Some Creature Thoughts

K

Krnon

Guest
Original poster
Not all creatures are created equally, and not all of them are nice or kind. There are 7 things you need to think about in essence of what you need to make a creature.

  1. Environment - Would not make sense to have a aquatic being on a mountain that has no water on it.
  2. Ecosystem - Does this actually have a niche in the area?
  3. General shape - This is important because it defines what it can and cannot do physically.
  4. Does it have any special powers, and if so, how does it work?
  5. Gravity - Denser materials will always weigh and be stronger then lighter ones.
  6. Creature type - Insect, bird, mammal, mythical.. etc...
  7. What does this thing eat?
Another few thing to take into consideration for extra details:

  • Is it predatory, and to what?
  • is it social, or is it a loner?
  • How would this thing see? There are many types of eyes out there.
  • Does this thing have the same type of blood as us, or is there a chemical difference?
  • How tough is it's hide?
  • is it aggressive or passive?
  • Is it smart? What is it's interests?
  • Does this thing have a specific biome it prefers?
  • How dangerous is it?
 
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Creature Evolutionary steps are usually considered daunting to the average person when trying to come up with a unique creature of their own. As such I shall go over a process that I use when imagining a creature. This is done in a logical format, please be advised.

Everything starts with the planet and it's local celestial bodies. Here are the reasons:
  • The planet will tell you the likelihood of a creature living on or within it.
  • It defines the gravity of the creature, adding mass and depth behind it.
  • It defines the role in the environment for the creature.
  • Once you have your planet fully created, It allows you to mess around with evolution a little.
Some things to think about with the planet are as follows:

  • Mass and density of the spherical object (or otherwise if your world is unique.)
  • Area, circumference, and radius of the planet (Math is not always fun, but important for a thorough creation)
  • Now that we have the size and the mass of the planet, we can now gather the gravity of the place.
F = G*((m sub 1*m sub 2)/r^2)
Force = Gravity standard * (Mass of one object * mass of another object) divided by the radius of both squared.

I will work this out for Earth as an example. We all know Earth has a gravity of around 9.8 m/s squared, or will know eventually. So, F = 9.8 m/s squared ( some large number times some large number)/ some large number^2). Since you are actually making a planet and the solar system around it, the gravity is essentially up to you in the end.

This means that the 9.8 meters per second square we feel is related to both the mass of the earth, and the mass of the sun, therefore our density is a direct correlation of both in that sense. Reversing the problem can also give us an idea of the sun's gravity. The main reason why we aren't all gems due to the density is the distance from the sun that the earth is at. Sure, the sun is very hot and dense, so if we were nearby it, I see no reason why we would be alive naturally.

Now that we have a planet, this grey rocky gem in the middle of the vast darkness of space, seems a little bare, so let's color it up with scenery. Nature gives us a myriad of paint to use varying from green, red, yellow, orange, black, white, and many more. Putting a field of flowers on the planet paints the scene the color of the flower's petals as well as it's stem. Here are some things to consider:

  • Aquatic - Water is needed for life as we know it!
  • Desert - Both hot and cold ones add depth to your world
  • Forest - What type is up to you in the end
  • Grassland - Plains and such
  • Tundra - Cold planet caps are the normal.
The location of these are usually determined again by the environment of the planet itself, since the planet has a star, the light hits it more in one area then another, thus causing it to be colder there. Conversely, it will be hotter where the sun's rays hit the most at, and this is considered the Equator of the planet.

In nature there is something called a food chain. For each area, there is a different food chain. In one area, one animal can be a tertiary predator, but if it goes to another, it can become prey. I can make an example.

Plants > Herbivore > Carnivore > Decomposers

Remember, there is a 10 energy transfer rate between these, so the farther down the food chain you are, the less you usually get.

Let's say that plants produce 1,000 energy hypothetically, that means the herbivore would receive 100, carnivore 10, and decomposers 1
Depending on the area, the animal / plants will change, therefore I left it anonymous.

Finally, you have read through enough and probably got impatient doing so, or just never read the other things, which I would not condone, but that just may be me. Anyway, the evolution of a creature is basically it's adaptation to it's environment up to the point of discovery. As such we can make a few examples.

  • Environment dries up, therefore making the water scarce, the creature evolves sacs over time to store liquid for the dry season.
  • Predators start depopulating the species at an alarming rate, the surviving species can end up developing a younger maturity and faster reproduction rates to deal with it over time, but will more then likely be eaten since evolution takes generations to happen.
These are just examples, and are not set in stone.

If you have any comments, you may leave them here or PM me, either is fine.
 
Ok, now that we have our basic understanding of the creature in question, it is time to get more serious.

What kinds of body systems are used in it?

Here are some known ones:

    • Muscular - movement
    • Neural - thoughts
    • Circulatory - blood
    • Digestive
    • Immune - defense against diseases and illnesses
    • Endocrine - Hormones
    • Lymphatic - aids the immune system, also transfers fluids and nutrients around the body.
    • Reproduction
    • Skeletal - keeping the form
    • Excremental
These types will add a lot of depth and understanding to the entity that you are creating, but only if you really want to go that extra mile.
 
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