Week 10 - Lion Anatomy Part 2

Week 10

Lion Anatomy - Part 2

This weeks task was to complete the other half of the lion's anatomy. The results can be seen below:

As there was no research task for this week (other than gathering references), I have decided to specifically focus on gathering and learning about strange insects and a few other creatures for creature design purposes.
I believe this is important as insects are a great way to get ideas for fictional creatures. Things we don't see with the human eye can appear very alien, so they are great references for fictional aliens.

Megalara Garuda
Known as the 'King of Wasps'

I really like the look of this insect as its eyes have a smooth glass-like film over them, making it look a lot like a jet pilot's helmet.

Silkmoth

I love the design of this moth as the fur on it and the colour of it resembles that of a bird.

Hyalophora Cecropia

This is North America's largest native moth.

It looks pretty neat, but what's even more interesting is it's caterpillar form which can be seen below:

And here is it's Pupa.

I think the pupa is a great reference image for when designing alien insect larvae.

Japanese Spider Crab

The japanese spider crab can reach up to 3.5 meters from claw to claw. This animal would make some great references for sci-fi mech walkers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSf5a3TY-O8

Bee Fly (Anastoechus Nitidulus)

These little guys are completely harmless. They feed on flower nectar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVkPmrWxXsQ

Gasteracantha Cancriformis

Commonly referred to as the 'Spiny Orb Weaver', Females are 5–9 millimetres long and Males are approx 3 millimetres long. Due to the nature of it's spiney back, there are a few physical variations of this animal, which can be seen below:

Archaeognatha

This looks like a great reference for insect/alien faces. I can see a resemblance to the 'prawns' from District 9 (2009).

Chondrocladia lyra

This animal is not an insect, but it is definitely worth looking at. It is a meat eating sponge. It lives 3.5 kilometers below the sea. Once the animals barbed hooks catch on to any animal stupid enough to come near it, it envelops its prey and slowly digests it.