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It might just be me, but the proportions on this seem a bit off. For example, the head on the one in the background seems much smaller compared to the body in comparison to the one in the foreground, while the size of the feet have the opposite issue, seeming bigger on the background one.

I also feel like these should have a supplementary image that shows off the anatomy of the body underneath the sauce.


Also ima say this right here and now, this feels like a huckbuck illustration, which usually look hyper detailed but once you get rid of the shading are really simplistic and hardly show any anatomy of the organism itself.

This post has been edited by OviraptorFan: Sep 25 2022, 10:40 AM

Ooh, extreme sexual dimorphism,

It's an interesting set up

New art based on the feedback:
- Fixed proportions
- Added internal shell view
- Added detailed camouflage feather pattern
Update:
- fixed toe
- did some more texture work

Camouflage concept:

Click to expand

(prior to the texture work)

This post has been edited by Jarlaxle: Oct 8 2022, 06:58 AM

Approval Checklist:
Art:
Art Present?:y
Art clear?:y
Gen number?:y, though it is a little faint, it's the clouds.
All limbs shown?:y
Reasonably Comparable to Ancestor?:y
Realistic additions?:y

Name:
Binomial Taxonomic Name?:y
Creator?:y

Ancestor:
Listed?:y
What changes?:
External?:smaller proboscis girth, webbed feet, rounder streamlined "head", snapping style tusks like bobbit worm, extreme male neoteny due to fast selection via new repropductive habit
Internal?: air layers trapped in lower portion of shell, more short fast action muscles in neck
Behavioral/Mental?: now actively swimmings rather than stalks about the shoreline, rarely lifts its probscis/head other than for particularly interesting things, collapse of harem style breeding
Are Changes Realistic?: y
New Genus Needed?: y, neotenous males and webbed feet

Habitat:
Type?: 2 thank you for counting
Flavor?: 3 thank you for counting
Connected?: y? the thing also swims, so there's ease to move around
Wildcard?:

Size:
Same as Ancestor?: n
Within range?: y
Exception?: males are neotenous

Support:
Same as Ancestor?:y
Does It Fit Habitat?:y
Reasonable changes (if any)?:
Other?:

Diet: CARNIVORE NEEDS TO BE LISTED
Same as Ancestor?: y
Transition Rule?:
Reasonable changes (if any)?:

Respiration:
Same as Ancestor?:y
Does It Fit Habitat?:y
Reasonable changes (if any)?:
Other?:

Thermoregulation:
Same as Ancestor?:y
Does It Fit Habitat?:y
Reasonable changes (if any)?:
Other?:

Reproduction:
Same as Ancestor?: y
Does It Fit Habitat?:y
Reasonable changes (if any)?: does now list hard shelled eggs
Other?: The social exchange rapidly selecting for neotenous males is an interesting direction

Description:
Length?: okay
Capitalized correctly?: y?
Replace/Split from ancestor?: replaced in range
Other?:

I don't really know how to say something belongs to a proboscis.


Opinion: Pending, carnivore needs to be listed in diet

Once that gets fixed it gets approved.

Fixed.

APPROVED

It was brought up that maybe saying the proboscis is dangling from the body suggests lack of use for sending their environment during those times.

Maybe saying that holding it in a lowered position unless necessary is the most typical stance when on land?

It's more words but it's also more clarifying.

I rarely get to say that about anything I write but going by that interpretation I think dangling communicates it quite well because that interpretation isn't entirely far off: They don't hunt anything on land and can barely run, and they react to the sound or scent of danger by sitting down with their cohorts and pretending to be rocks until the danger goes away.

Unless they are caught and are under attack, vector information doesn't matter much, and line of sight doesn't factor at all. Echolocation on land is only really used to get to know the environment, and the ground is a perfectly decent perspective from which to do that.

Ah, given their ears are still erect and seem capable of "looking around" via echolocation, assuming the clicking isn't dampened by the direction of the mouth, it makes sense that they would remain rather slack unless disturbed.

I doubt the ground would matter too much regarding echolocation...

This post has been edited by colddigger: Nov 30 2022, 04:15 PM

QUOTE (colddigger @ Dec 1 2022, 12:14 AM)

Ah, given their ears are still erect and seem capable of "looking around" via echolocation, assuming the clicking isn't dampened by the direction of the mouth, it makes sense that they would remain rather slack unless disturbed. I doubt the ground would matter too much regarding echolocation...

I've wondered about that too.

not just the clicks but vocalization in general. Like taste and smell it's something we don't deal with much because sound isn't part of the artwork, but I imagine they hum and purr and click and gurgle, if they make complex sounds they might be very raspy, relying on vocalizations that use the vibration of the air around the throat and tongue rather then air existing the mouth.

I think I've specified this for the rockshorian lineage, but I would expect that with a few exceptions (like the songsauce), most saucebacks need to deal with the seperation of vocalization and respiration. It's a problem with many interesting solutions IMO. How about tusk tapping? Or teeth drumming? Or jaw knocks in the hearthead descendents?

For saucebacks with sight social communication might rely more on body language and dancing, I tapped that just a little bit with the ophan lineage, but there's may more room to explore.

I'm actually working on a sauceback for next gen that does some interesting tongue-based vocalization.

Interesting challenge, how are you planning to communicate it? Is that going to be a general description in very general terms or in a specific context like mimicking other species, or more of a specific list of species wide onomatopoeias?

You'll see it when I submit it. It's specifically a sort of "quail", if you're curious.

Wait, how do they swallow food with their heads dangling like that? They don't have mammalian swallowing muscles, so they have to depend on gravity like everything that isn't a mammal?