Imagine an earth-like planet far larger than our own.
NASA has actually discovered numerous exoplanets, dubbed ‘super-earths,’ which are over
twice the size of our tiny home-world.
Most of these super-earths can’t support life, but it’s interesting to imagine what
sorts of organisms we’d discover on a super-sized version of a habitable world...
Phtanum B is a speculative project created by the brilliant Stevemobcannon, who imagines
just such a planet, and the incredible alien life that might evolve on it.
And as usual, I have links where you can follow and support his work down below.
So, for this entry into the archive, we’ll be voyaging to the extraordinary alien world
of Phtanum B. The planet gets its name from the Greek root wood ‘phtan,’ which translates
as ‘To arrive first’ — a reference to the idea that Phtanum B is the first planet
with alien life that humanity arrives on in this fictional narrative.
At almost twice the size of Earth with a higher surface gravity and thicker atmosphere, conditions
on Phtanum B are quite different from on our own planet.
And the life here is downright awe-inspiring, reaching colossal sizes despite the higher
gravity… but we’ll come back to that later in the video.
For now, let’s discuss how humanity first reached these alien shores….
I wish I could tell you that in this timeline, humans grew into a grand interstellar civilization,
but the truth is the author imagines humanity drove themselves to extinction before our
story begins.
Their successors are mysterious genetically-modified superhumans known as the Deum, who wish to
give their homo-sapiens cousins a second chance.
Traveling to Phtanum B, the powerful Deum placed a reborn colony of humans on this habitable
world — and watched their progress from afar.
But what the last of humanity will find on this planet is an ecosystem much, much different
from Earth’s…
Beginning with flora, plants — like everything on Phtanum B, reach gargantuan sizes.
Here on the southern supercontinent, a lush world of red-tinted vegetation flourishes.
The sheer amount of consumable biomass in this environment far exceeds that of any on
Earth, allowing the organisms that feed on this flora to reach equally staggering sizes.
One of the first of these animals that humans encounter are the Giant Ptyonocodite — relatively
common herbivores with iridescent green skin due to algae that grows on their body and
symbiotically supplies them with extra energy.
Giant Ptyonocodite also gain energy by consuming plant matter in the surrounding environment
— which they rip from the ground with their flexible arm-like jaws.
Strange as this might seem, Ptyonocodite anatomy is a good ‘average’ example of a body
plan on Phtanum B — so let’s take a closer look at the inner workings of these organisms.
The skeletal system of Ptyonocodites and many of the other massive lifeforms we’ll be
exploring is made of pyrite — able to support far greater weight than the hydroxyapatite
bones of earthly animals.
Likewise, their muscle system is more powerful than an earth organism’s, with core muscles
made of more long-chained myosin fibers for basic movements, and a dedicated secondary
system of muscles for precise movement.
Instead of a single brain, a decentralized neural system sends commands to these muscles
— not unlike the neural systems of some types of starfish and coral.
Finally, you’ll notice that instead of eyes, most lifeforms on Phtanum B have ridges lined
with infrared light receptors on their heads.
Most organisms also lack traditional mouths, instead having a mouth-like hole in between
two tentacle-like ‘arm-jaws’ that bring food into the opening.
But keep in mind Ptyonocodites are just a baseline, and life on Phtanum B gets far more
interesting…
A distant relative of the Ptyonocodites are the plains-dwelling Bronze Synylopes — lifeforms
that use their strange, shovel-like lower arm-jaw to dig for food.
These organisms move in great herds of up to thirty individuals — a survival strategy
similar to the herding instincts of many animals here on Earth.
At 10 feet, or 3.2 meters in length, Bronze Synylopes could be considered megafauna here
on earth… but on Phtanum B, they’re actually on the small side.
This has led some human explorers to attempt domesticating them, with mixed success.
Along the volcanic shores of Phtanum B’s coastal regions, a hunter is relentlessly
pursuing prey.
This is a Black Curvoglavid, a multi-limbed predator whose arm jaws have hardened into
curved structures lined with pseudo-teeth used to ensnare its next meal.
In this regard, the spiny jaws of a Black Curvoglavid are analogous to the mandibles
of some earth insects.
These endurance hunters might be deadly to humans caught outside the walls of their colony,
but they’re actually just midsized predators on this world — which, when compared to
midsized Earth predators, puts into perspective how much bigger and scarier life can grow
on Phtanum B. Less common are Great Frigatepedes — rarely-encountered lifeforms that almost
resemble extremely deadly living trains.
Their multi-limbed body structure in some ways calls to mind the appearance of Earth
insects like centipedes or caterpillars.
Curiously, Great Frigatepedes hunt prey by ramming into them at high speeds, with their
bony front body protrusion acting as a battering ram.
After a successful use of this strange hunting technique, the creature’s hooked jaw-arms
unfold from hidden pouches and tear apart the prey.
And if that’s not intimidating enough, Great Frigatepedes are true goliaths, reaching almost
64 feet, or 19.5 meters in length… although some of their distant relatives grow even
larger.
But before we meet the relatives of the Frigatepedes, there’s another fascinating lifeform lurking
in the snowy mountains.
Here, far from the red plants of the lowlands, you can see the remains of its latest kill…
meaning our culprit is close by.
This is the Beartraphugger, a mountainous hunter that possesses a shaggy coat of silvery
fibers to protect it from the cold, not unlike the fur of a polar bear on our own planet.
Beartraphugger ancestry isn’t fully understood, but the bizarre biting apparatus at the front
of their head is an effective, knife-like tool when it comes to hunting prey.
But far stranger hunters exist on Phtanum B…
Returning to the lowlands, even the trees on Phtanum B can be deadly — although the
Sathrical Corpsetree isn’t a tree in the traditional sense but a Xenicozoophyte — an
organism that can gain sustenance from both the sun and other sources: which in the Corpsetree’s
case, includes living prey.
Blending into the red vegetation, these odd predators strike down animals that wander
too close with the large claw at the end of their arm.
The speared prey is then inserted into a mouth-like hole near the base of the arm.
Pretty terrifying.
Another Xenicozoophyte is the Blitz Spire, a lifeform so bizarre and unearthly it’s
hard to grasp at first.
The single largest immobile organism on Phtanum B, the Blitz Spire can reach a staggering
1,600 feet, or 495 meters tall, and grow indefinitely throughout their lifecycle until they collapse
under their weight and mass.
The tip of the Blitz Spire has evolved, incredibly, to attract lightning strikes, the electric
currents of which can then be re-released to stun prey that gets close to its underground
feeding tendrils.
These living skyscrapers are truly a lifeform unlike any other.
The largest mobile predator in both modern and prehistoric times, however, is the Giant
Lactismid — which has reached a scale most carnivores could only dream of.
A larger relative of the Frigatepedes, Giant Lactismids can reach 102 feet, or 31.1 meters
in length.
The incredible bulk of this creature is supported by countless legs: including larger, weight-bearing
outer limbs, and pairs of thinner, hooked internal limbs that can aid in hunting prey.
Giant Lactismids also have alarmingly well-developed neural-systems, which makes them aware enough
to avoid most human settlements… although on rare occasions, they’ve been known to
hunt humans for sport.
But even for a Giant Lactismid, not all lifeforms are easy to take down.
Take the gargantuan Castlewalkers, a group that, as their name implies, are impenetrable
living fortresses — and some of the heaviest terrestrial grazers on Phtanum B. Occupying
a niche not entirely unlike an elephant on our planet, Castlewalkers vacuum up plant
matter with a long, jaw-arm appendage covered in quills to scare off any predators.
These creatures are also quite intelligent, and are able to communicate with other members
of their species with morse code-like ground vibrations that they can perceive through
their feet.
As you can see by this size comparison to other Phtanum B lifeforms — plus a T-rex
for good measure — Castlewalkers are true titans, reaching lengths of over one hundred
and ten feet, or 34 meters.
But even Castlewalkers are small in comparison to the final lifeform on our list…
The immense Red Windwhales are among the most legendary and awe-inspiring lifeforms of Phtanum
B. Gliding through the open skies, Windwhales are mainly made up of air-filled cavities
that allow them to stay aloft despite reaching lengths of over 425 feet, or 130 meters — and
possessing wingspans nearly twice that length.
Aided by the dense atmosphere, Windwhales function almost like living paper planes,
and possess retractable legs that work like grappling hooks to anchor them to the ground
in turbulent weather.
When these tethers fail, however, and a Windwhale passes away, they create something called
a ‘Whalefall’ — an event where organisms from all across Phatnum B come to feast on
the fallen titan.
For the saga of Phatnum B is a story of life and death.
And now, humans are a part of this story…
At this point in the narrative’s development, whether or not humans will be able to survive
long term in their new environment is unknown.
Phtanum B is an ongoing project, so who knows what else might happens—and what else might
be lurking on this alien world…
Thanks for watching.
Please consider supporting the author using the links below — if you enjoyed this entry,
please like, subscribe, and hit the notification icon to stay up to date on all things Curious.
See you in the next video.