Thread:Mr.Robbo/@comment-5870856-20150126033221/@comment-5870856-20150214055141

Mr.Robbo wrote: Yes, it is conceivable that there could be a planet where there could be fliers the size of the largest whales on Earth. You just need a thick enough atmosphere in relation to the planet's gravity. Of course, you eventually get to a point where the atmosphere is so thick and dense that the lines between 'atmosphere' and 'ocean' begin to blur (of course, atmospheres are gaseous and oceans are liquid, but as the atmosphere gets thicker the fliers will begin to look less like air creatures and more like sea creatures).

Makes sense. OK, then, define "gas" and define "liquid." Where one begins to seem like the other is probably going to be the Goldilocks zone of flying whales, if such a concept exists.

Mr.Robbo wrote: I haven't got everything completely planned out for Quinoa; I'm kind of making it up as I go along, which means things are a bit touch-and-go as I have to avoid unintended contradictions. The most interesting aerial concept for the planet was actually discussed jointly between myself and Avetzan1. You see, many of the plants on the planet use small cells of helium to keep them upright; in fact, some plants are actually lighter than air (and therefore have to be rooted firmly to prevent them from 'taking off'. The question then arises as to what happens when you have a dense enough collection of lighter-than-air plants rooted in one place; perhaps, anchored to the plants by their roots, a whole section of land could just be pulled up and float away?

The result is what we call a luftboden; a section of land, heavily populated by helium-filled plants, which just floats around terrorising Quinoan settlements with the occasional falling rock. The predicted movement of luftbodens would probably be included in weather forecasts, and the Colony would need a good air force for safely diverting more unstable formations away from population centres (or, if necessary, burning them so that they fall to the ground in an unpopulated area). It is conceivable that some organisms may have evolved symbiotic relationships organised around luftbodens, in some ways making the structures giant pseudo-organisms; 'drinking,' for example, through a species of vine which lowers into lakes to suck up water from lakes, which is ultimately spread to all of the organisms in the luftboden through transpiration and such.

…that. Is. The. Most. Awesome. Thing. I. I- the- what-

Hang on a sec, I've lost the ability to form coherent sentences :D

(Deep breath)

I've tried to figure out how to make conceivable floating islands for a while now (even before the obvious influence of Avatar), and I must say, I like your solution. What kind of life-forms do you think might inhabit such an ecosystem?

Mr.Robbo wrote: Thanks for the advice. Instead of Aerocetaceans I'll use Nubesviventids.

You're welcome :)

What does Nubisviventids translate as? Bit of a mouthful, but then, so are most FLTs.

(Fancy Latin Terms, though I include Greek and all other intellectual/extinct languages in that definition)