C.O.W. - #006: Digger Creature

[Fozzybar]

Round #006

Topic:
Digger Creature

Deadline:
14.03.2005




- for any questions or help go here:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=37512

note: The deadline won't be EXACTLY after a week...it can last up to 24 hours more, i am human and have to work also, you know

Post your creature for this week!

[coondoggle]

The Sand Swilling Castle Fiend:
Indiginous to deserts across the globe (Language may vary with location).
The sensitive skin of this creature prevents it from living a diurnal lifestyle and owning beach front property. Salt and sun kills these fleshy creatures quite easily. To combat this they shovel themselves under the sand where they can stay moist and cool during the day. After foraging each night the Castle Fiend builds elaborate structures in the sand before day breaks. The structures help it fend of the heat. The more sand the better! The intricacy of the structural design is very important as well, for you see the ladies love a phat pad and are attracted to the coolest areas in the sand. The female won't see her mate's lair until the evening, so she spends all day burrowing, searching for cool napping areas. If a male can keep her in his lair until evening it is a good sign! Though when they emerge at night the male may be dissappointed to find his female rejects the decor of her would be home.

One note on anatomy:
Protruding eye stalks peek above the sand at the slightest disturbance, always on the alert for danger. Walking among these animals during the day is like an amusing game of peek a boo. Desert children often throw things near Castle Fiends to see who can get the closest without arrousing one. *ahem* Rather, having the creature poke it's eyes above the ground.

One more note:
Desert children are excellent sources of tiny Castle Fiend sized plastic shovels and pails.

[magicgoo]

This little guy is a xenopod, a distant and ancient relative of the armadillo and sloth. He has boney forearm plates that help hip to dig through the soil where he can find delicious ants and termites. He has a very long snout to hold his long tongue, which is perfect for licking up insects. He also has a boney jaw and chin for packing the earth tightly around his tunneled home under the ground. He's generally harmless, but very shy, and may try to backhand and claw his predators if they get too close. He's approximately 4 feet hight at the shoulder.

Please don't frighten him!

[Dougbot]

Whoa, 2 great cow's already! Coondoggle, show me how you got that coloring effect tomorrow at work. Mine might be a wip (I think I read we can alter them until the due date). I've been so busy I'm not sure I'll have time to revisit it.



The Rotwood Burrower lives around the perimeter of the Yunogoth Jungle. It's on omnivore that feeds off of batanka grub, roots and nutrients in the soil. The soil is passed through the tubes on it's body. Nutrients are pulled from that soil as it passes through the burrowers body. Then is expelled behind it, covering most of the tunnel it had just created. This way predators can't catch them from behind.

Rotwood Burrowers are about the size of a large dog, and have nasty tempers. Think warthog or wolverine. Usually though they avoid settlers, and contact with them rarely ends in death of either party involved.

[Matt Dixon]

Doug and I appear to have been thinking along similar lines...



The Rocksnapper's natural habitat is the barren surface of the planet Subtarboria. This wasteland of low mountains and parched earth is ravaged by dust storms and high winds, but conceals a surprisingly diverse ecosystem of fungi and invertebrates in the water-soaked substrata of porous rock a few feet below the surface. The creature uses it's powerful foreclaws and beak to smash it's way through the stony soil and rock on the surface to feed on the rich subterranean food source.

It's spiny back and collar protect it from predators while it's head is below ground, and the Rocksnapper has evolved hindclaws of different sizes to help it retain traction in the debris of gravel and shattered stone that surround it.

Interesting Rocksnapper fact 1 : The creature intentionally ingests a certain amount of soil and rock when feeding, which is 'digested' to help strengthen it's tough carapace and claws.

Interesting Rocksnapper fact 2 : Despite it's rugged appearance, the clouds of fine dust that blow constantly across the surface of Subtarboria mean the creature's hard extremeties are polished to a glass-like finish.

Interesting Rocksnapper fact 3 : Wind blowing through the Rocksnapper's spines produces a low, reverberating hum which the creature appears to be able to control by moving it's head and spine. Research into the Rocksnapper's 'song' as a means of communication have been inconclusive.

[fungi]

lol damn, i also have the same sort of idea as doug. to tell you the truth i really dont like my pic, but im gonna post it anyway. cant be bothered to do another.



Bone Backed Jelly Tunneller

The bone backed jelly tunneller is well known for its hugely venomous underbelly. that being its only defence mechanism apart from its rock like shell which covers its main bodily muscle. the huge muscle spans the whole length of the creatures body and is used to power its rock crunching teeth mounted just above its "mouth". the mouth itself has rows and rows of black teeth designed to chew up dirt and smaller rocks. dirt being its main food (it also likes to eat plant roots) it chews it up and sucks out all of the moisture and nutrients before passing it out its tail, thus covering its tracks. the venomous slime which covers its underbelly not also provides a defence but also a lubrication for its body to pass through the ground smoothly. the venom itself will almost certainly kill you if you happen to eat it but is quite harmless to the touch.

[Dougbot]

Matt that's awesome. That head and eye are so friggin cool! Fungi your insane. That piece is way super cool. Excellent work.

[JoBeSu]

Ok here is mine...The story part is not my strongest skill
But here it is

The Double warted digger worm" is a hard-working digger that spends most time of the day and night digging maze like tunnel systems ,Gladly under smaller towns where they look for foad soaked into the ground from pubs and resaurants...they dont mind some beer spill from the pubs, Intoxicated they love to play around in their mazes, Which sometimes leads to copulating with the opposite sex. Joy of the day is when they can look upp from the ground and enjoy some sunshine after a good meal...or other activity.
They are nearly blind which make them look sleepy but they rarely sleeps, they are very hyperactive creatures.



/Joel

[coondoggle]

I love it Jobesu! The teeny hind legs and the tusks and buck teeth are adorable!

[sone_one]

heres mine... ill post the information on it later...



[edit]...

Tunnel Rat

first to be heard of during vietnam war, scientists got very excited bout the rumors, mistaking it as the existence of a new creature.
about 30 years later, now a strange animal has been spotted on madagaskar island. dedicated to the embarrassing fault of the 70ties its been named tunnel rat (lat. specus rattus).

its about 4 times the size of its relatives the house rats (lat. rattus rattus) and living in wide tunnels, it digs below the surface, which fact explains its been spotted that late. its diet probably mostly consists of maggots and worms (lat. vermis).

scientists are still about to explore this newly found animal and its habitat.

[Pixeldragoon]

Air's mine.

He's got shells like an armadillo to prevent scratches, a tail to balance if he gets up on hind legs, and monster claws for getting through the earth and gravel. His schnoz is strealined so he is aerodynamic. Why it helps in digging is beyond me.

[Scarn]

I'm gonna try something new this round - and if It works, I may keep doing it this way ( let me know what you think ).



Ships Log: Captain Sam Solar:

"Caretaker of Emaruul" :: As I made my way towards the 'Hell Horse Nebula Science Space Station', or the H2.N.S3, I took a short detour through the woods of Emaruul, hoping to catch a glimpse of the three setting suns, but my timing was far too early and I arrived mid-day. My little adventure was nearly wasted until I spotted a 'Caretaker' planting some forest extensions in a nearby field. Usually these giant creatures are busy deep within the forests gathering sick or dying plant life onto its back, nurturing them back to proper health. I took a few documental pictures with my robo-cam to be sure people would believe my story, and so that I could remember such an experience through my greying years. I read somewhere that the large drill-like structure in the middle of the Caretaker could be created from the sick plant's roots as they grow stronger, that tiny arms inside the inner ring adjust and form the roots into the tightly wound drill, so that when the time came for them to be re-planted, the Emaruul Caretaker could then wedge them deep into the ground, stronger than ever. Perhaps these trees I saw in the middle used to be sickly? It would be a good assumption. I will have to show my new images to the scientists at H2.N.S3, I'm sure they'll love to study them for further understanding of the worlds around us.

[JeffZNY]

JoBeSu- I love it! Tons of personality...definitely the early frontrunner for my vote, though truthfully pretty much every entry has been kick ass so far.

Here's mine:


Alas, what horror the flames of passion hath wrought! The love-child of a drunken coal miner and a hideously seductive ogre, the tragic hybrid Orthranx is a walking advertisement for the morning after pill. Taunted by the human community for his horrific face, and shunned by the ogre clan for his dashing good looks and stellar dental hygiene, Orthranx lives a lonely existence in the Earth's very womb, passing the days by compulsively digging a labyrinth of tunnels right underneath our feet. Responsible for more cave-ins than a natural disaster, time and time again Orthranx has enacted his vengeance upon those who would drive him underground. But who is the true villain here? The tortured monster, the cruel society, or the inebriated artist who concocted it all?

[rev]

DESCIMATION GRUB

This newly discovered grub takes "root" in soil and sucks all of the nutrients out. Once it has exhausted one area it moves on to more fertile areas, descimating vast amounts of land. It has unusually well developed appendages, which allow to to travel much more ease than previously discovered grubs ever have.


and no i couldnt think of a good name

[Johann de Venecia]

Cool entries from everyone Here's my critter...



Though it resembles an overgrown house spider, the wandering root is really just a plant. This transient root tree spends its life tirelessly digging tunnels deep within the earth. Using it's tough, slithering tendrils, it burrows underground in a constant search for its food source Cummingtonite (it actually exists!), a rare mineral found miles below the crust. It resurfaces once a year to absorb sunlight, about the time when the bud found in the center of its body blossoms. The bud is essential for energy storage. For a full week the wandering root will bask in the sunlight allowing the bud to recharge before it can begin its year-long subterranean trek.

[vigostar]

WOW, people are up and running early on this weeks COW..! Great work so far... Hey, JEff... I was orginally going to do something along the same lines.. thank god i didnt!!! I actually think that I'll be done with mine as well today!! Wow, Im ahead of the game also.. Must be alignment of the stars or something!

[arteric]

OK, so I JUST found this weeks contest subject (I had to do a search, have we stopped posting links to the NEW C.O.W. in the previous weeks version?)

I have seen it for all of 5 seconds and there are half a dozen that put me to shame.... make me want to go crawl into a corner and cry for mommy.

But I shall redouble my efforts to create something cool, until then...

"The Other Threads Can't Compare to C.O.W.!"

[Uziel]

Here's mine...enjoy

Giant Rockdigger

This creature lives in the rocky deserts of AlTh'yr. It has a massive forhead and metallic teeth to dig its way thru sand and rock. It feeds on everything that crosses its path (minerals,other underground creatures, miners, younger Rockdiggers). Waiting in its labarynth of tunnels (depth: 10-95m) it can pick up movement with its sensitive membranes behind the eyes. It has hollow tubes running around the membrane area to amplify the smallest vibration.

Mankind succeeded only once to kill an adult G.Rockdigger, using a small nuclear weapon. The specimen was estimated to be over 325 years old. Scientists believe they can become at least 400 years old. They also assume that to attract female rockdiggers the male hits solid rock at full speed causing local earthquakes...

[leckronium]

The Spade-billed Platysaurus was a creature that roamed the earth during the time of the dinosaurs. Archaeologists have only discovered bits and pieces such as plates and claws near what is now the Grand Canyon. It is thought that this creature may have been responsible for digging the start of this well known landmark while searching for meals. It's bill was used just like a shovel to start holes and move large amounts of dirt quickly along with its claws and a questionable horn protruding from its lower jaw. The plates on the tail could have been used to loosen rock walls or large dirt mounds.

The Platysaurus didn't have very many enemies since it spent most of its time in the ground out of harms way. It is thought that this creature had an obsession with digging. Sometimes digging for no apparent reason for days. According to some archaeologists, it is said to have dug so deep that it would become trapped and have to survive on seeping groundwater and insects and worms until it could dig its way to another place.

[Salvadorcoran]

jeebus... I'm having a flash-back of kevin bacon...scary..... uhh its clearing up ....I see ....Tremmors...

~ORCO~

[Uziel]

Just to bring up good old stuff including digger creatures: Dune (1984)->this movie is as old as i am... Tremors(1990)...

http://www.darklands.cx/~kodisoa/Chi...Worm_Snack.jpg
http://members.tripod.com/larry.may/images/worm2a.jpg
http://www.lonepinefilmfestival.org/...ORS%20WORM.jpg
http://www.haikosfilmlexikon.de/horror/st/tremors.jpg

Now back to COW sorry for the intermezzo...

[coondoggle]

Man, Tremors was so good! Especially in the sequels when they grew legs and ran around like little balls of cuteness.

[grimmy]

i like blind stuff for some reason. if you ever saw the movie " cheap fast and out of control " , i basically just ripped off the hairless more rats in that movie. if you haven’t seen it check it out. A very interesting film that I think would appeal to you if you have obsessive and or inquisitive natures.

or, i mean, if you up at 1am drawing pictures of hairless mole rats in jazzercise outfits.

[flaptraps]

This guy is known as a green lumpy. Despite it's furious look and killer instinct it moves at a alarming slow rate by lofting it's fat head and rapper like grill through the depths of the earth. Dragging itself like a dead person would drag itself, if a dead person could drag itself, itself would drag,. . . . drag. You can find this creature digging from Malbone ND, to somplace in China... usually it doesn't make it there but i just made up a spot for it to go for the story.

Fun Fact: you may think those chubby things on the side are like legs, however they are legs, . . . and there chubby.

Fun Fact: Malbone ND isn't a real place, I made it up.

Fun Fact: Malbone ND IS a real place, I just lied to you.

[vigostar]

Well, heres my entry.. I tried something a bit different this time.. hope you guys like it..

There lies an ancient myth of a warlock named Arotraz. Myth has it that this evil warlock once tormented the small town of Slaughtersville. He would kidnap the residents of this small town in order to create his evil spells which he thought would give him enternal life. The towns people eventually captured this evil warlock and sentenced him to life of solitude in the "hole with no name" to live out the rest of his life. Rumor has it that every 9 years he would summon the digging creature named "the digger" that would escavate dead bodies. It is told that for every body the creature dug up it would give him one more day of life. The digging creature is controlled by the "mask of darkenss". This mask allows the warlock to have complete control of this creature. March 27th is the date for the next rising of the creature. so, make sure you pay attention to the graves of your loved ones. Visit them. Please! Make sure that they are there. And if they are not.. Let all your fellow CA'ers know. That he's Back!

[Helzon]

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But best of all, The L'il Prospector® comes with not one but two! glow-in the-dark super strong membranal pouches to haul your treasures back to the surface and right to your back door...
So call now! 1-888-DIG-DEEP...our operators are standing by...Sorry No Checks or C.O.D's...Limit 1 per family.....Not available in CA, OR, or IA...
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[Helzon]

This weeks entries are frickin incredible!! My hat's off to all of you!!...

JoBeSu: Dude...first..thanks for the vote last round!...and I have to say...your creature rocks!...Nearly pissed myself laughing...the personality in your piece speaks for itself and your talent!...

Fungi: dude...I could only wish to get to the level you have achieved in rendering with color...i'm stupified every time I scope your entry..

Coondoggle, MattDixon, dougbot, lukavi,...each of you at once make this board the most enjoyable and simultaneously frustrating (artistically speaking)...because your originality and presentation are friggin magnificent...
And if I forgot anyone....(my mind is a sieve)....I apologize..and let me say that you add to the rich, full flavored experience that is C.O.W...
On a side note:...arteric...I want to thank you for the investment of time you put in to critique each of us that enter. Your balanced approach of both praise and improvement show that you care...and not just cheerlead...

[xia]

Dougbot said I have to post or he will poop on my desk.

Name:MONTUCKET
Origin: Ruby Dust Jungle, Hell

Discription:
-The Montucket is cursed with bad hearing and vision. This digging boar from Hell is sensitive to light, so it usually hunts at night. It uses it’s tendrils to feel vibration from above it. A dense system of nerves travel through the tendrils into the Montuckets thick body. Even the slightest vibration from above is felt. For over a hundred feet the Montucket can detect and identify its prey. This is helped in part by its amazing olfactory system.

-The tendrils also are filled with poison tip spines. When they burst out of the ground and grab its prey, poison spreads through the victim’s body causing paralysis.

-Its strong front arms are tipped with titanium like claws, allowing it to dig through heavy and dense dirt and stone. The mid legs help propel the Montucket through the ground. They also serve as support for its bulky midsection.

Fun Fact: Due to Xia's illiteracy, Dougbot helps me translate my Dumb English discription to good readable English discription.

[Fozzybar]

Gravedigger Mole

Found under the earth in areas around cemeteries, this mole feeds by the buried corpses...it smells like carrion and has no natural enemies because of that...scientists are not sure about the little spikes on their backs, but they assume that they are some sort of a sense organ to locate dead organisms...





Great entries so far!!! Keep it up!

[Xpose]

Alright I'm done... I think lol



What has four eyes, has razor sharp claws, and hairy all over? Yep it's your mother..... ok time to get down to business the Cashous is an animal unlike any other. It has two sets of eyes, yet still it cannot see so well. Instead of seeing the way we do it sees variations in heat to get around as well as using it's amazing sense of smell to hunt it's little prey. It spends 80% of it's time underground in passage ways it's dug searching for grub worms and other insects. If one could fit into one these passage ways they would most definitely get lost in the labyrinth it calls home. It was once said that if there is a way to dig to china the Cashous would be the one to do it.