hwango

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/50001763/

Created for Creature of the Week #78 - Heart Harvester. The harvester strikes at a sleeping target. It begins by injecting a paralytic poison, then climbs onto the victim's chest and begins to saw through the skin, flesh, and rib cage with its forelimbs. Once these obstacles are out of the way, the harvester slices the arteries and veins so that the heart is no longer connected to the victim's circulatory system. The harvester then turns around and opens the three petals of the pod on the end of its tail. The pod is inserted into the chest around the heart and then closed. Once pulled free from the chest, the pod is swung onto the back of the harvester so it doesn't unbalance the creature while it is moving. Small spiky protrusions on the creature's back keep the bloody pod from sliding to either side during transport. Since the harvester is designed to retrieve living, viable hearts, the pod protects the heart from the elements, dirt, and other contaminants. Its cargo loaded, the harvester sprints back to its master to deliver the heart.

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Finally, they have a topic that sounds interesting during a week that I have the time to work on an entry. I glanced at some of the other entries for this week that are up so far, and was disappointed to see that most of them are just creatures that eat hearts. I know I'm nitpicky about word choices, but it seems to me that a "harvester" shouldn't be something that just eats the thing right away. It should collect it and carry it off before eating it at the very least. Oh, well.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/33268906/

This week's topic was very open to interpretation (moves other things, moves very fast, moves often, etc.), but I decided to pick something that moved all of the time. I almost didn't do this week at all, but finally threw something together hastily the last day before the deadline.

Similar to many species of shark that must swim constantly or suffocate, the Yawn-maw Breezerider possesses a respiratory system that requires active movement in order to function properly. As a result of this, the breezerider spends its entire lifespan in flight. The breezerider does not sleep, though it does rest at times by setting itself into a spiralling descent pattern and gliding for several minutes.

The breezerider feeds mostly on insects, birds, bats, and other airborn creatures that it scoops out of the air in its gaping maw. It has no natural predators, and is not hunted by man both because of the relative lack of edible meat, and because they are often viewed as good luck. Since the breezerider avoids dangerous winds or rain, spotting one often indicates a day of pleasant weather. Sailors in particular consider them a good omen, as the amount of wind the breezerider prefers is also ideal for sailing ships.

My obsidian critter. Still working on some bits, but hopefully I'm close to finishing this one.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c291/hwango/firestarter7h-copy.jpg

My Chiropteran Strider for Creature of the Week #42 - Blind Hunter.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/32009471/

This week was a little different, in that it's much more specific than other weeks. My original plan was truly horrific, but I just ran out of enthusiasm and patience, and went for something much tamer.

http://www.deviantart.com/view/28832060/

For this week, I've crafted the revolting Decay Flute (Work in Progress).

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c291/hwango/COW35_wes_jones.jpg

The Decay Flute subsists on insects, but with its awkward, slow moving body, it has developed a revolting way of obtaining them. The Decay Flute emits the scent of decaying meat from its six feeding orifices, which attracts both the flies that it craves and various larger carrion-eating animals. When a scavenger gets too close, the Decay Flute aims one of its lower bulbs at the creature and launches a long spine coated in a quick-acting paralyzing toxin. The Flute then enters a semi-dormant stage while it regrows a new spine. Meanwhile, flies land on the carcass of the scavenger and begin to multiply. By the time the Flute reawakens, the new crop of flies is ready to be harvested, and the Flute snatches them from the carcass and the air with its eighteen whiplike extensile tongues.

Link to sketch/work in progress of my critter for "Blood Splatter Carnage" Week:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c291/hwango/cow_34_wes_jones2.jpg

...and if you follow that link while at work and get in trouble for loading up pictures of things with blood all over them, then you need to go back and read the first sentence of this entry again.