the speculative biology blog of sauromimus

Aidan, he/him. Speculative biology enjoyer. Read my pinned for more!

[biologicalspeculation]

Greetings, Earthlings and others!

My name is Aidan (he/him), and I love designing and thinking about aliens and the planets they live on. Speculative biology, if you will.

This blog will become a hub for my art pieces involving specbio, a place where anyone can ask questions about my species, and a place to reblog specbio art I like.

Here's a link to a post where I talk about my species!

[jayrockin]

Coming soon: Almost Real: A Speculative Biology Zine • Vol 6 & Book 1!

The spec bio anthology series is BACK with its sixth volume all about POP CULTURE, and a REMASTERED HARDBACK COLLECTION of Volumes 1–5!

Hey pst! Almost Real: A Speculative Biology Zine returns this month with a new issue! AND a big juicy "encyclopedia" that compiles the first 5 magazine volumes, featuring new entries for the cover critters from yours truly! If you love imaginative creatures with a backbone of real science, Almost Real is for you!

Click the link to be notified when the campaign drops!

[artechoceneexplorer]

Across the savannas and shrublands of Artechocene Africa, most of the fauna can be recognised as species that were already native to the continent: descendants of camels, bovines, rodents and hyraxes of all sizes run across the plains, but one herbivore stands out as particularly bizarre, the Plains Mantelope (Hippanthropus africanus).

This is a member of the mantelopes (Hippanthropinae), a clade of macropods mostly native to Afro-Eurasia whose ancestors emigrated from Australia during the Australasian Faunal Interchange, and slowly spread across the continent, becoming the first marsupials on Africa and Eurasia. Species in this subfamily are characterised by their unique mode of locomotion, as they run bipedally on a single hoofed toe instead of hopping, using their muscular tail for balance. Their muscular arms are then used mainly as support for when they're grazing on all fours and to access tubers and other vegetable material.

The plains mantelope (H. africanus) is the most common species on the African mainland, being found from the southern cape to the southern slopes of the Ourean Mountains and Arabia, all thanks to its ability to eat the toughest plant materials and survive with very little water.

They live in small herds of a dominant male, a dozen or so females and their children, where younger males will often challenge the dominant male by fighting using their sharp hand claws.

[jdeltia]

abstract art of talita and shyam from rtts

[jayrockin]

Runaway to the Stars by Jay Eaton

Alien, trans-species foster Talita has enough to deal with on the scrapworld of Dirtball. And the sly, crimey A.I. Bip isn't helping!

There is one week left on the Runaway to the Stars Kickstarter! If you wanted to get in, remember to do it soon!

The campaign hit two stretch goals already, one for a cover upgrade and one for an add-on compilation book of the three character AMA zines! (The Reader Questions on the comic website are to included in the main graphic novel.)

The next stretch goal is for a fancy full color zine of a bunch of my ink and fountain pen artworks, like these:

So if that tickles your fancy, check out the page and spread the news. Thank you to everyone who's already donated and helped make the campaign a smashing success :)

[jayrockin]

5 days left!

[jayrockin]

4 days left!

[jayrockin]

3 days left!!!

We are most of the way to the last stretch goal! I think we can make it!

[almostrealzine]

Coming soon: Almost Real: A Speculative Biology ZIne • Vol 6 & Book 1!

The spec bio anthology series is BACK with its sixth volume all about POP CULTURE, and a REMASTERED HARDBACK COLLECTION of Volumes 1–5!

ALMOST REAL: A Speculative Biology Zine returns with the ALL-NEW VOLUME 6 and a remastered collection of VOLUMES 1-5!

Back in the mid 2010s, illustrator and Runaway to the Stars creator Jay Eaton incepted the idea of hosting a speculative biology anthology: a small magazine collecting uniquely-made entries from pool of fellow artists and authors who loved all the possibility and creativity that the world of spec bio had to offer. Together with Hye Mardikian, their idea and collaboration brought forth ALMOST REAL: A SPECULATIVE BIOLOGY ZINE's first volume all the way back in 2017. 

In 2018, we took to the skies with our second volume FLIGHT. Volume 3 took you under the waves with AQUATICS, Volume 4 introduced all sorts of inventions from BIOTECHNOLOGY, and legends came to life in from Volume 5's MYTHOLOGY.

Now, in 2026, we RETURN: featuring our sixth volume with 12 new entries all about POP CULTURE and a remastered omnibus of BOOK 1 that collects all 5 of our previous, some out-of-print issues, and we need YOUR HELP to print these books and pay our artists!

Sign up now to be notified the moment we drop!

[jayrockin]

Runaway to the Stars

Alien, trans-species foster Talita has enough to deal with on the scrapworld of Dirtball. And the sly, crimey A.I. Bip isn't helping!

The Kickstarter for the print and pdf book editions of Runaway to the Stars is now live! Come check it out!

Also it hit 200% funded before I even woke up?? That's crazy? I still need to finish my coffee and make announcement posts aaaaa

[bayporwave]

RTTS commercials if contact was made in the 60s I got inspired by someone's detective noir avian and it all blossomed into this These were fun to make

Read @jayrockin's work yes

[bedrockfactory]

Update and geography of planet Leviticus (planet inhabited by Tharr)! There's only one continent roughly half of the size of Eurasia located on the planet's north pole. The continent can be divided into four major biomes described on the second picture.

Also made those simple-style illustrations a while ago, one of which became my blog banner!

[shuttlecarrier]

a pair of partnered geolings (Smithy and @t34-mt's Mouchard drawn as my sophont). these two are a good example of what a happy and healthy adult of their species looks like now (my older art of them is really outdated..!! wow!!)

Geolings as a species are incredibly gregarious and also tactile. In partnerships, it's common for two individuals to practically be glued together at the hip whenever they're both outside of their working environments and to show themselves off as being joined. In this case, they have matching paint on the claw tips of their front most pair of limbs (which are the ones primarily used for manipulating objects).

It's common in polar cultures to get matching tattoos as well, but not in this specific case where copying the tattoos would be seen as deeply impolite. The darker individual is from the southern part of the Wyu’hlkee archipelago where receiving lip tattoos to mark large milestones and accomplishments is standard practice. The majority of his are to show off an exceptional record within his working group, which is seen as nearly equally important as the familial group in most cultures. The three dots near the inner part of the lip denote age, another indicator of social status. He'd be considered rather impressive for his age, but not particularly attractive in the southern pole where higher coat contrast factors majorly into physical appeal (he has a little bit of facial makeup to try and make up for it).

The lighter grey individual here would be considered to be more or less a smoking hot babe in the polar culture (Kaswassa, although they're ethnically mixed Kaswassan/W'ehlki) they're from. Being especially fat with good contrast, a shiny coat, and big horns will get you a lot of potential suitors, but they're very happy with their mid spouse.

[renal03421]

Beetle birds/Varojaks/Vitrotects

[lynxfrost13]

@otiksimr

[spookygibberish]

Pimchits (Picogryps cordifer) are a members of the tribe pycogrypini (tribe in the taxonomic sense, a collection of related genera) of intelligent microgriffins (family picogrypidae). Pimchits are highly communal, omnivorous griffins who construct extensive nests which are maintained and reused for indefinitely, baring their destruction by some outside force. Pimchit nests are often subterranean, but may also be constructed out of woven grass in the interior of thorny bushes or decaying trees, or in the walls of dwellings made by larger sophonts.

Pimchits live about 5 to 7 years on average, though they may live over a decade on rare occasions. Female pimchits lay clutches of 2-6 eggs twice a year in spring and summer. Eggs are laid in communal nest chambers and cared for by capable adults regardless of sex. Labor in Pimchit colonies is not strongly stratified, and jobs are filled as needed by any individual willing to work them, though most individuals tend to develop preferences and routines that dictate their role.

Pictures above are adult male (red markings) and female (black markings) Pimchits in summer coats. Below is an egg and day old hatchling, a week old nestling, a month old questling, and a 5 month old pinkpaws. Sexual maturity is obtained at one year of age.

Pimchits follow a type II survivorship curve, and tend to die randomly at any age.

[the1andonlyvoid]

Updated Wolfmen climate/ ethnic map

Finally finished this! The climate is akin to the last glacial maximum of earth with less tropical forests and more temperate Extream hot and cold biomes. The cultures are not concrete yet I have ideas for a lot of them but some need a lot of work to figure out.

[the1andonlyvoid]

City shade

In the coastal desert region on the western continent lies the Kajji. A culture of seafaring and glass working Wolfmen. Cities are made where trees grow to provide natural shade and security of the ground for buildings. Recently trees have been specifically planted in more remote villages and cities to provide natural shade.

[dimetrodone]

We need a term for this body plan

[artomimus]

fauna of the pleistocene

[jayrockin]

Talita is always a naked little creature in her baby pictures, I'm guessing she either didn't need or wouldn't tolerate clothes till she got older. Is that accurate?

If you wanna try putting a tiny pair of pants on this thing, be my guest

[littleguysdaily]

[jayrockin]

Wow. It's an honor, sir