Spine: A word on the evolution of Exquisite Beasts

fylum-qordata:

straightfacedgriff:

straightfacedgriff:

fylum-qordata:

For those who don’t know, the Exquisite Beast is a series of drawings in which two artists take turns supplying a reiteration of the previous monster, “evolving” from its previous design. Each artist adds to or alters the original form.

This is a fun debate!

“You pointed out that Fish>amphibian>reptile>bird.You’re right, but it is not true for the Exquisite Beast. Note the order in which it is evolving: Blobbything>Glider>Gaseous>Fish>Crustacean>Landgrazer>Burrower. That isn’t exactly a logical order of evolution. The biggest leap there would probably be from flying to swimming. It would have to go from lungs to gills and then back to lungs. Of course, it is entirely possible some massive event forced them to make these drastic changes, but it is extremely fickle of evolution to do so. What’s more, when you follow Earth biology, you don’t find birds going back to being reptiles or whales growing gills to accommodate its marine life.”

My point was that animals can trace a direct lineage through which they have filled a variety of niches. What the exquisite beast is doing is not reverting to a previous evolutionary state, but creating new groups of animals that happen to inhabit different environments. Even today, you can see examples of animals that are beginning to fill other roles, such as the flying squid and the penguin. An animal does not require gills to be considered a sea dweller, the sea turtles and dolphins prove this.

“Exoskeletons and Endoskeletons very also big changes. No insect will likely grow an endoskeleton; no mammal will likely grow an exoskeleton.”

These exquisite beasts are neither insect nor mammal. The basic building blocks of life are the same, yes, but the structure of the proteins has a huge range of possibilities. The bones and exoskeleton are obviously like nothing on Earth if the beast can grow and loose them. Materials that are, in a word, alien.

“And another thing I don’t agree with is the methods of evolution the artists are taking. I recall one of them describing the tail-fins as having “migrated to the beast’s back.” I cannot possibly think of a reason how the tail itself (and its bones) moves up to attach to the spine—biological features are not things that just “move.” And they certainly cannot reconnect to the spine to form new limbs (wings are limbs). Legs do not split themselves into two (no logical reason to, either, since it would have to grow extra tendons and muscles to control both appendages). Wings do not close up on themselves so it can become a balloon (flying/gliding=spreading wings and no gas is produced externally for any reason).”

…Okay, I’ll give you that one. The only possibility I can imagine is that the non-terrestrial organic chemistry between these alien cells allows this kind of behaviour.

Have you read this comic? It’s what I was thinking about when I mentioned a lack of natural disasters.

My biggest problem with the beast is that though the evolution is possible, it is not probable. Like what you’ve pointed out in your last statement, non-terrestrial organic chemistry can allow for a whole bunch of things to happen—except there really is no good reason for it.

The thing about filling niches. I’ll give you that—it’s kind of hard to argue the opposite from my position, since anything is technically possible. Since the ecosystem around the Beast is never elaborated upon, there is no saying which niches must be filled; there really is no right nor wrong answer. However, it was said that the Beast is fully aquatic and it had an exoskeleton and lives on the ocean floor. Kind of hard to do that without some kind of gills. Then again, maybe the oceans are different and their respiratory systems are different. In that case, then I’m going to adjust my stance. The evolution has become much too vague and broad, as if connecting very different creatures by insisting there was enough time in between for it to happen.

Also, endoskeletons and exoskeletons are rigid structures. They grow, they change, but they are not interchangeable. I’d be okay if it were anything else moving: muscle, organs, body systems, but not something as important as a physical structure. It’s not just about being able to grow and lose bones, but being able to use them. Locomotion is based largely on these bones; making a switch from internal to external would mean there must have been some sort of simultaneous implementation of both. Let’s grow some extra tendons…? That doesn’t work.

Then again, different planet. Who knows. I guess I’d just like a lot more elaboration and rules. This makes me feel really incomplete. As my friend said, this just essentially an artistic exercise.

Also oh my god that comic can I just have that forever what is this it’s so

Okay, I get what you mean.

And yeah, I was wondering where all that previous text went! :) Just located the ‘reblog as’ button, I’ll be sure to use it in the future!

octosmagiccontest:

By straightfacedgriff

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