Stelladonta - Creature Suggestion

oceanwhispers • 29 March 2025 at 2:24 PM

As a lover of marine biology and paleontology, of course my first creature suggestion had to be inspired by both! The Stelladonta is inspired by Radiodonts; especially Anomalocaris! With a touch of inspiration from Aquilonifer spinosus (not a Radiodont!) as well. This can technically be considered a collaboration between myself and @mazelands; I made the art and they helped out with some of the ideas for the creature description!

Image (plus bonus one with an image of space for the background that I thought looked cool)

https://i.imgur.com/6KrfRuc.png
https://i.imgur.com/yZhIrlE.png

Stelladonta Egg Description

Stelladonta eggs are incredibly hardy and virtually indestructible. They can exist in a suspended state for years before hatching, and can withstand the energy of an exploding star.

Stelladonta Creature Description

Stelladonta are bizarre creatures only found in the realm of deep space, coasting through the stars with an elegant grace not unlike the style of aquatic life. They are surprisingly intelligent creatures, adorned with three rows of bizarre bulbs that are tethered to their bodies; these bulbs glow, dim, and blink on command, serving as a communication method between Stelladonta specimens– the complexities of which is poorly understood and requires a great amount of study, made difficult by the native habitat of this species.

Stelladonta are filter feeders that feed on stardust. They use their facial appendages to scoop and draw said stardust into their mouths, slowly cruising along as they feed. This diet has a direct impact on the color of their bulbs– the color of stardust young Stelladonta eat during their first days of life will determine the color of the glow of their bulbs.

As stardust is formed from exploding stars, Stelladonta have the natural ability to detect the energy of dying stars. The presence of a dying star triggers a massive egg-laying event, where large amounts of Stelladonta gather at the site of the dying star to leave their offspring. These eggs do not hatch until there is a substantial amount of stardust, able to exist in a suspended state for many years until there is enough.

Once the eggs hatch en-masse, the young Stelladonta stay in their birthplace until adulthood, feeding off the wealth of stardust. The adult Stelladonta that are drawn to the site commune with the young members of their species, passing on knowledge of the cosmos to them as they feast. Once the juveniles reach adulthood, they leave the corner of space they grew up in, venturing out into the unexplored expanse of stars and forming their own mysterious connections.

Stelladonta were once thought to be an elusive extinct aquatic species from Ark, based off of a single fossil specimen. It was quite the shock to learn these creatures were still very much alive; just swimming among the stars rather than beneath the waves.

Extra notes

Not much else to say, other than to point out the bulb design and bit in the description about there being a single fossil are where the Aquilonifer spinosus inspiration comes in! Also, I made the markings on the blue midsection a little too hard to see- ideally they'd be darker/easier to see.

Let me know what you think!

amberwater • 30 March 2025 at 9:46 AM

@oceanwhispers The description is amazing!! Good luck with your creature suggestion, I'm definitely following this ❤️

oceanwhispers • 30 March 2025 at 4:19 PM

@amberwater Thank you so much!! ❤️

puchikofan9 • 4 April 2025 at 8:13 AM

@oceanwhispers this is cute i like it and the inspiration is really cool !!

oceanwhispers • 5 April 2025 at 11:32 PM

@puchikofan9 Thank you so much!!

dragrawr • 9 April 2025 at 1:42 AM

@oceanwhispers ANOMALOCARIS MY BELOVED YES WE NEED THIS!! I love how this looks 1000x yes

dragonii • 9 April 2025 at 8:00 AM

@oceanwhispers I LOVE THIS!! the design is so pretty! and the description is so fun!

isis • 10 April 2025 at 3:25 PM

How beautiful and cute! Would absolutely love to see this made! ❤️

minervaandmars • 10 April 2025 at 4:22 PM

I love them! I love how they live in stardust! Also, it has a really cute face. 😊

oceanwhispers • 7 June 2025 at 1:32 AM

@dragonii @isis @minervaandmars Took a hiatus so this is late but!! TYSM yall!!

chihiro_sang • 12 June 2025 at 10:43 AM

With as weird as some deep sea creatures can be, giving one a celestial theme actually makes a strange sort of sense.

raitonchidori • 5 August 2025 at 2:55 AM

Interesting creature. Hope @Ian sees it!