine and Arti�icial Intelligence: The extraterrestrial rocks

evolution of a planet as a whole. A Earth. Libraetite is a hydrated sulfate

“ We see this intertwined co-evolution of the geosphere

54 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 55

56 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 57

processes in the distant past hundreds of TRAPPIST-1d, an exoplanet in the same

58 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 59

60 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 61

toad. Without competition from other

62 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 63

The Uncommon Toads The Desert Dwellers

64 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 65

Rhinella amphibia Rhinella marina Rhinella erythra

66 ASTROVITAE | April 2023 WWW.ASTROVITAE.COM | 67