Darwin IV

Darwin IV is a fictional planet that was the subject of Wayne Barlowe's book Expedition and the television special, Alien Planet, based on Expedition. Although the details of the discovery and exploration of Darwin IV differ in the two presentations, both are essentially the same in their depiction of the planetary environment and its native lifeforms, whose abundance and variety prompt the name Darwin.

Expedition describes Darwin IV as the fourth of six planets orbiting a binary star system approximately 6.5 light years from the Sol system. Darwin IV is discovered by a benevolent and technologically superior alien race known as the Yma. The Yma also provide suitable transportation to the planet for a number of human observers by means of an unspecified faster-than-light drive system. This technology reduces the travel time to a much more manageable 2 year journey, during which the explorers inhabit "sleep-pods." Barlowe notes that the Darwinian day lasts 26.7 hours and that its gravity is 0.6 times that of the Earth. Darwin IV's most notable surface feature is "Mare Amoebicus," the Amoebic Sea.

In Alien Planet a less fantastic scenario is presented where a ship called the Von Braun is sent to explore an alien world outside the solar system. The Von Braun is sent to a binary star system about six and half light years from Earth. At 20% of the speed of light (.2c), it takes over 40 years to travel to this system. Upon arrival it goes into orbit around Darwin IV, the Von Braun deployed the Darwin Reconnaissance Orbiter to scan the planet from orbit. The Von Braun also dispatches three identically shaped lighter-than-air probes to the planet surface. These three probes are:

Leonardo da Vinci (nicknamed "Leo" and colored blue).
Isaac Newton (nicknamed "Ike" and colored yellow).
Balboa (named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa and colored red). Balboa did not survive entry into the Darwin IV atmosphere. (Balboa was evidently doomed from the start--the screenwriters of Alien Planet never proposed a nickname for it.)

In both stories the low gravity and dense atmosphere allow aerial organisms that would be impossible on Earth.

Senses

The species on Darwin have all evolved sonar, echolocating using pings (ex: Rayback), clicks (ex: Gyrosprinter), high pitched squeals (ex: Sea Strider Nymphs), roars (ex: Emperor Sea Strider), and more. Many have complicated cephalons to aid in this sense. The majority have also evolved biolights; but rather than communicating information in the visible light spectrum, biolights on Darwin IV function in the infrared range, as all Darwinian animals are quite sensitive to that spectrum. It is important to note that this sensitivity is more comparable to a pit viper's senses, not eyes. The Rimerunner still has one bizarre, retractable, atrophying eye, a remnant from a time when sight-based organisms still had a place on Darwin IV.

List of species

Below is a list of the species found on Darwin IV. NOTE: Species marked with a "*" are featured in both the Alien Planet TV special and the book Expedition. Unmarked species are found exclusively in the book.

All species in Alien Planet were mentioned or depicted in Expedition; however, it should be noted that the Electrophyte was only briefly depicted in the book and was only fully explained in Alien Planet.

Animals

Amoebic Sea* - The Amoebic Sea is a gelatinous sea of single-celled organisms. It is home to emperor sea striders and sac-backs.
Arctic Sedge Slider - A ten-metre-tall bipedalien, the Arctic Sedge Slider is perfectly adapted for life in the cold. The Arctic Sedge Slider's name comes from the furrows it leaves in its wake. This creature has an ingenious adaption for the cold. When temperatures drop low, or a fierce arctic storm comes, the Arctic Sedge Slider has the ability to retract its head deep into its warm body cavity. When conditions are favorable again, its head reemerges again and it resumes its activities. The Arctic Sedge Slider has what may be the biggest sonar bulge of any animal on Darwin IV. This massive organ produces sonar pings in, not one, but multiple frequencies. And, since the bulge is on the Arctic Sedge Slider's back, it gives the animal the ability to "see" in 360 degrees. It takes quite a clever predator to catch an Arctic Sedge Slider by surprise. A pair of Arctic Sedge Sliders.
Arrowtongue* - Averaging about eight metres tall, an Arrowtongue impales its prey with a 26-foot-long, serrated, arrow-tipped proboscis. Like many spiders on Earth (and like most predators on Darwin IV), Arrowtongues are liquivores, injecting digestive juices into their prey and then sucking out the food. They are fierce, solitary hunters found across the planet. They somewhat vaguely resemble a T-Rex, aside from the fact that it's pointed, spade-like heads contain no true jaws, like most of Darwin IV's animals. A picture of a rather threatening looking Arrowtongue, a running Arrowtongue from Alien Planet
Beach Quill* -Beach Quills are short-range attack hunters and are some of the smallest creatures on Darwin IV. They attack in colonies and kill their prey with a neurotoxin. In Alien Planet a large colony kills a Groveback. They can propel themselves by means of a folded muscular "foot". See a Beach Quill.,Beach Quills attacking prey.
Belly-Thrower -A monopedalien which has an eating habit similar to that of a starfish, it inverts its stomach outside the body and catches prey in it.
Bladderhorn* - This creature is a bright blue, rather comical-looking bipedalien, with two "antlers" extending out of the sides of its head, which are actually sacs designed to inflate and make it look much larger than it truly is. Bladderhorns make bellowing sounds by deflating the air sacs, which the Bladderhorn uses for communication, which, in Alien Planet, makes Leo think it is intelligent, and he shows the Bladderhorn a symbol puzzle. This spooks the Bladderhorn into running away. Then, a mysterious creature, which is actually an Eosapien, attacks and deactivates Leo. Ike sees Bladderhorns near the conclusion of the exploration. Bladderhorns fight with their bladders like antlers, too, using light shows and their bladders to scare away enemies. Image of a Bladderhorn with its proboscis drinking from a waterbed, Alien Planet's Bladderhorn .
Bolt-tongue - Though it resembles a small Arrowtongue, the Bolt-tongue has some key features that distinguish it from its larger relative. Its skull is longer and narrower than the arrowtongue's, and it lacks the small fleshy spines of its savannah counterpart. Unlike the Arrowtongue, who's sonar bulges are on the side of its head, it has the arc running down the top of its head. Its back lacks biolights and has a large patch of grey running from the tip of its skull to the end of its tail. The Bolt-tongue inhabits sub-polar regions of the northern icecap, where it preys upon several species of arctic herbivores. Its tongue has larger and more pronounced serrated edges than its cousin. The head of a Bolt-tongue.
Butchertree* - Many species prey on the numerous, fast breeding Prismalope, but the Butchertree is the only species that actually lures the Prismalope instead of chasing it. Dotting the plains of the northern hemisphere, the Butchertree kills just about anything unfortunate enough to come within attack range. They have a bizarre relationship with an unnamed flying organism, which is the primary food source of Prismalopes. The butchertree grows underground tentacles that heavily resemble these flyers, allowing the "tree" to lure Prismalopes close enough to capture and eat. It is unknown just how this species reproduces. One possibility is that the small flyer it associates with transfers eggs and sperm between individuals. Another possibility is that the flyer itself is the second gender of the species, a sexually dimorphic extreme. Either way, young Butchertrees are found close to their "parent", and are connected to them through an umbilical cord similar to that of the "growths" that mimic the flyers. The cord disappears once the young are capable of nourishing themselves. In Alien Planet the Butchertree is one of only two species shown to prey on Skewers. A sketch of a butchertree, Butchertree from Alien Planet.
Daggerwrist* - The Daggerwrist is a human-sized tree-dwelling carnivore. It glides from tree to tree with the assistance of patagia, similar to those of a flying squirrel. Its hands are large daggers designed for clinging to plaque-bark trees and killing prey, mainly Trunk-suckers. Unlike most of Darwin IV's predators, the Daggerwrist has what could be considered a jaw. It is actually part of the skull that detaches to stab its prey and inject the needed digestive enzymes. A Daggerwrist perched on a tree, a Daggerwrist gliding.
Diskflyer - Diskflyers live around the Amoebic sea and operate within very distinct four square kilometer territories. It is not known whether young Diskflyers stay within the territories in which they were born or if they leave to establish new territories of their own. Diskflyers are hermaphroditic, like most of Darwin IV's fauna, and mating impregnates both partners. It is not known whether diskflyers give birth to live young or eggs, but it is probably the latter.
Ebony Blister-wing - An immense floater, the Ebony Blister-wing can sometimes attain wingspans in excess of 1000 feet. The only data about this creature is known from a few drawings and sketches.
Emperor Sea-strider* - The Emperor Sea-strider is the one of the largest known creatures on Darwin IV. In Alien Planet, the Emperor Sea-strider is around 80 feet tall, but it is much more massive in the book Expedition. Though their exact size is unknown, if Mr. Barlowe's account is correct, they would be 620 feet tall. Emperor Sea-striders walk on the surface of the Amoebic sea with their two massive feet. Emperor Sea-striders are found only on the Amoebic Sea for two reasons: the sea's gelatinous surface is the only material that can support the striders' great weight (a notion that is similar to what was once thought of for sauropods), and the sea is the only source of nutrients large enough to support such creatures. When Emperor Sea-striders are born they are capable of flight, but as adults they are bipedal. The identifying traits they have are a mouthless crested head, two very large orange biolights (which are cavities in the book), two large tails (which is actually a tail and a phallus according to the book), and smaller blue biolights accenting their crests and tails. Painting of adult and nymph Striders, Sea Striders from Alien Planet.
Eosapien* - Eosapiens are the natives of Darwin IV in Expedition. The Eosapiens appear to be highly mobile, airborne, and semi-sentient. They possess tentacle-like limbs, navigate with organic rudders, and use large bags of methane to provide lift. Eosapiens have rudimentary intelligence roughly equivalent to that of our own ancestors (ie. Homo Erectus) and spears (called 'flechettes') that they use for hunting purposes. Their name means, Dawn thinker and Wise Dawn in Latin. In Alien Planet they were one of only two species shown to prey on Skewers. Leo was assaulted by one while trying to communicate with a Bladderhorn. A group of Eosapiens apparently interpreted a camera disk launched by Ike as a threat; the last image from the camera disk showed the Eosapiens flying away, carrying a limp Ike. The floating balloon probe resembles the floating Eosapiens, and the launch of the video disc was probably interpreted as throwing a flechette. This species looks much different in the book than in Alien Planet, the Eosapiens fingers were made more tentacle-like and longer, and they increased the size of its bladders, probably to make it more realisting, and they gave them spears and not clubs, they also change their skin colour and hunting strategies. Barlowe's version of an Eosapien with a club, Eosapien from Alien Planet production.
Fin Leg - Small, silver, barrel-shaped herbivores with two fin-like limbs limbs, hence the name. Even though it only has two fins is walk on four points, two in each fin.
Finned Snapper - A carnivore with 2 front legs and an aerofoil like hind quarters that lifts it when it runs. They feed on Jetdarters.
Flipstick - Flipsticks are tall, cylindrical creatures. The Flipstick's signature form of locomotion involves leaping into the air and flipping 180° to land on its opposite end. An ecosystem with Flipsticks
Follow-wing - Small violet flyers that usually follow Skewers to scavenge from their kills. They are related to the Skewer, but they are only 2 meters long. Unlike their larger cousins and most life on Darwin IV, they have an example of convergent evolution, they, like a lot of animals on Earth have actual jaws. Their jaws open sideways.
Forest Gulper - A large creature that lures creatures into its mouth by scent, then slowly digests them alive. They resemble a gigantic green barrel with and intestine-like tail and two, atrophied, beating wings. These wings are used for flight in the Gulper's larval stage. [1]
Forest Slider - Forest Sliders are bidedaliens that are born with four legs, but as their rear skid hardens and matures, their limbs drop off. A baby is seen with its parent in the book. A Forest Slider drinking water.
Gelsucker - The gelsucker is a quadrupedalien, but also has a pair of clawed arms, giving it a total of six appendages. Gelsuckers are so called because they feast on the flesh of the Jelly Bladder plant, which grows in small groves on the outskirts of pocket forests. They use their clawed arms to rip the "bladders" open, and then use their extendable proboscis to suck down the semi-solid flesh.
Gill-Head- A Bipedalien with a sike on its chest to support it, almost like a third leg. They are one of the last remaining terrestrial air-sifters, such as the Rime-Runner. It is preyed upon by the Eosapien
Groveback* - In Alien Planet the Groveback is the largest of the creatures of Darwin IV, with the possible exception, depending on definition, of the Ameobic Sea. When fully mature, they are large enough so entire stands of trees grow on their backs during the long periods of dormancy they spend buried in the ground. Once mobile, they travel on two large front legs and a rear appendage shape much like a sledge or runner, similar to the other Slider variations. The feeding habits of the Groveback differ between the book and the film. In Alien Planet, the Groveback feeds by absorbing nutrients from the soil through the skin of its underbody. But, in the book Expedition, the Groveback is a filter feeder, feeding on the microscopic plants and animals that number in the thousands in Darwin IV's air currents. Considering the Groveback's size and speed, the first mentioned lifestyle is probably more realistic, but when considering the multitude of slow filter feeders and a many nostril-like orifices covering the Groveback's head, the latter lifestyle is more realistic. Picture of Groveback, movie production screen.
Gyrosprinter* - The "antelope" of Darwin IV. Unlike the antelopes of Earth, the Gyrosprinter has two legs: a fusion of the forelimbs and the fusion of the hind limbs. Unfortunately, such a placement of legs can be cumbersome. On its shoulders the Gyrosprinter has two balance organs (similar to the inner ear of a human) located in two thick prongs protruding from either side of its trunk. It has two hearts, a two metre long tongue, and its nostrils grow from its shoulders. Picture of a Gyrosprinter.
Hook-tailed Flyer - A yellow, medium-sized flyer with a hooked tail and a single float blader.
Ice Crawler - Quadrapedaliens that resemble pillbugs are nearly motionless and make comically flatulent noises when emerging from their "sleep sack". Ice Crawlers on a beach with Rime-runner
Ice Dart - A small flying animal that has three pointed tubes for feeding and drinking, one on its face, another on its bottom sides, and a third one on its rear. It also pokes itself on ice during snow storms.
Jetdarter* - One of Darwin IV's bizarre aerial life forms. The Jetdarter is a scavenger whose compact body assumes a jet-like shape. It has no wings to aid in flight. Instead, it has a biological version of a ramjet engine - complete with a turbine of bone and gristle. It has four legs which fold up during flight. The Jetdarter forms nests in the pocket-forests and fears many creatues, such as Eletrophyte plants and Finned Snappers. [2], Picture of a Jetdarter.
Keeled Slider - The Keeled Slider is a giant brown animal with kneeled arms. It builds special egg chambers to keep eggs and young in. It slides down muddy mountains. Can be male or female. Two Keeled Sliders.
Littoralope* - The Littoralope is an animal that uses huge Sea-strider skulls for shelter. In Alien Planet, the Littoralopes have tails that resemble their heads, similar to Symets, which did not appear in the program. photo with Littoralopes living inside of a Sea Stider's skull, Alien Planet version.
Mummy-nest Flyer - They are black flyers, with a tail that bends back to meet the front of the body. (like scorions, except the tail is curled under is, not above) Unlike some flyers, they are not jet propelled, they flap their wings to fly
Mummy-nest - This animal has sphincter-like orfices on its body. It is later invaded by Mummy-nest Flyers (though they may have once been one and the same).
Praire-ram - Prairie-rams are animals that impales their prey's chest to suck bodily juices. Picture of a Praire-ram.
Prismalope - An numerous triped of Darwin's plains, Prismalopes often travel in herds. The first thing one notices about this creature is its massive cranium. Though it appears ungainly, it houses the Prismalope's grasping tentacles, which it uses to capture small prey. This fast-breeding creature is preyed upon by a multitude of predators, both terrestrial and airborne. Prismalopes with butchertrees in the background.
Prongheads* - Prongheads are pack hunting animals that mainly feed on Gyrosprinters and Littoralopes. They are named for the four hollow prongs protruding from their faces that act as tubes to siphon liquids from their prey. [3], Picture of Alien Planet's Pronghead here.
Rayback - An agile predator of Darwin IV's grasslands. This creature gets its name for the four spines that project from its back. Unlike most other predators with specialized features to suit specific prey, the Rayback has no specializations. Its only weapons are its lightning-fast speed and a dagger-like tongue. It is fierce and attacks anything that moves. Like all of Darwin IV's creatures, it uses sonar to sense its surroundings. It was the first animal encountered by Barlowe, and apparently, his sudden appearance caused it to start attacking him and his vehicle. It resembles the Bolt-Tongue and Arrowtongue. Picture of Rayback.
Rimerunner - The Rimerunner is one of the bizarre one-legged animals on Darwin IV. Supported by only one leg, the Rimerunner can only hop along its icy arctic home like a kangaroo. It eats only aerophytes and other microscopic aerborne organisms. At the front of its head, the Rimerunner sports an umbrella-like organ. This organ, suspended by thin neural cables, is a sophisticated sonar system along with a primitive eye (which is likely atrophying). Picture of a Rimerunner.
Rugose Floater - Rugose Floaters are heavily wrinkled, fish-like aliens that float in the air. During spawning season, they have eggs trailing behind their "fins" and reduce to their cresent shape when spawning is complete. They can be seen on the front cover of Expedition and at the top of this web page. A larger photo.
Sacback - The Sacback lives at the edge of the Amoebic Sea, where it feeds on the sea's gelatanous covering. The Sacback gets its name from the sac on the male's back. The sac is used to store pre-digested "sea" material, which is later fed to the females. Male and female Sacbacks live completely different lives. Males live on the surface, walking around on their three legs. Female sacbacks dig "tombs" in which they bury themselves. Once buried, the only part of the female that sees the light of day is her mouth and tentacle. Two Sac-Backs mating.
Scavengewing - Scavengewings are flying animals that have a special digestive system suitable for eating carcasses.
Skewer* - The deadliest predator of Darwin IV. It is an enormous flying creature, with a wingspan of 15 meters (45 feet) - The only know animal on Earth with a wingspan that size are the extinct pterosaurs with their wing spans of 50 feet. Its wings do not flap but squeeze, shifting shape to shift flight. It is actually propelled by combusting methane gas in four jet-pods on its wings. This allows the Skewer to travel at speeds of 200 miles per hour. Its killing tool is a hollow lance that impales its prey, injects digestive enzymes, and sucks the corpse dry. The Skewer also hunt in groups, each Skewer dropping the spoils and another swoops in to feast. Some Skewers and some Follow-Wings .
Spade-nose - A quadrapedalien that lives in forests. It is the common prey of the Gulper. Photo of a gulper devouring a spade-nose.
Springwing The Springwing is a beaked horse-like animal that springs and glides off cliffs. Photo of a Springwing.
Stripewing The Stripewing is a lazy flying creature with stripes on its wings which breaks into a hopping frenzy each night.
Symet - Symets are herbivores named for their protective symmetry. In Expedition, Barlowe observes a herd of Symets in a desert in bordering the Vallis Przewalski. Although they do not feature in Alien Planet, Litterolopes are altered to have identical tails and heads, like Symets. Picture of a Symet.
Thornback The Thornback is an herbivore that walks on its three-legged gait. It has protective thorns on its back. They vagely resemble rhinos. Pictures of a Thornback, Thornbacks pursued by an Arrowtoungue.
Trunksucker* - The Trunksucker is a small animal that glides through Darwin IV's forests and clings to plaque bark trees, sucking their sap. The first dead creature that the probes find on Darwin IV is in fact a Trunksucker, most likely killed by a Daggerwrist. Picture of a Trunksucker.
Tundraplow - An animal that digs part of its body in the ground to get food, which looks remarkably similar to the Eosapien.
Unth*- The Unth is a mountain creature that resembles a warthog with asymmetrical tusks. The Unth is named for the sound it makes when it exhales ("uuuunnth!"), but in Alien Planet, the sound supposedly comes from the creature's footfalls. Unths live in herds. The Unths of Alien Planet are first encountered by Leo, but Ike meets up with this peaceful herbivore near the end of his journey. The Unth herd was apparently spooked by either the Bladderhorn duel nearby, or a mystery creature (Eosapien), which deactivated Leo. Some Unths during a storm.
Unammed Flyer - As of yet, this species has no common name. This flying creature is the main food source of the Prismalope in the northern plains. This species has developed an intriguing relationship with the Butchertree. Within a 15 ft or so radius of a Butchertree are a dozen or so small growths. The growths are actually part of the Butchertree, connected to it by underground tentacles. These growths are physically identical in appearance to the small unamed flyers, and should a flyer land next to one, it would be virtually impossible to tell which was which. This camouflage is often so good it can deceive Prismalopes into coming inside the Butchertree's attack range, where they then find themselves skewered and drained of fluids. the unamed flyer, Prismalope, and Butchertree.
Hammer-Headed Veldt Wing A hooded flying animal that has a crescent shaped head at the end of a skinny neck, one is witnessed being attacked by a Rayback, shown in an illustration.

Vegetative Organisms

Plaque-bark tree* - These trees are tall with straight trunks, regular side branches, and sparse leaves. The trunk suckers feed on them.
Tube grass - Long grass which is hollow like a tube giving the plant its name.
Aerophyte - Heart-shaped pink bushes that grow in the plains.
Fodderball weed - The fodderball weed produces football-like fruits called zimns.
Jelly-bladder plant - These are plants with jelly-like forms on their stems.
Float ball - These are bushes with stems so small they look like they're floating.
Stickball plants* - The stickball plant is part sponge and part virus. The only creatures that eat them are the gyrosprinters.
Beachfinger - These are grass like plants that thrive near the ameobic sea.
Hillvine - Hill vines are long plants that grow in the hills.
Cliff-polyp - These are red grass like plants that are only eaten by Bladderhorns.
Red mountain-spike - These are big spiked plants that are eaten by Unths.
Arctic polar-vane
Snow-bulb - Snow bulbs are large white bulbs that live in darwin IV's icecaps.
Electrophyte* - These mushroom-like plants electrocute any jetdarter then eat it.[4]
Gourd Tree* -15-story tall plants that are supported by root-like stilts. Gourd Trees are either hollow or spongy inside. They have to be for the stilts to support them. In Alien Planet they are encountered by Leo and Ike, comprising the trees surround the landing site of the probes. In Expedition, the Gourd Trees are calld Steeple Gourds. [5].

External link

A gallery of Expedition paintings with commentary by Barlowe