When we think of life on other worlds, we seem to think most often about sentient life. We think about the space-faring Greys, or maybe humanoid types whom we will meet.
But what about the other creatures?
Since I was a geek for nature documentaries and books form an early age, I studied animals and their ecosystems at great length.
So if we locate a planet with life, what can we expect to find?
Extremiphiles seem likely. Given what we've seen in the harsh environments on Earth, it seems that there could well be organisms living in extreme environments elsewhere.
In every ecosystem, and in many different environments, we find an array of niches that animals fill.
We find carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, and scavengers.
Where you grazing buffalo or antelope, there are lions or wolves to prey upon them. There are generally vultures to clean up the mess.
The same thing goes for aquatic life. Sharks and killer whales feed on fish and mammals. Crabs, worms, and hag fish, in turn, gobble up the leftovers.
So, we can expect to find ecosystems where there are predators and prey, and scavengers to take care of the garbage left behind.
Imagine if you will, a planet covered in dense clouds and heavily-laden with methane. The few solid surfaces are covered in volcanic ash rich with minerals.
Let's call it
Avalon.
Land masses are sparse, and are surrounded by seas of liquid methane and ethane. Mats of bacteria carpet large areas of the seas. Within these mats live organisms who use the nooks and crannies on these islands for shelter.
The
Frisbee Slug is a disc-shaped grazer that feeds on the mat. A few of these diner-plate-sized critters keep the mats form growing too thick and heavy to stay afloat. If too many Frisbees are present, the mat will fray and disintegrate.
Scarlet Gadflies make their homes in the larger nooks. They prey on the Frisbee Slugs when they reach adulthood. They are pear-shaped, with two pairs of wings and the same number of legs. They descend upon the Frisbees near the time they reach sexual maturity. Predation keeps the Frisbees in check, as well as their prodigious breeding.
Beneath the surface are the
Kraits.
The
Leopard Kraits is a meter-long beast resembling a centipede. The first three of its 20 pairs of legs are long, powerful, and tipped with bailing hooks for grabbing and piercing prey. The remaining pairs are flattened into fins. It is an opportunistic predator who is content stealing from neighbors when prey is scarce.
Silver Kraits are bottom-feeders. Frequenting the depths, they dive for worms and carrion. They are twice the size of the Leopard Kraits.
King Kraits are thick-bodied, and up to four meters long. Their short, stubby limbs can haul them onto the rocks where they feed on coral-like organisms at the shore. Packs of Leopard Kraits can handle a King. A single Leopard, though, is likely to get gored and stung repeatedly by the King's spiked tail.
Just some vivid imagery from my own imagination....
