Animals(morphology):
In his Expedition, Barlowe clearly states that he wanted to represent the most impressive, most appealing animals of the planet. There are millions of species, smaller, probably insectoid ones, who are not represented in detail, even though they have to be a essential part of DarwinIV's ecosystem. Barlowe refers to them as the 'microflyers', tiny animals and plants living in the atmosphere of the planet like plancton lives in the oceans of Earth. Most animals represented in both the book and the movie belong to one of two essential groups: the floaters and the great ground-dwelling beasts. If you had to compare the latter to any group of earth animals, it would be the dinosaurs (with a lot of imagination). However, there is a great variety inside this group. While on Earth animals are classified by elements like the presence of feathers/fur/scales (etc), the big darwinian animals are classified by their number of limbs. There are four classes: quadrupedaliens, tripedaliens, bipedaliens and monopedalians. However, sometimes it is difficult to say to which group an animal belongs. In fact many animals loose some of their limbs when they grow up, and thus "change" their classification. The forest slider, for instance, has four legs as a young, but only two legs in its adult form.
Vegetative Organisms
- Plaque-bark Tree - These trees are tall with straight trunks, regular side branches, and sparse leaves. The Trunk Suckers feed on them. Daggerwrists can often be found clinging to the branches.
- Tube Grass - Long grass which is hollow like a tube giving the plant its name.
- Aerophyte - Microscopic vegetative organisms that float on Darwin IV's air currents and constitute a major source of food for several species on the planet.
- Fodderball Weed - The Fodderball Weed produces football-like fruits called zimns. These weeds have a lightweight construction that puts them at the mercy of every wind.
- Jelly-bladder Plant - These are plants with jelly-like forms on their stems. The Gelsuckers love to eat these.
- Float Ball - These are bushes with stems so small they look like they're floating.
- Stickball Plant - The Stickball Plant is part sponge and part virus. The only creatures that eat them are the Gyrosprinters.
- Darwin Tomato - Darwin Tomatoes are giant molds that grow in the pocket forests.
- Beachfinger - These are grass-like plants that thrive near the Amoebic Sea.
- Hillvine - Hillvines are long plants that grow in the hills.
- Cliff-polyp - These are red grass like plants that are only eaten by Springwings and Bladderhorns.
- Red Mountain-spike - These are big spiked plants that are eaten by Bladderhorns.
- Arctic Polar-vane A red plant that lives in the tundra. It rotates, feeding of the energy generated by the two suns.
- Snow-bulb - Snow-bulbs are large white bulbs that live in Darwin IV's icecaps.
- Electrophyte - These mushroom-like plants electrocute Jetdarters, and then consume it alive.
- 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 called Steeple Gourds.
ZooMaster#300