Siluriana

(Information taken from the big to provide insight into this world and its creatures)

Ocean World Type of Planet: Super Earth Diameter: 11,800 miles (18,990 km) Gravity: 2x Earth Age: 4 billion years old Orbit: 82 million miles (148,059,648 km) Length of Year: 299 days Temperature Range: 85° to 110° F (29° to 43°C) Type of Sun: Younger G star

Siluriana with its copper-colored moon is a young super Earth covered by a sparkling blue sea. Located 30- light-years from Earth, this water world has almost twice the gravity of Earth, which will definitely slow you down. The air on Siluriana is breathable but contains less oxygen than we’re used to. Located closer to its star than Earth is to its sun, the air is a sweltering 110°F (wear your cooling suit when venturing onto land!). Surrounded by water, smoking volcanic landmasses splashed with green life project above the tranquil seas. The emerging volcanic rocks are safe to walk on. While hiking you’ll encounter sharp volcanic rocks, a few black sand beaches, and large pools of freshwater. The only sounds here are the winds, lightly falling raindrops, and ocean waves crashing against the rocks. From orbit it’s hard to detect that alien sea life is abundant here. Life found on Siluriana looks a lot like Earth 450 million years ago. Earth-like planets begin as molten rock that eventually cools down. Escaping steam during this period condenses into rain that fills the ocean basins with water. Volcanoes rising out of the seas help build future land masses or continents. Land formation on water planets is a long, slow process that continues throughout the planet’s lifetime. Some newly discovered Earth-sized worlds are completely covered by oceans and don’t have any land on them. On Earth, oceans now cover 71 percent of the surface. Siluriana, however, is younger than our planet and future continents are just forming, so nearly 100 percent of its surface is covered in water. On Earth, life originated in the oceans and eventually migrated onto land. This same pattern is now happening on Siluriana. At this point in time on Siluriana, the oceans are playgrounds for life. There are no large creatures roaming the newly rising continents, no plants or trees growing or creatures flying in the skies. All that will come later. For now, it’s the oceans where we find all the active alien life. A few million years from now, the planet’s expanding continents will become home to life that has migrated from the ocean onto land.

Arrowhead: Almost 70 feet (21 m) in length), weighing more than 100 tons (91 tonnes), and with massive dagger teeth measuring almost 14 inches (36 cm) long, arrowheads are the most fearsome creatures on Siluriana. They’re named after their distinct arrow-shaped heads, which make them look like swimming dragons.

Mohawk: Mohawks can reach 7 feet (2+ m) in length and resemble water-breathing turtles without shells. Their name comes from the deadly venomous spikes on their back that resemble the popular Native American haircut. These spines lay flat while mohawks swim but jut straight up when threatened, defending the mohawk from attackers.

Greenbag: Tall plant-like creatures filled with foul-smelling slime that can sting for hours. Somewhere between earthworms and bags of green burning slime in appearance, greenbags are animals, not plants. Inching slowly out of the water, they shoot out threads of protein glue that bind them to rocks. They feed on the small scraps of food left behind by waterchirpers.

Waterchirper: Scurrying across the rocks like mice, waterchirpers are the first large creatures to venture out of water and onto land. They trap seawater inside their bodies, which surround the gills they still possess. Their name comes from the sounds they make while eating. Waterchirpers feed on greenbags and their high-pitched songs sound almost like sparrows’ calls.

Big Blue Meanie: Big blue meanies are blue-black in color, stand almost 6 feet (2 m) tall, and look like a cross between a daddy longlegs and an Alaskan king crab. They live on the ocean floor and rarely venture into shallow waters. They use a pair of internal organs to pass electrolytes back and forth inside their bodies, generating electric currents that can be fatal to their prey and to humans.